Capital Celluloid 2016 - Day 194: Wed Jul 13

Office Killer (Sherman, 1996): Prince Charles Cinema, 6.30pm


The Final Girls is a screening series focused on exploring feminist themes in horror cinema and highlighting the representation and work of women in horror, both in front of and behind the camera. Tonight's is a rare presentation of Cindy Sherman's only movie.

Chicago Reader review:
The makers of this pretentiously lit and composed item obviously had aspirations beyond the video store. They apparently intended this formulaic 1996 slasher to be some sort of wry comment on its genre, but it contains no humor or even commentary—instead of subverting conventions it just plods through them. Carol Kane plays a put-upon copy editor who cracks after accidentally killing a superior who'd treated her badly; she starts to kill deliberately, redecorating with grisly souvenirs the house she shares with her demanding mother. Naturally, an incestuous past is revealed in flashbacks, which are even lovelier than the rest of the visuals. The publicity actually promotes this project as having had its origins in a “cocktail party conversation”—as if that were surprising—between photographer Cindy Sherman, who directed, and producer Christine Vachon. Written by Tom Kalin (Swoon) and Elise MacAdam; with Jeanne Tripplehorn, Molly Ringwald, and Barbara Sukowa.

Lisa Alspector

Here (and above) is the trailer.

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