In Fabric
In Fabric | |
---|---|
Andrew Starke | |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Cavern of Anti-Matter |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Curzon Artificial Eye |
Release dates | 18 September 2018 (Toronto) 28 June 2019 (United Kingdom) 6 December 2019 (United States) |
Running time | 118 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
In Fabric is a 2018 British horror film, written and directed by Peter Strickland, and starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hayley Squires, Leo Bill, and Gwendoline Christie. The film follows a haunted red dress as it torments various owners.
It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 13 September 2018. It was released in the United Kingdom on 28 June 2019 by Curzon Artificial Eye and was released in the United States on 6 December 2019 by A24. The film received acclaim from critics for its direction, humor, atmosphere, and its homages to Italian giallo films; however, audiences were divided on its absurdity and slow pacing.
Plot
Sheila is a recently divorced
When returning to shop at the store, Sheila learns that the dress is the only one of its kind, and that the store model who wore it for the catalogue was later killed. Sheila goes on a date with her new suitor Zach while Gwen and Vince have sex. As Gwen climaxes, the dress floats above her and tries to suffocate her. When Sheila and Zach go for a walk together, she is attacked by a German Shepherd, which injures her leg and rips the dress. Later that day, Vince returns home with the dress, which is mysteriously unharmed. After hearing the dress move about in the wardrobe at night, an unsettled Sheila attempts to return the dress to the store but is refused. She recounts a dream to her bosses at work about seeing her mother reflected in the mirror. With the dress in her car boot, Sheila is killed in an accident en route to spending the night with Zach.
The dress comes into the possession of washing machine repairman Reg Speaks, who is made by his friends to wear it on his
The dress falls onto a heater and catches fire, and the flames spread quickly through the store. Babs burns to death in the changing room, while Luckmoore flees into the dumbwaiter with a dismembered mannequin. As she descends deeper into the store, she looks on in ecstasy as she passes the dead store model, Sheila, Reg, and Babs stitching together the dress from threads made of their blood, along with several unattended sewing stations implied to be for future wearers of the dress. A fireman observes the destroyed store and discovers the dress undamaged amongst the rubble.
Cast
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Sheila Woolchapel
- Hayley Squires as Babs
- Leo Bill as Reg Speaks
- Gwendoline Christie as Gwen
- Julian Barratt as Stash
- Steve Oram as Clive
- Barry Adamson as Zach
- Jaygann Ayeh as Vince
- Richard Bremmer as Mr Lundy
- Terry Bird as Bananas Brian
- Fatma Mohamed as Miss Luckmoore
- Sidse Babett Knudsen as Jill
Production
In September 2017, it was announced that
Strickland commented that when writing the script he drew inspiration from both the curious nature of second-hand shops and his memories of being taken to department stores as a child, in particular the now closed Jacksons head branch in Reading, Berkshire. He wanted to interrogate the reactions people have to clothing. The dress itself was therefore very important. It also needed to fit a range of body types, so costume designer Jo Thompson made a simple red silk wrap dress.[3]
Release
In March 2018, Curzon Artificial Eye acquired UK distribution rights to the film.[4] The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 13 September 2018.[5] Shortly after, A24 acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[6] It was released in the United Kingdom on 28 June 2019.[7] It was released in the United States on 6 December 2019.[8]
Critical response
In Fabric was acclaimed by film critics. It holds a 91% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 160 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads "In Fabric's gauzy giallo allure weaves a surreal spell, blending stylish horror and dark comedy to offer audiences a captivating treat."[9] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 81 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[10]
Upon its UK release,
Internationally, critics also lauded the film. The New York Times stated it was Strickland's "most impressive, engrossing, imaginatively unchained work yet".[15] Rolling Stone summed up the film as "a singular trip into a singularly warped mind".[16]
In Fabric was included in best of 2019 film lists in The Playlist and
Home media
Artificial Eye released the film on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on 26 August 2019.[19] Lionsgate released a BD-R edition in the United States.
References
- ^ Grater, Tom (11 September 2017). "Peter Strickland plots 'In Fabric' with Marianne Jean-Baptiste (exclusive)". Screen International. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ Warner, Sam (28 November 2017). "Hayley Squires, Julian Barratt, Gwendoline Christie join Peter Strickland's 'In Fabric'". Screen International. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ Kelley, Sonaiya (6 December 2019). "In Peter Strickland's gleefully demented 'In Fabric,' an upscale department store serves as a shop of horrors". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Grater, Tom (15 March 2018). "Peter Strickland's 'In Fabric' lands UK deal (exclusive)". Screen International. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "In Fabric". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ McNary, Dave (18 September 2018). "A24 Buys Horror-Thriller 'In Fabric' for North America". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "In Fabric". Launching Films. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ "In Fabric". A24. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
- ^ "In Fabric (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ "In Fabric". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- ^ Loughrey, Clarisse (27 June 2019). "In Fabric review: It's Suspiria set in a department store". The Independent. Archived from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Collin, Robbie (27 June 2019). "In Fabric review: a funny, troubling fusion of English retail comedy and Euro slasher". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Nugent, John (24 June 2019). "In Fabric". Empire. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Kermode, Mark (30 June 2019). "In Fabric review – rides a fine seam between humour and horror". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Kenny, Glen (5 December 2019). "'In Fabric' Review: The Dress Is Possessed. But It Was on Sale". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Fear, David (5 December 2019). "'In Fabric': Devil in a Red Dress (Literally)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "The 25 Best Films Of 2019". The Playlist. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "The 50 Best Films Of 2019". British Film Institute. 23 December 2019. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
- ^ "In Fabric Blu-ray (United Kingdom)". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024.
External links
- Official website
- In Fabric at IMDb
- In Fabric at Metacritic
- In Fabric at Rotten Tomatoes