The Stylist (I) (2020) User Reviews (61)

What does she do with all the bodies?!

[LaverneandShirleysucks · 7/10 · 15 July 2022]

She rips scalps off women's heads in the beauty shop and then in a coffee shop. Then we see her basement is filled with scalps that she's yanked off from dozens of other women that she put on mannequin heads...but where did she put all the bodies? We never see.

And with so many missing women, you'd think the media would be screaming "Serial Killer on the Loose!!" The girl was definitely a creepy weirdo psycho that seemed to have the hots for the engaged woman who's hair she styles. She breaks into her home to wear her nightgown while pleasuring herself on her bed lol. Really sick stuff.

The movie kept my attention but I just kept wondering what the hell she did with all those hairless dead women's bodies. Other than that gaping plot hole it was ok.

I warned you not to get your hair done tonight!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 25 October 2021]

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!

Meh

[PedroPires90 · 5/10 · 29 March 2021]

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.

Maniac II or...

[thesar-2 · 6/10 · 30 October 2022]

...The Demon Barber of Creep Street.

Not much to say, but this horror/drama about a mentally unfit hair stylist who cuts a little too deep gave me Stepfather II vibes, but mostly reminded me of the original Maniac from 1980 and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer from 1986. Nothing wrong with that, it was enjoyable and everyone was spot on in their roles.

I would question the pacing and direction of the story even though it was easy to follow. At least the gore was decent. I even had to turn away in a few spots. The Lead, who looked way too much like Judy Greer, really sold the psycho.

Recommended.

Slow Burn With Style

[molemandavid · 7/10 · 29 December 2021]

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.

Stylist Over Substance.

[dee_j-85533 · 3/10 · 5 March 2021]

Generic lead psycho without rhyme or reason murders pretty much anybody she meets. No motive, no specific reason for selection, just random unexplained psychotic breakdowns. Could've been a winner but the writing is terrible and it's jam packed of long repetitive scenes that do nothing to move the story or reveal anything deeper about the main character. Maniac, Sweeney Todd and even Lucky McKee's May do everything done here way better. Ultimately a unoriginal, paint by numbers story with a excruciatingly long and predictable finish. More like a photo shoot for bloody bride monthly than a worthwhile narrative.

A predictable screenplay, impressive aesthetics, and a power-packed performance! [+60%]

[arungeorge13 · 6/10 · 27 June 2021]

Najarra Townsend plays a hairstylist who alternates between sweet and psychotic in a film that's reminiscent of Franck Khalfoun's Maniac and Nicolas Winding Refn's The Neon Demon. Jill Gevargizian's audio-visual choices in the film really stand out - be it neon-esque colorscape or the prominently bassy soundtrack. Townsend, in the titular role, does most of the heavy lifting with a chillingly effective performance. The film gets a bit drab and overlong in its middle portions (especially that nightclub scene) but picks up again towards the end, even if the climax is something that you can foresee from a mile away. It may be an easy film to write off given the predictability aspect alone, however, the aesthetics deserve a double thumbs-up. The script deliberately doesn't focus on how well the hairstylist covers up her grisly murders; it delves more into her inner conflicts instead. All said and done, The Stylist is a film that offers different levels of satisfaction for different viewers.

Lacked something...

[Go_For_The_Jugular · 4/10 · 4 March 2021]

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

It just lacked oomph!

Left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

We all want what we can't have

[petarilic32 · 7/10 · 11 October 2021]

It's a story about a lonely, hurt, traumatized person trying to cope with her inner demons in a world that doesn't care. The film is VERY story heavy, so if you are expecting some fast paced slasher based on the imdb summary - this isn't for you.

Plot and pace of this film are both excellent. It's a slow burn with a gory impactful scene here or there however it doesn't serve as an eye candy but it has much deeper, emotional meaning. In fact, the entire movie is based on how main protagonist feels in the moment.

Najarra Townsend is once again outstanding. She brought this role to perfection just like in The Contracted. Very underrated actress. Various emotional states, moods, ways of thinking are acted to perfection.

Cinematography is good, I really liked purple/blue/red contrasts, it wasn't only aesthetically pleasing but it had a meaning in each scene.

