Over the course of only three feature-length films, writer and director Peter Strickland has established himself as a master of suspense, sound, atmosphere, and pacing. Influenced by Italian giallo, softcore erotic, ’60s psychedelia, and groovy, mondo exotic outre cinema, Strickland’s really one of a compared to any of his contemporaries.
READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2019
His self-financed revenge film “Katalin Varga” featured a heightened soundscape that ranged from ominous wind, to crickets, to lonesome goat bells. He followed ‘Varga’ with “Berberian Sound Studio,” a terrifying film about a sound engineer who slowly turns insane working for an Italian horror studio. The English expatriate’s next film, “The Duke of Burgundy,” is perhaps his most accomplished. The erotic LGBTQ romance film is an exercise in excavating the beauty of humanity in even the most bizarre and unlikely moments. Strickland’s latest film, “In Fabric,” debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last year and it’s his most recent foray into the horror genre while leveraging his various fetishistic and sensualist tendencies. By all accounts, our review included, “In Fabric,” is a kind of British kitchen sink riff mixed with phantasmagorical horror, and wild absurdist kink; it sounds bat shit crazy in the best way possible.
Here’s the official synopsis for Strickland’s eccentric film:
A lonely woman (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), recently separated from her husband, visits a bewitching London department store in search of a dress that will transform her life. She’s fitted with a perfectly flattering, artery-red gown—which, in time, will come to unleash a malevolent curse and unstoppable evil, threatening everyone who comes into its path.
READ MORE: Summer Movie Preview: 35 Films You Shouldn’t Miss
Indeed, given Strickland’s mastery of mood, this film is shaping up to be nothing short of spectacular. “In Fabric” stars Oscar-nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Secrets & Lies“), Gwendoline Christie (“Game of Thrones“), Hayley Squires (“I, Daniel Blake“) and Julian Barratt (“Mindhorn“).
READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2019 We’ve Already Seen
Strickland also wrote “In Fabric,” which adds acclaimed cinematographer Ari Wegner‘s (“Lady Macbeth“) to the mix, adding layers of atmosphere to each mysterious frame. “In Fabric” is rumored to arrive sometime before September, but for now, all A24 is saying is coming soon. Watch this fantastic new trailer below.
