molemandavid

Borrowing from some of the best character study horror films from the 60's and 70's, The Stylist seamlessly updates these tropes for the new age with lots of style and higher production values than expected for such a low budget film.

A lonely hairstylist takes to drugging some of her clients, scalping them, and storing said scalps in a creepy shrine underneath her house where she can put them on and pretend to be different people. She tries to shape up and stop doing this when a bride-to-be client books her for her wedding and the stylist believes this might be a true friendship in the making.

For most of its runtime, The Stylist plays like a modern mashup of Maniac, Repulsion, and May and it's anchored by a lovely performance by Najarra Townsend, who wisely underplays her character's mania. Most actresses would swing from the rafters and chew the scenery with a character like this, but she keeps her very grounded and true to life.

Townsend's performance helps fill in a lot of the script's flaws, because, as much as The Stylist seems to want us to relate for its lead character, it doesn't do an awful lot to endear her to us. We never figure out what made her start killing and collecting scalps and we never find out why she's so fixated on this particular bride-to-be. This does weaken the film and throw things off balance, because Townsend is playing the character as if she's in a nuanced character drama, but the film gives her even less development and motivation than some of the Friday the 13th sequels gave Jason.

At least The Stylist knows how to end a movie as it offers up one of the most memorable final horror film images of the past decade and the film itself is beautifully directed by Jill Gevargizian who has an excellent eye.

Movie musicals are normally a mixed bag. Even the good ones can be polarizing and characters bursting into song can sometimes be a hard sell to modern audiences who expect gritty realism. The Prom embraces the format completely with some mixed, but mostly positive results.

After their latest show bombs, two self-obsessed Broadway actors recruit two of their out of work friends to get some much needed positive press by crashing into a small town to teach the yokels a thing or two about tolerance after a lesbian high schooler isn't allowed to take her girlfriend to prom.

It could be said that The Prom is a little over directed. Some musical numbers work wonderfully and others seem to be edited to have a cut every 5 seconds to either keep the audience awake or distract from some less than stellar footwork from the Hollywood actors coming into the musical world. These choices can be distracting, but everyone involved in so joyful and game to entertain that it becomes a slight weakness rather than a huge drawback.

Armed with a wonderful cast, director Ryan Murphy pulls every laugh and tear he can from the material even if certain moments can get a little too sweet and sugary for its own good. The 2nd half has the tendency to drag a little bit more than the first, but all in all, The Prom is a delicious confection that had me smiling from ear to ear.

No one who looks like Sheila Keith should seem threatening, but after Frightmare, you might have second thoughts every time you pass by a kindly looking elderly woman. This is what Frightmare does best. It takes the happy and mundane and flips it, turning it into the stuff of nightmares.

A young woman has been having issues with her younger sister who she's been caring for ever since her parents ended up in prison for murdering and devouring several people. Once they're released, her entire world falls to pieces as it becomes clear that her father might be bringing victims to their home to quench his wife's ghoulish appetite.

Frightmare might not be a high point of cinematic style, but the story it wishes to tell is a great one and it's incredibly well acted and the pacing moves very well, especially once things start escalating. The ending is one you're not likely to forget for quite a while.

Director Pete Walker made his masterpiece with Frightmare and it's hard to figure out why he's not better regarded among other horror masters. His output might be a little uneven, but you could say the same thing about many other, better known horror filmmakers.