There are some negatives obviously, wish the relationship between lead and co-lead was explored far more. There are certain decisions director made I wasn't a fan of but then again - it was a good movie.

People complaining how "boring" this movie is are either teens or don't have enough maturity to watch something like this. 7/10.

Boring

[Mclovin290514 · 2/10 · 18 April 2021]

I watched this movie months ago and it's not often that I feel the need to come back and review how slow and boring a movie is, a movie never sends me to sleep, this one did, its basically a rip off from maniac from 2012 and 1980. Watch one of them instead, trust me, you want be disappointed, but you will with this horse s#@t.

Solid Female Driven Slasher Film

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 8/10 · 5 October 2021]

This was a movie that I heard some buzz about for 2021 watches so it went on a list for me to check out this year. I subscribed to the Arrow player so I figured I would check this out to get my money's worth over there. I knew this was going to be a slasher type film so that caught my attention as well. The synopsis here is a lonely hair stylist becomes obsessed with the lives of her clients and descends into murderous madness.

For this movie we start out with Sarah (Jennifer Seward) coming into a salon to be worked on by Claire (Najarra Townsend). Through some probing questions, Claire learns that Sarah is from out of town. She's there for work. Sarah is married with a child, but while she is here, she is cheating on her husband with a guy she met. Claire is taking all of this in and ends up killing this other woman. She scalps her and takes it home. It is there that she puts it on and mimics her.

The next morning Claire gets a text message from Olivia (Brea Grant). Her hair stylist for her upcoming wedding fell through and she wants to know if Claire will help her. Claire is her normal stylist, but for some reason she doesn't do weddings. It takes her time to debate things, but does eventually agree. Olivia is marrying Charlie (Davis DeRock). We get some interactions that he might be a bit of a jerk and Olivia is independent.

What I like is that we get to see Claire struggles with this decision. She is a regular at a nearby coffee shop and the barista, Dawn (Sarah McGuire), notices. Claire also seems to struggle with perfection and things needing to be done in order. Regardless with her struggles, they do a trial run and Olivia loves it. She invites Claire over that night to show her what it looks like with the wedding dress. The two of them have a good time and this causes Olivia to invite her to the bachelorette party. She overhears some of Olivia's friends mocking her, which causes her more internal turmoil.

Claire is struggling to keep it together. Having a taste of friendship, she wants to give up her killer side, but when things don't go as she hoped, she might snap completely. It becomes an interesting look at this young woman who just wants to fit in.

That is where I'm going to leave my recap for the movie. Where I want to start is that this feels to me like an inverse of Maniac. We have a woman as our killer with Claire. The movie isn't hiding that as we see this right in the beginning. She is scalping her victims like this classic exploitation/slasher. There are past traumas that are causing her to be the way that she, which is similar as well. It isn't as grimy though. I also like that her past isn't fully revealed to us and there wasn't a lot of abuse from what I gather. What it seems more like is that some bad things happened and she's never gotten over them. Her way of fitting in is killing her victims and in a way, living their lives on a limited basis in her head. I'm glad that we are going minimal here to an extent. Usually there is a revenge factor for women killers in horror where men we can accept it more. How this is set up gives me that.

Despite what I liked there, I do think we need just a bit more. I like that we are given hints and it is throughout the movie. Claire's father wasn't around as she grew up. Her mother passed away from an accident when she was 17. She's been alone since then. We get to see pictures, but the woman she is looking at doesn't look like her. Is that supposed to be her? Was she to be married? I don't need things explained to me, but I think with the runtime we get, I needed just a bit more for this to fully work for me. There is a short film that this is based off so I'm wondering if I need to see that, because at this time, I haven't. There just seems to be one missing piece that completes the puzzle for me.

That isn't to say that I didn't like this, because I did enjoy this quite a bit. Where I'm going next is what I think makes this work and that was the acting. Townsend does an amazing job here as someone who keeping it together, but we are seeing her struggle. I like getting this from her perspective. We can see and feel her anxiety, her need for perfection. I like that by paying attention to those around her, they notice she is stressed, but they don't know her inner turmoil. I like getting to hear these messages from Olivia. I'm assuming this is what is being said, but we are also getting it from the perspective of Claire. She wants to fit in, but she goes too far at times and she doesn't have her place or her own group. I thought she was amazing if I'm honest.

