Good news for those who are (or will be) disappointed that Luca Guadagnino’s “Suspiria” riff is a rebuke to the florid stylings of Dario Argento’s original: “The Duke of Burgundy” writer-director Peter Strickland is back with another mordantly funny and unapologetically fetishistic homage to vintage Euro-horror, and there’s no disguising its dark lineage. Unfolding like the giallo remake of “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” that you never knew you always wanted, “In Fabric” tells the bloody story of a department store in Southern England, and the cursed red dress that fits perfectly on the women who have the misfortune of wearing it.

As much of a loving ode to the transformative power of fine clothing as it is a…

Washing machine repairman mantras, department store occultism, fetishism and nostalgia for eccentricity all coalesce in Peter Strickland's latest film, ostensibly a supernatural chiller about a haunted dress. The Italian horror vibe is strong, established in the opening credits with the distinctly 70s font and washed out colours. The film is set in the early 90s, but feels older - late 70s or early 80s possibly, though it's deliberately ambiguous. Despite the Eurohorror stylings though, it's still a very British affair. In the Q&A after the film, Strickland said his biggest influence wasn't giallo but a department store called Jacksons, in his hometown of Reading. I don't know it personally but I can well imagine - I grew up frequenting these…