The blood-soaked, revenge-driven face of Nicolas Cage in Mandy changed my life

Amongst a backdrop of 80s prog rock, revenge-induced rage and grief, Panos Cosmatos' film 'Mandy' is a cinematic masterpiece that I always felt I deserved.

From the age of about 6, I've been obsessed with horror - gory, psychological, slashers - it doesn't matter. If it's horror, I'm in.

It started so early due to my weekend routine in the company of my grandparents and my agoraphobic uncle. A man who would only venture out of the house once a week in order to buy two films on VHS from the local video store (which will remain nameless for obvious reasons).

The first film was always a family friendly affair that could be enjoyed in the company of my grandparents on Saturday evening - the second? A banned video nasty such that my uncle secretly allowed me to binge on when my Nanna went shopping, which ultimately completely desensitised me to gore, blood, guts and handed me a fascination with practical special effects.

Anyhow, fast forward 25 years and the horror genre had left me wanting more. Jump scares, 'elevated' horror and a host of horrendous remakes had left me desperate for something a little different when a friend recommend I went to the GFT's late night screening of a new Nicolas Cage film titled Mandy.