NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Arrow Blu-ray (June 2021): Arrow have transferred Jill Gevargizian's The Stylist to Blu-ray. It looks stunning in 1080P. The image is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. The visuals are tight, clean and have sublime contrast - it looks even better than you might expect a modern film to export to this medium. The visuals are crisp, colors rich - supporting a wonderful HD presentation in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio. There are green and gold hues that add another layer to the film's appearance.

NOTE: We have added 54 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Arrow use a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the original English language. It sounds as strong as the video with certain effects exported via subtle separation and a wonderfully contemplative and gentle score by Nicholas Elert (available on the second disc CD included in the package), adding immeasurably to the film experience. There is also modern music in the dance club that I am not familiar with. Arrow offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Arrow Blu-ray offers a new commentary by co-writer / producer / director Jill Gevargizian and actress / producer Najarra Townsend. Gevargizian is having fun discussing the production and certain scenes. She tells us how she has been a hairstylist for over 10 years, how it was shot where she worked, how the dog was actually her 'Pepper'. She gives a multitude of credit to may of the behind the-the-scenes crew and that many sequences were actual locations (the coffee shop in Kansas City, Missouri. Najarra Townsend gives input on how many of the crew were actually family. I liked the talk about the doppelganger themes and the split screens inspired by Brian De Palma's Sisters and another sequences, that I also thought it referenced, from Ingmar Bergman, another with The Wizard of Oz, Toby Hooper etc., how it was very similar to her short and much more. It's very informative and easy to listen to. I learned that she is a big Kansas City Chiefs fan. The film starts with an introduction by Gevargizian. The Invisible Woman, is a 20-minute visual essay by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (author of 1000 Women In Horror, 1895-2018), exploring the themes of women’s labor and female killers in The Stylist and horror cinema. The Stylist – Behind the Scenes, a series of eight behind-the-scenes featurettes on different aspects of the film’s production, featuring interviews with the cast and crew running over an hour. There is a short location scouting featurette, and some Outtakes plus the original Kickstarter video. Included is the original 2016 The Stylist short film directed by Jill Gevargizian and starring Najarra Townsend, that inspired the main feature running 1/4 hour plus Pity, a, 9-minute, 2016 short film directed by The Stylist’s editor, John Pata, and executive produced by Jill Gevargizian, with an optional introduction by Pata, Lastly are a teaser trailer, theatrical trailer and image galleries. There is a second disc CD containing the original The Stylist soundtrack. There is a reversible sleeve (see below) featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck, a double-sided fold-out poster and the package contains an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Emma Westwood and a gallery of exclusive location scouting photographs.

I really enjoyed Jill Gevargizian's The Stylist. It is creative and has a unique intense quality - very subtly expressing the horror story ('Sweeney Todd' overtones) with both gentle and harsh tones. It really works well even beyond being a lower budget effort. The score handles moods with irony and it is definitely creepy. This gal, Claire, really need help - maybe a partner. I look forward to more from Gevargizian! The Arrow Blu-ray is stacked (commentary, visual essay, booklet etc.) and at their usual level of exceptional a/v. I like that they are supporting these lesser-seen films (A Ghost Waits and The Bloodhound) and this get s a strong endorsement. Recommended!

Gary Tooze