Film is a visual medium, so characters’ fashion sense can influence how we react to them -- and even identify them as heroes or villains. Let's take a closer look and see whether we can tell when someone is… dressed to kill.
SWEENEY TODD (2007)
Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) is a fine-looking barber with a fine-looking set of straight razors, and a fine-looking collection of outfits. Based on how he dresses, you'd be hard-pressed to guess his malicious intent with those razors.
SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999)
Frankly, the most memorable thing about the homicidal horseman's appearance is his lack of a head, but if you're able to look past that, you might notice that the soldier is quite well dressed. That's because he is, or was, a Hessian mercenary soldier, which means he was well paid as well as being well groomed.
PAN'S LABYRINTH (2006)
Sure, the magical creatures that populate Guillermo del Toro's fantastical war drama are amazing to behold, and they deserve all that attention. But the humans look pretty good, too, and they're dressed with exquisite taste in resplendent colors -- even the ones who have murder in mind.
BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA (1992)
Director Francis Ford Coppola made the movie in a studio, utilizing practical effects to create spellbinding sequences of suspense and terror. Since all the characters are dressed in sumptuous fashions, it's difficult to tell the difference between the heroic and the villainous.
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (1994)
More than 20 years later, it's still surprising to see Tom Cruise as a legendary vampire, turning Brad Pitt into a bloodsucker before they both turn their attention to the very young Kirsten Dunst. From all outward appearances, however, these vampires are particularly well dressed to kill.
THE COMPANY OF WOLVES (1984)
Ten years before he made 'Interview with the Vampire,' director Neil Jordan explored the world of werewolves, turning some age-old ideas upside down and displaying a similar taste for dressing up creatures known primarily as killers in very macabre fashion.
AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000)
Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is evil down to the core of his soul, but that doesn't mean he lacks a sense of cool (and expensive) ‘80s style.
THE HUNGER (1983)
Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie share a thirst for blood as well as a love for timeless fashion, evident in their elegant clothing and in their beautiful furnishings.
THE CELL (2000)
A virtual-reality device enables psychologist Jennifer Lopez to enter the mind of serial killer Vincent D'Onofrio while he is in a coma. She's trying to locate a missing woman before it's too late, though it's hard not to be distracted by the incredibly wild fashions favored by the mind of a killer.
EYES OF LAURA MARS (1978)
Faye Dunaway is a fashion photographer, so she certainly knows how to stage beautiful models in beautiful settings wearing beautiful clothes. When she begins experiencing visions of a series of murders, however, all the fashion sense in the world won't help her identify the killer.
THE SHINING (1980)
For a modest, working-class family, the Torrances maintain a very distinctive, very personal sense of style, even as events at the gorgeous, historic Overlook Hotel become increasingly terrifying.
ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968)
Mia Farrow's pixie cut received an undue amount of attention from fashion followers, with famed stylist Vidal Sassoon showing up on set to cut her tresses, but the actress had actually cut it herself a couple of years before. Nonetheless, her mod fashion clothing contrasted nicely with the classic styles of her older (and diabolical) neighbors in the movie.
THE CONJURING (2013)
The greatest menace in the movie comes from unseen spirit forces, leaving it up to Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga to display the finest of 1970s style.
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