Panos Cosmatos (born 1974) is a Greek-Canadian filmmaker. His films use fantasy, science fiction, and Surreal Horror elements to explore the dark side of ideology and spirituality. Each of Cosmatos' films so far is based on the idea of its protagonists asserting their independence and individuality while facing off against a New Age-inspired cult in a dreamlike, psychedelic landscape.
Filmography
- Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)
- Mandy (2018)
- Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (2022) episode "The Viewing"
- Nekrokosm (TBA)
His works provide examples of:
- Ambiguously Human: A few of the monsters in both Mandy and Beyond The Black Rainbow may or may not have been human at one point.
- Author Appeal: The references to old-school metal and hesher culture across both films shouldn't be too surprising.
- Bad Powers, Bad People: The villains of Cosmatos' films so far are Evil Sorcerer archetypes who use their powers in an attempt to control and coerce the unwilling.
- Casual Time Travel: The mysterious billionaire in The Viewing owns tracks implied to have been produced decades after the time the story is set. The billionaire claims the music was custom-made. However, the production techniques in the tracks are clearly contemporary in spite of the "retro" influence, suggesting the involvement of time travel.
- Cosmic Horror Story: Beyond the Black Rainbow, Mandy, and "The Viewing" all imply that the mortal, physical plane of existence is a playground for malicious spiritual forces beyond human understanding.
- Cult: A recurring theme in Panos Cosmatos' films is how people fall into or become trapped in cults that idolize a potentially toxic individual or ideology, at the expense of their own well-being.
- Drugs Are Bad: A bad trip is what leads to Barry's Start of Darkness in Beyond The Black Rainbow, and drugs are used in ample supply by the bad guys (and turn the hero into something not quite human) in Mandy. In The Viewing, the antagonists are regular drug users and tempt the protagonists based on their own relationships to alcohol and drugs.
- Everybody's Dead, Dave: Both Beyond the Black Rainbow and The Viewing deal with the concept of a group of characters having been slaughtered en masse as a result of awakening forces best left unperturbed.
- Evil Sorcerer: Jeremiah in Mandy and Barry in Beyond the Black Rainbow both fit the bill.
- God Is Evil: Depending on how you interpret where the magic/psychic power in his films originates.
- Horror Hippies: A recurring theme in his work. He's stated himself he's not a fan of the Baby Boomers' New Age spiritual ideals.
- Humanoid Abomination: A few show up to do the villain's dirty work across both of Panos Cosmatos' films so far.
- Magic Is Evil: It's very rare to see a non-horrific use of magic or Psychic Powers in a Panos Cosmatos film.
- New Age: The way that New Age ideas of enlightenment and personal liberation can be turned to evil is a recurring theme.
- Nightmare Face: It's not a Panos Cosmatos film without one.
- Psychic Nosebleed: The psychic in The Viewing.
- Psychic Powers: In Beyond the Black Rainbow, it's clear that both Elena and Barry have psychic powers, while it is implied that at least two characters (including Jeremiah and Mandy) do in Mandy. A psychic appears in "The Viewing", where his sensitivity to spiritual energy ultimately becomes more of a weakness than a strength.
- Recursive Canon: The soundtrack composer for the Cabinet of Curiosities series is mentioned by name in a throwaway line of dialogue in "The Viewing".
- Religion of Evil: The Arboria Institute in Beyond the Black Rainbow, and Jeremiah's Cult, the Children of the New Dawn, in Mandy.
- Ripped from the Headlines: There are elements of the Manson murders in the backstory and actions of the Children of the New Dawn, while the Arboria Institute resembles a number of real life organizations that have touted the virtues of the Human Potential movement.
- Sliding Scale of Shiny Versus Gritty: There's a "shiny" act, where most of the villains do bad stuff to the hero, and then there's the "gritty" act, where the hero finally snaps and defeats the villain at a rather ambiguous spiritual and psychological cost.
- Two-Act Structure: Both films so far have a two-act structure reminiscent of Kubrick's take on the Sliding Scale of Shiny Versus Gritty, with the "shiny" parts reflecting the significant bulk of horror content. Inverted in the two-act structure of The Viewing, where the protagonists meet and socialize pleasantly in a "shiny" environment before the monster escapes into the "gritty" outside world in the second act.
- Whole-Plot Reference: The two surviving protagonists of "The Viewing" are modeled after Velma and Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, as is the scenario in which they find themselves.
