Eccentric, twisted intrigue from strickland

Peter Strickland's 4th film is probably his most eccentric yet. A horror-comedy that involves sales season at a department store set in late 70s / early 80s England. It has a huge whiff of homage to giallo type Euro films and also has it's own identity in the form of sharply dry comedy dissecting consumerism and the obsession with shopping / clothes.

As with the majority of Strickland's films there is this other worldly feel to it, and there are no recognisable brands / materialistic objects that make us comfortable in a familiarity type way. Instead there are mysterious characters performing a variety of twisted acts on themselves and on mannequins. There are women with wigs, a very weird store owner, disappearing store assistants and untimely demises. How much of this is to be analysed and how much is Strickland's indulgence remains a bit of a mystery. But the journey was a great experience - the way it is shot (especially the main protagonist - a red dress) is beautiful, and the way it sounded (creaks, voices, pens writing,scratching, pipes moaning, elevators whining, washing machines spinning) was as eerie as it was awesome.

The two chapter style didn't really fit - perhaps these things tend to be better with 1 or 3. I can envisage this film being frustrating for film-goers who prefer a more linear plot. There are lots of ambiguous characters and dialogues. But it's definitely worth a watch just for how different Strickland films are to most out there.