The Stylist

To the serial killer movie genre. Kind of a Cosmopolitan magazine verion of Hannibal. Townsend is transfixing. Predictable but thoroughly satisfying in the end.

A beautifully shot and mostly well acted slasher/thriller along the lines of Single White Female with some nods to Maniac thrown in. As impressive as the production values are, it's hard to get too interested in any of the main characters. Even as obviously insane as the lead character is, there's a level of unpredictability missing that could have made her a more memorable villain.

A decent enough film, with solid acting and great cinematography.

It just lacked oomph!

Left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

Several reviewers already pointed out the connection and similarities between this film and one of the most infamous and controversial horror films of the late 70s/early 80s exploitation era. And I wholeheartedly agree! "The Stylist" is a modern reworking of William Lustig's class-sick "Maniac", as well as of the 2012-remake starring Elijah Wood. Of course, this film looks entirely different. The titular psychopath is a woman with a blossoming professional career, a fancy social status, and an elegant physical appearance. Najarra Townsend's character Claire is the complete opposite of the uncanny and trashy killer that Joe Spinell depicted in "Maniac". The film itself also looks a lot more polished. But, in essence, the stories are the same. Both Claire in "The Stylist" and Frank Zito in "Maniac" are lonely, socially incompetent, and clumsy outcasts looking for friendship and acceptance.

"The Stylist" is a really good and compelling thriller, beneficing maximally from its extremely powerful (and spine-chilling) opening sequence. The rest of the film thrives on the great intro, but also has an efficient and slow-brooding atmosphere that gradually unfolds. The opening made it quite clear that the seemingly sweet and caring hairdresser Claire is, in fact, a dangerously disturbed murderess, so when she's becoming close friends with soon-to-be-married Olivia, you are nervously waiting for her to go totally bonkers again. There isn't a lot of action, but the horror-moments are shockingly effective. The scalping moments are uncomfortable to look at, also thanks to the eerily realistic sound effects, and the footage of Claire inconspicuously stalking her unwary targets are genuinely suspenseful. Many people referred to the climax as being a bit of a letdown, and claimed they were hoping for a more spectacular ending, but I - for one - think it's a 100% appropriate conclusion. Recommended!

The end really save it from a negative score, but can't be positive either.

Interesting concept, a couple of good scenes, but most of the film is really predictable and boring. Some editing, less slow-mos, and there is no reason for this one to be over 80 minutes.