Costumed Creepers (Part 2)
by Koji Iizuka
Norman Bates gif from iwdrm
Life’s a drag but it doesn’t have to be. Dress up in women’s clothes and life can be a fashionable venture. One man who isn’t afraid to explore his feminine side is Norman Bates from Psycho. His style isn’t hampered by his murderous tendencies and he pulls off killing in drag with such panache.
Lost’s Harold Perrineau plays Mercutio in drag. Can you hear him say WAAAAALT!!!?
Mercutio from Romeo + Juliet also has killer moves, this time on the dance floor. That scene where he attends the Capulet’s ball in his afro wig and all-silver separates made history and thumbed its nose at the idea that men can’t wear shimmery skirts and knee-high boots. If you want more options, there are the three boys from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
The Tim Burton effect
Tim Burton is known by many as a visual auteur. His aesthetics are creepy, bordering on insane, and he is a minefield for Halloween enthusiasts who wish to push the envelope in terms of dressing. His characters are often of the same shade but it offers great variety, depending on how far you’re willing to go for a Best Dressed Award.
Edward Scissorhands from the film of the same name is a boy whose appearances don’t sync with his personality. He’s shy, modest, and soft-spoken, a disparity from his leather outfit, shaggy hair, and scissors for hands. On the opposite pole is Catwoman from Batman Returns. She’s a curvaceous woman in a stitched leather cat suit. Enough said.
Depp plays dress-up as Tim Burton’s muse
If you wish to go ambitious but less glamorous, there’s always Ari from Planet of the Apes. How ambitious, you say? She’s a talking monkey. On a more evolved level is Willy Wonka from 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Unlike his predecessor in 1975, this Wonka is darker but more polished in his top hat and larger-than-life glasses. Equally funny-looking is The Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland and Betelgeuse from Beetlejuice. Like the convoluting style of K-Pop girl groups, they mix and match odd ends and styles, but make it work. Less comical is Sweeney Todd from the film of the same name. His look is a little more distinguished with a touch of heroin chic. His brooding persona and pasty skin is very Kate Moss, if Moss had a penchant for murder instead of cocaine.
Iconic Costumes
Different actors, same swagger. Connery, Brosnan, and Craig take on Bond.
The best dressed man in all of Hollywood is of course, James Bond. The dashing British Secret Service agent is always dressed in the most classic and expensive suits, never looking ruffled no matter how evil his adversary is. All the actors who portrayed the man-about-town were hot, but the best depictions were done by Sir Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.
When it comes to the female form, Liza Minnelli seems to perfect it as Sally Bowles in Cabaret. Her moves are as stunning as her all-black outfit, stockings, and bowler hat, which she uses to seduce her crowd. However, someone who isn’t using his bowler hat for good is Alex DeLarge in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. A delinquent in a dystopian Britain, he leads his droogs on an ultra violent rampage. The enhanced eyelashes of one eye and his hat make a great and highbrow literary and cinematic reference this season.
For a more feminine but similarly sinister attire, we have The Bride from the Kill Bill series, an obvious tip-of-the-hat to Bruce Lee’s Game of Death jumpsuit.
Like Sally Bowles in Cabaret, another famous fictional coquette is the girl from The Seven Year Itch. Marilyn Monroe’s white dress, which floats up when she walks past a grate becomes an immortal scene in film history and becomes pop culture gold. Of course, there is also Holly Golighty from Breakfast At Tiffany’s. Her Givenchy dress, petite body, and cigarette stick became the standard for glamour.
Some very stylish femmes: Liza, Marilyn, and Audrey
Lilia Who?
The Pinoy film industry is rife with horror movies. Whether it’s the real deal or some B-flick doesn’t matter, we are people who love a good scare. A proof is the Shake, Rattle, and Roll franchise, which reached 13 installments, with two more until 2012. We have created many monsters, ghosts, witches, and other creatures, but one woman stood the test of time and remained the icon of horror. No, it isn’t Kris Aquino, but she comes a close second. It’s Lilia Cuntapay.
The face of Pinoy horror, Lilia Cuntapay… fierce.
She has played witch, aswang, albularyo, corpse, babaylan, and ghost in many local horror movies. Not many people know her by name but a brief description of an old woman always playing the witch would guarantee recognition. She is underrated, but should be a pop culture icon. The Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay, a film that very loosely shows us aspects of her will be released this month.
