De Palma's "Dressed to Kill" - A Total Hitchcock Obsession (and I'm Here For It)

Okay, so I finally got around to watching "Dressed to Kill," and man, De Palma is laying the Hitchcock worship on THICK. It's almost TOO much at times, but honestly, I kinda loved it. The shower scene, obviously, is a massive "Psycho" homage, but it's not just that. It's the tension, the voyeurism, the POV shots – everything screams Hitch. What I find most interesting is how De Palma is playing with gender and sexuality in this film. Kate Miller, played by Angie Dickinson, is so repressed and frustrated, and that dream sequence in the psychiatrist's office? WILD. It's like De Palma is saying that her sexual repression is leading to some serious dark impulses. Then, you have Liz, played by Nancy Allen, who is so confident and out there. But even she is vulnerable to the killer's... thing. It is interesting to note that the doctor in the film, Dr. Elliott, is a transgender woman. I found it interesting that they touch on the subject during the 1980s and wonder how far back De Palma had been thinking of this concept of gender. So good. And the killer! The whole trans angle is... problematic, for sure. I can see why some people would find it offensive, but to me, it feels like De Palma is more interested in exploring the fractured psyche of someone struggling with identity than in making some kind of statement about trans people in general. I also wonder if the killer's identity is meant to be a red herring from the real killer that is Dr. Elliott. Dr. Elliott has all of the qualities of someone that may have multiple personally disorder, and this may be the only real evidence of the killers identity. I could be wrong, hence the theory. Overall, "Dressed to Kill" is a deeply flawed film, but it's also incredibly stylish and suspenseful. De Palma might be wearing his influences on his sleeve, but he's still a master of creating a really intense and unsettling atmosphere. I think I will be rewatching more of his movies.