A successful model is aging, and she does everything she can to stay beautiful. However, after undergoing too many cosmetic surgeries, her face and body begin to betray her, and a new rival emerges, stealing all the spotlight. Is this the beginning of the end?
On paper, Helter Skelter seems interesting, but at 126 minutes, the runtime is far too long. The script lacks the substance to justify such a prolonged duration. This movie should have been 50 minutes long—that would have been perfect for its stylish approach.
The protagonist is a terrible person, rotten on the inside. The only thing she cares about is herself and her looks; everyone else she treats like trash. Then one day, she discovers dark spots on her skin, and it turns out she is not just rotten on the inside—the model is a demon from hell, rotting on the outside as well.
The clinic she uses for her surgeries is shady, and a prosecutor is determined to take down its owner. But he needs help, and he has targeted the protagonist.
Helter Skelter is engaging for the first 45 minutes, but after that, it becomes boring and repetitive. It’s exhausting to follow a protagonist who has no soul. The other characters are dull, and they all seem cartoonish—as if they belong in a comic. Yes, the movie is based on a manga, which might explain the silly tone and exaggerated characters. We are not following ordinary humans in Helter Skelter.
The most intriguing aspect is observing the protagonist and her lifestyle, seeing what she does to stay on top. She is lonely, selfish, and rude, believing she owns the world and that the spotlight will always shine on her, making her immortal. She is determined to remain number one at any cost, but she hides secrets in her dark closet that the world is not ready to see. Is she a fake? Or is she the real one?
The movie is colorful, but the characters are tiresome. Some sex scenes are unappealing, especially those involving the protagonist’s assistant, who looks like a man. By this point, it becomes clear that Helter Skelter is more fantasy than reality.
Helter Skelter is a bad and boring movie that lacks substance. Its only redeeming feature is the cinematography—it’s vibrant, with quick cuts reminiscent of Requiem for a Dream. But I wanted more substance. I wanted to follow real humans, not cartoonish caricatures.
The model business is fascinating, full of things happening behind the scenes that rarely see the light of day. Unfortunately, Helter Skelter fails to reveal anything new or insightful. It’s all style and no substance, resulting in a dull movie experience.
My recommendation: skip this movie and watch The Neon Demon (2016) instead. While I wasn’t a huge fan of that movie either, Nicolas Winding Refn proves to be a far better storyteller. Oh, and I almost forgot—The Substance (2024) is really good in this genre, exploring aging and the obsession with staying young and beautiful forever.