That's not to say the rest of the cast around her wasn't good. They were there to direct Claire to where she ends up. I'm a fan of Grant and I think she does solid here as someone who lets Claire in, but this other woman doesn't fully understand the boundaries. I like the perspective of DeRock we get as we side with Claire in thinking that he isn't good for Olivia. It is limited though as he does love her. I like McGuire to help show Claire's struggles along with Seward, Millie Milan and the rest of the cast to round this out.

Then to wrap this up review, I'll go to the effects, cinematography and the soundtrack. We don't get a lot of the former, but we don't need too much. I think the blood and the look of the attacks is good. It looks to be done practical which makes me happy. The cinematography was well done. I like how they convey things through montages to avoid over explaining. The movie does run a bit long for me though and I think some things could be trimmed. If you're going to go 105 minutes, I think the missing piece needs to be in there. The soundtrack though works for what they needed and I enjoyed the sound design with showing Claire's mental issues.

In conclusion here, I ended up enjoying this movie quite a bit. It is a smarter slasher film that feels like a more polished and inverted version of Maniac. The performance from Townsend was great and I thought the rest of the cast worked in directing her to where she ended up. The effects were solid along with how great this was shot. I like what they do with the sound design and the music fit. If I have an issue, it runs too long and it leaves out an explanation as to why Claire is the way she is. I don't need too much there, but just something to bring what we get to why. I still found this to be good though. I would recommend giving this movie a viewing.

A Different Type of Horror

[TipToeThroughHell · 6/10 · 15 April 2021]

It takes a deft hand to turn a story of violent obsession into something equally disturbing, beautiful, and truly heartbreaking. Jill Gevargizian is a writer/director to keep an eye on and Najarra Townsend gives a performance that is chilling and brave, yet absolutely tragic and darkly touching. Also, as a proud Kansas Citian, it was awesome to see my city lovingly featured!!

ugh

[WankerReviews · 2/10 · 5 March 2021]

Who knew a movie about a woman who scalps women she envy's could be so dull. very repetitive and so many scenes where the lead is just staring off and doing simple tasks. she's stalking several women and kills a few but it's all not very interesting. the ending however was great. too bad the rest of the movie wasn't like this. the lead character boring/one note. no personality, just weird and lifeless.

HORROR BEAUTICIAN

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 7/10 · 9 August 2021]

Director Jill Gevargizian has directed numerous shorts but she has finally been given the opportunity to direct her first full feature film. A first feature is a notable experience. It provides a director the opportunity to present something on hand when looking for more work with the studios. And for movie fans it gives them the chance to see if this is a director worth following in the future. My thoughts? Look for more movies to come from Gevargizian.

THE STYLIST is the story of Claire (Najarra Townsend), a hairstylist in a small beauty shop whose works is amazing to those who seek her help. Claire is not just a stylist though. She's also a serial killer. When the mood and opportunity strikes, Claire kills a last minute customer and then removes their scalp to wear at home.

The movie revolves around Claire but not in a tell all about a new psycho type film. We aren't presented with a backstory involving abusive parents or a teenager tormented by her peers. Instead we are watching and learning about her in the present. An attractive woman who feels unattractive. A somewhat social outcast of her own making, awkward around others and lonely to the extreme.

Into her life comes Olivia (Brea Grant). A past customer Olivia is about to get married. Before a party she needs her hair done and pleads with Claire to take care of her need. Claire finally agrees and afterwards Brea invites her to her bachelorette party and into her life. This prompts Claire to determine she's going to change her ways. No more killings, no more scalpings, she's going to live a normal life.

But Claire doesn't quite fit in. Brea may not notice but her friends treat Claire as the awkward outcast she imagines herself to be. Claire once again finds herself treated differently by others. While she may long for the friendship or even the lifestyle of her newfound friend Brea, the odds of that happening are slim to none.

What follows is a slow return to madness. Torn by her desire to kill again and to attempt to work towards normalcy Claire is caught in the middle with no one to help her make the decision. Just how that will end up affecting her life and that of Brea is left to be seen.

