EPISODE · Aug 11, 2026 · 1H 22M
Dressed to Kill (1980): A Bloody Mess, or Bloody Brilliant? | Part Two (American Giallo)
from Morally Offensive · host Morally Offensive
In Part 2 of Morally Offensive’s American Giallo deep dive into Brian De Palma’s Dressed to Kill (1980), Bill, Jess, and Ava Davis get into the cast, production, infamous shower scene, and the choices that made Dressed to Kill one of the most controversial films of Brian De Palma’s career. The discussion looks at the film’s place between Italian giallo, Hitchcockian thriller, erotic thriller, and American horror, while taking a closer look at what has and has not aged well in De Palma’s most provocative work. The episode examines the controversial use of Victoria Lynn Johnson as Angie Dickinson’s body double in the shower sequence, the making of Dressed to Kill, and De Palma’s decision to double down on the film’s transgender themes, or what we would now recognize as its portrayal of transgender identity. The conversation also digs into the film’s technical craft, from De Palma’s elaborate camera movements, split screens, POV shots, Hitchcock references, and elaborate set pieces to Pino Donaggio’s extraordinary and unmistakable score. Bill makes the case for the formal brilliance of Dressed to Kill, while Jess and Ava argue that its troubling representation of transgender identity, uneven filmmaking, and exploitation of its own controversial themes make the film increasingly difficult to defend. Is Dressed to Kill a great American Giallo? A deeply flawed Brian De Palma thriller? A Hitchcock homage filtered through 1980s exploitation cinema? Or is it somehow all three at once? Follow our guest: AVA DAVIS https://theavadavis.com/ Support the show: AMERICAN GIALLO T-SHIRTS AND MERCH ARE IN! Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW JUST BECAUSE Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive Website and Contact info: https://www.morallyoffensive.com Follow and watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorallyOffensivepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morallyoffensivepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morallyoffensivepod Threads: https://www.threads.net/@morallyoffensivepod
Embed this episode
What this episode covers
In Part 2 of Morally Offensive’s American Giallo deep dive into Brian De Palma’s Dressed to Kill (1980), Bill, Jess, and Ava Davis dig into the film’s cast, production, infamous shower sequence, and the choices that continue to make this one of De Palma’s most controversial films. The discussion gets into the controversial use of Victoria Lynn Johnson as Angie Dickinson’s body double in the shower scene, the making of the film, and De Palma’s decision to double down on Dressed to Kill’s (what we would now call) transgender themes. The episode also takes a closer look at the film’s technical achievements, from De Palma’s elaborate visual language and Hitchcockian set pieces to Pino Donaggio’s extraordinary score. Bill makes the case for the film’s formal and technical brilliance, while Jess and Ava argue that its troubling representation of transgender identity and uneven filmmaking make Dressed to Kill increasingly difficult to defend. It’s a conversation about whether technical mastery can survive morally offensive choices, and whether Dressed to Kill is a great American Giallo, a deeply flawed thriller, or possibly both at the same time?
Ready to play
Dressed to Kill (1980): A Bloody Mess, or Bloody Brilliant? | Part Two (American Giallo)
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
No similar episodes found.