Its plot, if not practically a sexier, 1980s-style remake of Psycho, is at least cut from the exact same cloth.
Dressed To Kill is one of Brian De Palma's earlier thrillers, one of his heavily flawed but incredibly entertaining suspense films. It, like Body Double, pathologically mimics Hitchcock's classics. Its plot, if not practically a sexier, 1980s-style remake of Psycho, is at least cut from the exact same cloth. The way we're made to think we're watching a completely different kind of movie right up until the big turning point happens, the transsexual element, etc., are all in homage to Psycho. De Palma, even when immersed in Hitchcock's influence, can't help but keep his movie as distinctive as possible from your average suspense thriller. His style is completely his own.