The good and the bad. The bad is the story feels more like a short story and something that will 104 minutes to tell. There are slow moments in the film that drag it down that might have been cut. The good is that the story is original and Gevargizian handles everything from camera placement to directing her actors perfectly. Visually the movie is a treat for the eyes.

The standout performance is that of Townsend in the lead role. Honestly the rest felt like they could have been cast by other actors if need be. But Townsend encapsulates the sympathies needed for the character of Claire to make her at one moment horrific and at the next one we care about and want to help.

The movie falls a little short of being something I'd watch again but it was done well enough that as I said I'll be watching for future films from Gevargizian. For that matter I'll be looking for more from Townsend as well. Both have made their mark with this film that more than anything deserves to be noticed.

Arrow is releasing this film with their usual more than you'd ever expect extras. These include a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck, a double-sided fold-out poster, an illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Emma Westwood and a gallery of exclusive location scouting photographs, an audio commentary by co-writer/producer/director Jill Gevargizian and actress/producer Najarra Townsend, an exclusive Blu-ray introduction by Jill Gevargizian, "The Invisible Woman", an exclusive visual essay by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, exploring the themes of women's labor and female killers in The Stylist and horror cinema, "The Stylist - Behind the Scenes", a series of eight behind-the-scenes featurettes on different aspects of the film's production, featuring interviews with the cast and crew, a location scouting featurette, outtakes, the original Kickstarter video, the original 2016 The Stylist short film directed by Jill Gevargizian and starring Najarra Townsend, that inspired the main feature, "Pity", a 2016 short film directed by The Stylist's editor, John Pata, and executive produced by Jill Gevargizian, with an optional introduction by Pata, the teaser trailer, the theatrical trailer, image galleries and a CD containing the original The Stylist Soundtrack. Once more they show why Arrow is one of the top distributors around.

Slow burn...

[ezgolucky · 7/10 · 5 March 2021]

Definitely a slow burn and builds up till the end. Good nuanced performance by Najarra Townsend. The slasher effects are very realistic. Didn't expect to like it but did...

You don't say that to someone two days before their wedding

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 9 July 2021]

Claire (Najarra Townsend) is a sad lonely hair stylist who lives her life imagining being the person in her chair. In her despair she drugs her clients and scalps them, wearing their hair in her pretend room. I actually developed empathy for this female "Leather Face". Olivia (Brea Grant) is getting married and needs an "emergency" hair style. She invites Claire into her life and Claire shows us how she is socially awkward, again making us feel for her.

The ending was somewhat expected. I didn't feel the horror. Definitely a film for women.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

Focused Film on the Perspective of a Psychopath

[cmharels · 7/10 · 28 September 2020]

NOTICE: I am a kickstarter backer for the film so my personal view was mostly shaped from excitement for the film.

This turned out to be a enjoyable follow up to the short film with the same name. A bit of a issue with the movie is that though the focus' through the perspective of the killer, the logistics or motivations of the killer seems to be just as puzzling. I believe I caught on to the majority of the hints and character interaction to get a strong idea of the protagonist's means of actions but I have come away at the end with a lot of questions.

There is also a personal issue with certain logistics of the story but I do think that the film is an interesting exploration of a cosmetically appealing and reserved individual whose secret life spirals out of control.

Really interesting movie, but just lacking that special ingredient...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 10 April 2021]

I happened to stumble upon the 2020 horror drama "The Stylist" by sheer random luck in 2021. And I was immediately intrigued by the movie's cover. And reading the synopsis definitely made me more interested in watching the movie, as it sounded like this could potentially be something in the likes of the 2002 horror movie "May" starring Angela Bettis.

So of course I sat down to watch "The Stylist" given my fascination for all things horror, and also because it was a movie that I hadn't already seen.

"The Stylist" definitely was watchable and it was an interesting storyline. However, there was just something profound missing from the formula that was cooked up by writers Jill Gevargizian, Eric Havens and Eric Stolze. I can't really put my finger on it and say this is what was missing, but I just feel that the movie was missing a certain ingredient to make it an outstanding movie.

Now don't get me wrong here, because I am not saying that "The Stylist" is a bad movie or anything, because this was an entertaining movie and a watchable movie. It just failed to go that extra mile and become an extraordinary movie.

