In Fabric: A dark horror film with elements of twisted humour. The fashion police need to pay a call on the store which is having a sake, with a special on a red dress which seems to be possessed, literally a dress to kill. Influences from Italian horror movies and fashion films abound but Peter Strickland puts his own auteural stamp on this flick. A satire on sales - customers get into fights with each other and the staff - mixed with 60s/70s style psychedelic tv ads and newspaper montages advance a possible critique of consumer culture. But the emphasis is most certainly on Horror.
The head sales assistant exudes an aura of Vampirism which is emphasised as she is dressed like a 19th century Spanish Widow as are the rest of the staff apart from the decrepit and ancient manager who resembles Bela Lugosi after a hard night on the booze and drugs. But he comes to life when rugby-tackling a shoplifter. Shop dummies are treated as if they were alive and some events in the film make you wonder about this. The red dress causes distress and skin rashes to wearers, it comes to life and attacks people.
The film also relates to the dating scene and modern management-speak but the dress is the real star. Peter Strickland has delivered a convincing horror movie which will shock and offend some people. Not for the squeamish. 8/10.
The head sales assistant exudes an aura of Vampirism which is emphasised as she is dressed like a 19th century Spanish Widow as are the rest of the staff apart from the decrepit and ancient manager who resembles Bela Lugosi after a hard night on the booze and drugs. But he comes to life when rugby-tackling a shoplifter. Shop dummies are treated as if they were alive and some events in the film make you wonder about this. The red dress causes distress and skin rashes to wearers, it comes to life and attacks people.
The film also relates to the dating scene and modern management-speak but the dress is the real star. Peter Strickland has delivered a convincing horror movie which will shock and offend some people. Not for the squeamish. 8/10.