10 Hidden Horror Movie Gems From 2020s (So Far)

4. The Stylist

The Stylist
Arrow Films

Beginning life as a 2016 short film by the same name, the basic concept of Jill Gevargizian's The Stylist revolves around hair stylist Claire and her penchant for scalping those whose lives she's jealous of.

Released in 2021, the feature-length spin on The Stylist brings Najarra Townsend back as Claire and lets her shine in this extended setting. You see, while Claire is a cold, clinical killer, she's also shown to be an extremely timid, vulnerable, troubled character away from those moments where she's causing carnage.

Here, we see our lead character carry out some truly heinous acts, but there's an element of sympathy to Claire as we see the lonely, isolated life that she leads, forever glancing at others with an envious eye. And this envious eye truly comes to the fore when Claire becomes worryingly obsessed with her soon-to-be-wed client Olivia (Brea Grant).

The performances of Townsend and Grant clearly hold so much of the story of The Stylist, but just as impressive is the way Gevargizian and cinematographer Robert Patrick Stern frame the movie. The colour palette, lighting, and shooting style only enhance the spiralling mindset of Claire, and this is a picture that's also never afraid to let its moments breath in silence rather than fill its runtime with unnecessary dialogue.

The Stylist, man. Very much a class act of a movie.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.