Horror Extreme Movie Catalog
Dressed to Kill
Theatrical Release Date: 07/25/1980
MPAA Rating: 
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Editorial Review - Amazon.com essential video
To condemn Dressed to Kill as a Hitchcock rip-off is to miss the sheer enjoyment of Brian De Palma's delirious 1980 thriller. Hitchcockian homages run rampant through most of De Palma's earlier films, and this one's chock-full of visual quotes, mostly cribbed from Vertigo and Psycho. But De Palma's indulgent depravity transcends simple mimicry to assume a vitality all its own. It's smothered in thickly atmospheric obsessions with sex, dread, paranoia, and voyeurism, not to mention a heavy dose of Psycho-like psychobabble about a wannabe transsexual who's compelled to slash up any attractive female who reminds him--the horror!--that he's still very much a man. Angie Dickinson plays the sexually unsatisfied, fortysomething wife who's the killer's first target, relaying her sexual fantasies to her psychiatrist (Michael Caine) before actually living one of them out after the film's celebrated cat-and-mouse sequence in a Manhattan art museum. The focus then switches to a murder witness (De Palma's then-girlfriend Nancy Allen) and Dickinson's grieving whiz-kid son (Keith Gordon), who attempt to solve the murder while staying one step ahead (or so they think) of the crude detective (Dennis Franz) assigned to the case. Propelled by Pino Donaggio's lush and stimulating score, De Palma's visuals provide seductive counterpoint to his brashly candid dialogue, and the plot conceals its own implausibility with morbid thrills and intoxicating suspense. If you're not laughing at De Palma's shameless audacity, you're sure to be on the edge of your seat. --Jeff Shannon
De Palma Rocks!
A Customer Review by Taheen Lopez
This 1980 terror flick by Bryan De Palma was magnificient, despite all the blood and gore that resulted in this movie, but this flick seems to show Nancy Allen, Angie Dickenson, and Michael Caine at their best, especially with the sexy shower scenes done by Angie Dickenson and Nancy Allen with full frontal nudity.
As a matter of fact, Nancy Allen's intriguing nude scene in the girls lockerroom with a bunch of naked girls in the movie CARRIE is probably what inspired DePalma for Nancy Allen's role in DRESSED TO KILL, especially since Brian De Palma directed CARRIE too.
Additionally, DRESSED TO KILL has a shocking heart-pumping ending to the movie, just like De Palma did at the end of the movie CARRIE when Nancy Allen wakes up from a nightmare about Dr. Elliott(Michael Caine) stalking her at her home trying to kill her while she's taking a shower in her bathroom totally naked and defenseless showing Nancy Allen's tatas and pee pee and all, kind of like Nancy Allen was in the movie CARRIE while she's freshening up in the girls loceroom after the volleyball scene.
Therefore, the conclusion of DRESSED TO KILL was a tad similar to what De Palma did at the end of the movie CARRIE when Amy Irving wakes up from a nightmare about Carrie White(Sissy Spacek) reaching out of the ground trying to pull her(Amy Irving) down with her, except Nancy Allen plays a good guy in this movie, but plays a snotty annoying bitch in the movie CARRIE.
In addition, I also liked watching Nancy Allen, Angie Dickerson, and Michael Caine talking about their experiences in the movie DRESSED TO KILL while looking back on it before and during it's theatrical release in 1980 as well along with the fact that Nancy Allen is still looking pretty after all these years, just like she did in the movie CARRIE and DRESSED TO KILL.
This is a Joke, Right?
A Customer Review by Francois Rossier
I have waited at least a year to buy this DVD at an acceptable price; and now that I've finally got it and watched it, I'm in shock at how stupid this movie is. It is unbelievably amatuerish in plot, script, and acting. Perhaps, when this piece of junk first came out, it could be considered a decent film by the standards of the time. But, by today's standards, it is a complete mess. I've been had. The quality of the DVD video is a little "off" as well. It's not terrible, but it would help if it were remastered.
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