★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Directed by Jill Gevargizian
All good stylists know that changing your cut or color can change your life. A new do’ can help you recover from a break up, regain lost self confidence and make you feel like a totally a new person. Luckily, no stylist takes that to the extreme like Claire (Najarra Townsend), a hairdresser at Bob Salon and the crown and glory of The Stylist.
Each day Claire gets the same chai at the same coffee shop and spends her day behind her chair listening to the lives and laments of her clients only to return home to TV dinners alone with just her tiny dog for company.
Olivia (Brea Grant) is a client of Claire’s dealing with the stress of wedding planning amped up when she learns that the specialty stylist she chose to do her hair for the big day has dropped out leaving her scrambling to put the finishing touches on her wedding look.
After convincing Claire that she’d be saving her if she would agree to take on just one wedding client, Olivia repays Claire by giving her what she’s dreamed of- the chance to be “one of the girls” inviting her to a private viewing of the wedding dress and including her in the bachelorette festivities.
What Olivia sees as smalls gestures, Claire interprets as the start of becoming BFFs and by the climax of the film, Olivia is wishing she’d forgone the fancy up-do and thrown her hair in a ponytail for her walk down the aisle.
The Stylist is a gory film; think Single White Female with a dash of Maniac. Only five minutes in and I had already ducked into my sweatshirt to hide my eyes. Full of style, well paced and wonderfully acted the film unravels to a shocking ending that is as sharp as Claire’s scissors.
The Stylist is making the rounds at horror festivals now so stay tuned to The Scariest Things for news on where you can see this great female driven film yourself.