The Mannequin

Fashion trends, i can honestly say im not the guy to ask what to wear at specific occations. I could give you some advice, but don´t expect it to be a great success. I do like clothes though and i have always been a big lover of designed tshirts in different colors. I try to mix it up and even wear a long sleeved shirt now and then. I even wear suits sometimes when there is a big celebration like a wedding, or a very unique birthday party. Even though i enjoy going into clothing shops around Europe i prefer simple clothes. Speaking of fashion and clothes there are several movies that brings up the subject of fashion. For example you have the critically acclaimed drama comedy The Devil Wears Prada from 2006 where legendary actress Meryl Streep really steal the show as the wild fashion character Miranda Priestly, and this is definetely worth a watch if you enjoy charming movies. One advice, listen to the commentary track of this film and find out some fun details. You also have more horror inspired films with a fashion theme such as the 2021 psychological horror film Last Night In Soho from director Edgar Wright ( director of the now well known cult classic horror comedy Shaun Of The Dead ). Last Night In Soho takes place in London where fashion student Eloise ( Thomasin McKenzie  ) is trying to become a fasion designer at London College of Fashion. While she is trying to fit into the class, she is seen as quite an odd personality and have a hard time making friends. Eloise love the music and fasion style of the Swinging Sixties and have vivid dreams about a confident young woman, Sandie ( Anya Taylor-Joy ), an aspiring singer in 1960´s London ). This is where she begin to have other horrific visions as well. Last Night In Soho is a very well made horror film with beautiful camera work, really good acting and quite effective horror scenes. Definetely worth a watch on 4KUltraHD especially or blu ray. Speaking of fashion and horror films i came across a interesting film this autumn among horror releases called The Mannequin. A horror film that seemed to have fashion influences sewn into the plot of this film. Is this a film you should check out this Christmas or is The Mannequin not worth your precious time at all?

Best friends and sisters Sophia Rojas ( Gabriella Riviera ) and Liana Rojas ( Isabella Gomez ) are very excited when Sophia have bought a very famous historic LA building, that used to be used many years ago as a photo studio as well as by fashion designers as well. Sophia and Liana plan to make this a brand new start in their lives and make their fashion dreams come to life, designing clothes and live life in the best possible way. But that dream slowly fade away when Sophia find her sister dead inside the building the next day, that looked like suicide. But did Sophia really kill herself or is there another explanation?

The Mannequin have a really solid start taking place during the 1950´s. I like the set up and how the story evolve with the mystery that reveal itself. When we get to modern day i would say this is still a solid story, but what especially makes this part of the film work is the mysterious mannequin doll. Not that it ever become alive or do anything physically towards these young women, but it is the spirits within this mannequin from dead women from the past that actually makes this fashion object interesting. Instead of just making a horror film about a mannequin doll coming to life, this film is more focused on being a psychological horror film. Are they really seeing dead people within these walls in this building? When you figure out what really happened towards the end, you get a clearer picture of how it was possible for so many women falling victims within this area. Where this film works best is when we see the evil spirit take control over the young women and control their bodies. There are a couple of creepy moments that i appreciate. Main actress Isabella Gomez ( who i recognized from the Netflix TV comedy series One Day At A Time ) as the character Liana is quite interesting, especially after she lost her very own belover sister Sophia ( Gabriella Rivera ). The way she chooses to grief her dead sister, it really shows that we all grief differently and there is no right or wrong. I also appreciate seeing Liana struggling with alcohol addiction, not because it´s positive at all but gives the character a realistic portrait of how we deal with life sometimes. I would say she does a good performance. Ok, so one of the issues i have with this film is the character Peter ( played by actor Maxwell Hamilton ) is a YouTuber. I would rather see a priest dealing with this evil than a YouTuber to be honest, and to see him fight against evil instead of a holy man? Other than this specific detail i did enjoy The Mannequin for being a simple but still effective horror film. Director John Berardo ( who directed the slasher horror film Initation, worth a watch ) have made a horror film that really feels like a throwback to possessed evil spirt horror films of the 80´s, and it works as well. The Mannequin could be a good choice on VOD or streaming after Christmas dinner this year.

Rating: DDD