The storyline was pretty interesting, albeit it was suffering from being overly predictable. And that was something that definitely was holding the movie back a notch. But there are some pretty nice aspects to the storyline, and I really enjoyed the character gallery in the movie. Especially the movie's main character - the stylist Claire (played by Najarra Townsend). That character was really fleshed out nice, no pun intended.

"The Stylist" had a good ensemble of actresses and actors to portray the various characters and roles in the movie. And I was really impressed with the performance put on by lead actress Najarra Townsend in the role of Claire. Her performance was just right on the dot, and she really gave life to her character and made it a very realistic and believable character. In fact, her performance alone, makes it more than well worth sitting down to watching the movie.

However, the pacing of the storyline was serving as a cumbersome weight around the movie, holding it back. Why? Well, because it was rather monotonous and slow paced. Too little happened to make me feel fully engorged in the movie at all times. And it was a shame, because the storyline had so much potential, and Najarra Townsend really blew me away with her performance.

I will say that "The Stylist" is worth taking the time to sit down and watch if you have the time.

My rating of director Jill Gevargizian's 2020 movie "The Stylist" lands on a mediocre five out of ten stars. The movie would have rated much higher, if it had been better paced and more contents added to the storyline.

Classy stylist

[HateHoollywoodNetflix · 7/10 · 16 July 2021]

Jill Gevargizian's feature film premiere, adapting her own short film, is an intimate look at the sick psyche of a woman armed with his hairdressing scissors -an excellent Najarra Townsend-.

I've always had a fascination with how easily the world tends to open up to complete strangers simply because they do ordinary jobs in front of the public. The secrets that a hairdresser, or a waiter, or the taxi driver will know ... in this film we have an uncomfortable truth, because perhaps that stylist, waiter or taxi driver are nothing more than strange creatures that live through others (It is an exaggeration of a wandering mind, do not take it as a statement if they are from some guild of the style)

So we have a kind of Apache of the 21st century with many traumas, to which the script has not wanted to respond or at least with absolute certainties and that is good. His sweet and shy manner and pastel dresses are the counterpoint to his true SELF (the overrated Freud would drool over a case like this) who yearns to live other lives and does not hesitate to kill.

As a signature, let's say the stylist wants to be the bride at the wedding, the child at the christening, and the dead at the funeral.

And look at the short, it's worth it.

there are 3 minutes worth watching

[fabiovicentini · 1/10 · 5 March 2021]

2 minutes at the beginning and 1 at the end. The rest is amazingly insignificant and will let you wonder 'how is it that a 1 h and 44 min movie can be jammed in 3 min without having a diffferent impact on these scenes?' That s the power of the ending, which looks back at the whole movie if it had never taken place. We discover, along with the character, that there had never been a a characther that occupayed a story

Gripping from start to finish

[doujyr · 8/10 · 11 June 2021]

Really good film, utterly mad main character. Interesting to see a mad female as the main character, a few films like that appearing these days, a chilling portent of things to come?

Enjoyable

[jdurm-19620 · 6/10 · 25 June 2021]

For a good time call the Stylist! Equally funny and well put together. I rated this a 6 because it is above average and kept me interested the whole time! I watched with friends and we did a lot yelling at the screen, which is exactly what you want for a movie like this. The acting was good, but I think more thought could have gone into the actual creation and artistic value. But, really that is my only complaint. Fun ride from beginning to end!!

Forget It

[billcr12 · 3/10 · 11 March 2021]

Other than the lead actress being believable as a troubled woman, there is no reason to watch this silly movie. A hair sytlist who for some unknown reason has a habit of scalping her clients and other women who cross her path, I was bored for most of this overlong movie. By the time it reaches a predictable ending, The Stylist just drags on and on with scenes which make no sense and a storyline which is just plain stupid. Avoid it like the plague.

Worth Watching

[jamesdarwell · 6/10 · 15 August 2022]

A solid mix of character study psychodrama and slasher movie thrills. The pacing takes a nosedive midway through and struggles to get back on track, but the finale is memorable and the film always looks beautiful. The acting isn't half bad either.

Liked A Lot of It

[jamiemiller-07611 · 6/10 · 19 January 2022]

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.