Movie Review: ‘The Stylist’

Review by James Lindorf

Everyone wonders what it would be like to be someone else. To experience what it is like to be rich, famous, or a world-class athlete, for Claire, that dream goes from an obsession to a living nightmare. When regular client Olivia (Brea Grant) asks Claire to style her hair for her wedding day, Claire becomes increasingly fixated on her. Claire vows to change her ways for good, but she discovers that repressing your deadly desires is easier said than done. Five years ago, writer and director Jill Gevargizian teamed up with actress Najarra Townsend for “The Stylist,” a short film about a lonely, desperate, and damaged woman turned serial killer. Now they are back, ready to expand on Claire’s (Najarra Townsend) story and add to her body count. The feature-length version of “The Stylist” is now available on Arrow, the home of cult film and television.

Jill Gevargizian began her career in film seven years ago at the age of 30. “The Stylist” is her third feature-length movie in that time, and you can’t help but be excited for her as an emerging filmmaker. “The Stylist” is fun and quirky. However, it does have a few problems. Gevargizian is a skilled creator of characters, but her future may lie dramatic films rather than horror genre because “The Stylist” lacks all of the visceral fear that should come with watching multiple murders. There is also a small pacing issue that makes the movie feel a little longer than its 105-minute runtime. There are no glaring scenes that needed to be cut but several that could have been shortened. A runtime closer to 90 minutes really could have helped the film. You would be less likely to feel the length, and it would make Claire feel even more out of control and dangerous. Increasing the intensity and a little more time or skill in the editing bay are small issues to fix compared to the things that are done very well in this movie.

The film’s strongest elements are its characters and its lead actors’ performances, which are very good, and the credit for which goes to the writer, the actors, and the director. Since Gevargizian fills two of those roles, there is plenty of cause for having faith in her going forward. Claire, on the page and as portrayed by Townsend, is a great character. She is crazy and murderous but also complicated and sympathetic. She has a lot in common with Frank Zito, the killer at the center of the 1980 and 2012 versions of “Maniac.” They both obsess over their victims; they each collect scalps and keep them on mannequins, busts for Claire, and full body for Frank.

Claire has a bit more in common with Elijah Wood’s take on Frank, being that they are more psychologically tortured. What separates the two is Frank’s more violent approach to ending the lives of his victims. Together Gevargizian and Townsend almost make you want to root for Claire to overcome her shortcomings and whatever drives her to commit murder. Because her killing method is seemingly quick and painless, it is easier not to think of her as a monster. Unfortunately, as she begins to unravel, her inner turmoil is reflected in her methods. The worse she is feeling, the more violent, improvised, and dangerous her kills become.

It is unusual for a horror movie to be unable to elicit any fear or tension from the audience. Instead, you are more likely to feel sad for Claire, like she is spiraling out of control with something as common as alcohol or drugs and not murdering and scalping an unknown number of women. Even though it won’t raise the hairs on the back of your neck or make you side-eye the person who cuts your hair, “The Stylist” is still a solid B, thanks to Townsend and Gevargizian.

Genre: Horror, Mystery And Thriller
Original Language: English
Director: Jill Gevargizian
Writer: Jill Gevargizian
Release Date (Streaming): March 1st, 2021
Runtime: 1h 45m