Horror movies are supposed to scare us. It’s not my favorite film category because, over the decades, there have been a few that I’ve found so disturbing that I’ve lost sleep over them. “The Exorcist” had that affect on me. I saw it in my early teens, during its first release in 1973, and I’ve never wanted to watch it again.
Several decades later, while channel-surfing (and well into my forties), I came across a film titled “Thirty Days of Night.” It was an interesting premise - a band of vampires arrive in Barrow, Alaska during a long stretch in the calendar when the town experiences no sunlight due to the extreme northern latitude. Those vampires had a field day - or month - which was about the same amount of time it took me to stop having nightmares about them. It was not a reaction that, as a grown man, I anticipated or was resigned to.
Shortly afterwards, my friend Chad coaxed me to join him at The Birmingham Theatre to see “28 Weeks Later” - the sequel to “28 Days Later,” about the rapid spread of a plague that causes otherwise polite, well-dressed Brits to become ravenous zombies. How scary could a movie be while watching it with a trusted pal - and even some families? Let’s just say that I found it to be convincing. I think I gave up red meat for a while. What’s equally disturbing is that yet another sequel, “28 Years Later” was released earlier this year and is currently streaming. To say that I’ve had no desire to watch it is an understatement - and 20 something years later, I’m still irritated with Chad.
Blood and guts and gore are not my idea of a good time. There are, however, a few horror movies that have been so artfully executed that I find them to be beautiful. Moreover, they’ve proven to be so creatively conceived and visually stunning that they’ve actually influenced fashion trends.
Let’s start with “The Birds,” a 1963 Alfred Hitchcock thriller that went beyond his typical approach to mystery and suspense by adding an element of horror that was based on a plausible premise - Mother Nature seeking revenge. Tipi Hedren’s “love bird green” matching dress and jacket are as cool-looking now as they were in the 1960s. That ensemble has continued to inspire well-known fashion designers ever since - even though over the course of the movie, it “unraveled” due to the efforts of feathered friends - who actually were not friends.
Additionally, her leading man, Rod Taylor, wore slim-ish suits and blazers that wouldn’t look remotely dated if you saw them on a mannequin in a high-end menswear store. An additional detail worth mentioning is the costume designers way fashion-forward decision to include cargo pants in his wardrobe - but elevated in the most dapper way imaginable. “The Birds” made its T.V. premiere in 1967 - right here on NBC - and became the most-watched television movie of its time. It was later selected by The Library of Congress for preservation in its National Film Registry.
In 1968, movie posters implored would-be theater-goers to “Pray for Rosemary”. “Rosemary’s Baby” is still a one of the most celebrated horror films of all time. It was a ground-breaking approach to the genre that still holds up - and so does the fashion. Mia Farrow’s title character was the epitome of effortless, simple chic.
At the beginning of the movie, Rosemary’s wardrobe is comprised of a pastel palette, specifically inclusive of white and pale blue - the colors associated with The Virgin Mary. As the plot unfolds, she attends a party thrown by her very annoying and very weird neighbors, but she shows up wearing an uncharacteristic and off-putting ensemble “drenched” in brilliant red. It’s a foreboding color choice of the events to follow. As disturbing as the premise of the movie is, “Rosemary’s Baby” was a critical and box office smash. The wardrobe that Mia Farrow wore drove fashion retail sales. Her classic bobbed haircut was drastically shorn mid-movie into a super-short pixie by none other than the Vidal Sassoon. It also may have been the beginning of the end of the “bouffant era”. Her fresh-faced, subtle make up is totally on trend today.
Even the budget-conscious home designs that Rosemary and her husband chose to brighten and update their apartment are classic and coveted cues of mid-century modern design. A significant side note: the movie is set and was shot at the massive, Gothic Revival Central Park co-op residence, The Dakota, where John Lennon lived with Yoko Ono until his untimely death.
Many historians have observed that The ‘60s actually came to a screeching halt a few months prematurely. The August 1969 Woodstock Festival became an unintended climax of the counterculture era. What developed in its wake would become about as counter to the counterculture as imaginable: Glam Rock. Tie-dye and love beads gave way to glitter and glamour. The agenda was self-indulgent and the priority was shock value. These elements were crafted into an original, live, stage musical called “The Rocky Show”. Opening in London in 1973, it can best be described as a sci-fi/horror spoof that meets campy cabaret act. Two years later, the film adaptation, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” followed - and it’s been playing on movie screens ever since. This cult classic is known for its costumed audience participation and corsets, fishnet stockings, garish makeup and fright wigs are essential accessories. Revered designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier and Rick Owens have both gone on record citing Rocky Horror as a basic of their fashion aesthetic. Today, elevated versions of Glam Rock continue to be reinterpreted, having replaced sexy silliness with sexy sophistication.
“Unpredictable Prep” is a look that’s been trending on The Runways and there’s an undeniable ground zero reference point that dates back to the 1996 film, “The Craft.” The plot involves a group of ostracized school girls, united by their misery, who form a coven and harness supernatural powers to basically wreak havoc. Their brilliantly conceived costumes are the perfect juxtaposition of prep school uniform meets punk rock band. Prim and proper staples like Oxford button down shirts and tartan plaid skirts are “countered” with black leather jackets and combat boots. Multiple layers of jewelry include metal-studded chokers curiously combined with crucifixes as well as inverted pentagrams. The look is intentionally controversial and contradictory. Unsurprisingly, because many style authorities often observe that “there’s nothing new in fashion,” if you compare a movie photo still of Craft co-star Fairuza Balk’s harsh makeup to one of Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Rocky Horror, you’ll be hard pressed to determine which is which … witch ?
Horror is not my thing. I’d much rather immerse myself in a great historical drama with a little creatively-licensed fiction thrown in. I can, however, appreciate how Horror movies have impacted our sense of style.
Fashion history is history.
And Horror can be haute.