Sheila Woodchapel is a recently divorced bank teller who lives with her son Vince. She is frequently chastised for insignificant work errors by her bosses Stash and Clive and intimidated by Vince’s new girlfriend Gwen. She visits department store Dentley and Soper’s to buy a dress for an upcoming date in the sales.
After meeting the enigmatic store clerk Miss Luckmoore, Sheila is drawn to a beautiful, flowing red dress which she tries on. Despite her initial apprehension, Luckmoore convinces Sheila to purchase it. While Sheila is on her less than successful date, Luckmoore partakes in strange rituals with the store mannequins and takes a dumbwaiter deep into the store.
Sheila notices a strange rash on her chest after wearing the dress. After putting the dress in the washing machine, the machine breaks down and Sheila injures her hand in the process. In the store, Luckmoore caresses a store mannequin which is revealed to have a bleeding vagina while the store worker Mr. Lundy watches and masturbates.
Sheila returns to the store to get a new size for the dress only to learn that there is only one version of the dress and that the store model was killed after wearing the dress for the store catalog. Sheila goes on a date with new suitor Zach while Gwen and Vince have sex. As she climaxes, Gwen is almost killed when the dress floats above her and tries to suffocate her. Zach discovers a strange transcription on the dress and brushes off Sheila’s concerns about it. While out on a walk, the couple is attacked by a dog that bites Sheila’s leg and tears the dress to shreds.
Later that day, Vince returns home with the dress which is somehow now fully repaired. After hearing the dress move about in the wardrobe at night, an unsettled Sheila attempts to return the dress to the store but is refused by Luckmoore. Inspired by a dream she had about her dead mother being angry that she was forced to give her belongings to charity due to having no space, Sheila decides to give the dress to a charity shop. However, on the drive, she is startled by the sudden appearance of a store mannequin on the road and crashes, killing her as the dress floats above watching.
The dress comes into possession of washing machine repairman Reg Speaks who is made by his friends to wear it on a night out. He is engaged to Babs and is also chastised by his boss for minor indiscretions. He also makes people go into trances when reading out washing machine faults.
Babs takes a liking to the dress and decides to wear it as well however she is concerned by how the dress is able to fit them both despite being different sizes and the appearance of a strange rash on their chests. The dress also breaks down their washing machine and Reg is fired from his job when he is reported on for repairing his washing machine off the books. He does not tell Babs about this who is stressed over the sudden death of their canary which has been killed by the dress.
In Fabric is a 2018 British horror comedy film, written and directed by Peter Strickland. It stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hayley Squires, Leo Bill, and Gwendoline Christie. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 13 September 2018. It was released in the United Kingdom on 28 June 2019 by Curzon Artificial Eye and is scheduled to be released in the United States on 6 December 2019 by A24.
In Fabric (2019)
Directed by: Peter Strickland
Starring: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Hayley Squires, Leo Bill, Julian Barratt, Steve Oram, Barry Adamson, Richard Bremmer, Gwendoline Christie, Pano Masti
Screenplay by: Peter Strickland
Production Design by: Paki Smith
Cinematography by: Ari Wegner
Film Editing by: Matyas Fekete
Costume Design by: Jo Thompson
Set Decoration by: Adrian Greenwood
Art Direction by: Bobbie Cousins
Music by: Cavern Of Anti-Matter
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content including a scene of aberrant behavior, and some bloody images.
Distributed by: A24 Films
Release Date: December 6, 2019
Visits: 30
