History Film / DressedToKill

** The scene where Dr. Elliott goes to Dr. Levy, Bobbi's therapist, to express his concerns, certainly plays differently if you know who Bobbi is.

* SilenceIsGolden: The scene here Kate and the man flirt with each other in the museum, then follow each other around the museum for a while, only for her to exit the museum and see him in a cab, runs nine minutes without a word of dialogue.
* SlutShaming: Averted. In a movie where the two featured female characters are an unfaithful wife and a HighClassCallGirl, there's actually very little of this. While Detective Marino tries some of this while he's trying to manipulate Liz into illegally finding out Elliott's client list for him. Liz flatly refuses to play along. She's utterly matter-of-fact and unashamed about how she makes her living. And while Kate feels a bout of guilt upon a little girl staring at her in the elevator after her murder no one implies her fate was in any way deserved, or that she was a horrible person simply for having a casual fling.

* {{Bookends}}: The movie start and finished on a tense Hitchcockian shower scene. Both scenes turn out to be [[DaydreamSurprise dream sequences]].

* DigitalDestruction: Criterion's first print release of the Blu-Ray/DVD in August of 2015 was met with scathing criticism. De Palma asked the film restorers to fix what he thought were some minor distortion issues and in the process the frame became vertically stretched. Criterion apologized for the error, sent replacement copies to those with the first edition, and eventually released a second printing in October 2015.

** The repeated use of split screen techniques, [[spoiler: to foreshadow Elliott's SplitPersonality.]] Also, whenever Elliott admits aloud to being aroused by a female character, we immediately see his reflection in a mirror, [[spoiler: which actually captures the moment when the 'Bobbi' personality takes over.]] In addition to this, we also see Elliott as a reflection in a mirror when he's watching [[CelebrityCameo Phil Donahue]] on TV, who is [[spoiler: speaking to a male to female transsexual, which also establishes that generally, transsexuals do ''not'' go around killing people.]]
** In a meta sort of way, the title of the film. [[spoiler: when Elliott becomes aroused by a woman, Bobbi comes forth to kill the women and destroy the temptation that might strengthen Elliott's hold on their shared body, and make him more reluctant to go through with the sex change operation. When Bobbi comes forth, before setting out on the hunt she dresses as a woman - thus, literally ''dressing to kill''.]]

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: As Liz and Peter are discussing casually gruesome subjects like murder and sex change surgery, a woman at a neighboring table can't help overhear and is plainly trapped listening to what she thinks is the worst conversation ever.

** When Kate comes out of the art museum, and stands on the steps, the camera pans from her down the steps and along the pavement to the taxi where her soon-to-be lover is displaying her glove. On a later viewing, during that long movement the camera also passes Bobbi, showing that 'she' followed Kate from Elliott's office. But since this is the first time she appears in the movie, you won't recognize her unless you've seen the movie before.

* SlutShaming: Averted. In a movie where the two featured female characters are an unfaithful wife and a HighClassCallGirl, there's actually very little of this. While Detective Marino tries some of this while he's trying to manipulate Liz into illegally finding out Elliott's client list for him. Liz flatly refuses to play along. She's utterly matter-of-fact and unashamed about how she makes her living. And while Kate feels a bout of guilt upon a little girl staring at her in the elevator, after her murder no one implies her fate was in any way deserved, or that she was a horrible person simply for having a casual fling.

** And [[spoiler:in the final dream sequence]], a beautiful blonde nurse in white stockings and garterbelt gets strangled by [[spoiler:Dr. Elliott]].

Kate Miller (Dickinson) is an upper-class wife and mother in New York. In visits to her therapist, Dr. Elliott (Caine) she tells him that her marriage is unfulfilling and her husband can no longer satisfy her in bed. A horny Kate makes an overt pass at Elliott, which he rebuffs. Later, she goes out to an an art gallery and meets a handsome stranger. They go back to his place and Kate has great sex. She then takes the elevator out of the man's building--and is brutally murdered by a woman wielding a straight razor.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: A rare female example of this, as the hands of Angie Dickinson's body double wander down to her private area as Kate looks out the window of the shower at her lover.

%%* {{Nerd}}: Peter

* {{Nerd}}: Peter

* TomatoInTheMirrorEnding: [[spoiler:Dr Elliott is the transgender killer Bobbi.]]

* {{Homage}}: To ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' with an added twist. There's the Hitchcock blonde DeadStarWalking, who commits a "crime" (although Kate's isn't illegal, she's cheating on her husband) and then gets brutally murdered by a mysterious woman for her sexuality [[spoiler:who actually turns out to "really" be a man with a female split personality - Bobbi is the psychiatrist's alter ego, though, not the Norman Bates character, killing off woman he is attracted to.]]

* DecoyProtagonist: The first part of the movie follows Kate ... [[spoiler:until she gets killed]].

* EroticFilm: Lust, murder, adultery, shower masturbation. The opening shower masturbation scene is revealed to be a nightmare--cutting to Kate Miller and her lover in bed in mid-coitus.

* TheKillerInMe: Dr. Elliott is deeply worried when he finds out his patient Bobbi killed someone. It turns out that "Bobbi" is Dr. Elliott's split personality.

''Dressed to Kill'' is a 1980 erotic thriller film written and directed by Creator/BrianDePalma and starring Creator/MichaelCaine, Creator/AngieDickinson, Creator/NancyAllen, Keith Gordon, and Creator/DennisFranz. It centers on the murder of a housewife, and the investigation headed by a young prostitute who witnessed the murder, and the housewife’s teenaged son.

* TheKillerInMe

Not to be confused with the 1946 Sherlock Holmes film starring Creator/BasilRathbone, or with the Music/{{KISS}} [[Music/DressedToKill]] album]].

Not to be confused with the 1946 Sherlock Holmes film starring Creator/BasilRathbone.

The film was the target of some backlash from the gay and transgender communities, who felt that its portrayal of transgender people was misguided and transphobic. In addition, De Palma was accused of being misogynistic by feminist groups.

* {{Bookends}}: The movie start and finished on a tense Hitchcockian shower scene. [[spoiler:Both scenes turn out to be [[DaydreamSurprise dream sequences]].]]

* CreepyCrossdresser: Bobbi.

* EroticDream: Kate is having one in the opening scene.

* MsFanservice: Angie Dickenson and Nancy Allen.

* SlutShaming: Averted. In a movie where the two featured female characters are an unfaithful wife and a HighClassCallGirl, there's actually very little of this. While Detective Marino tries some of this [[spoiler: while he's trying to manipulate Liz into illegally finding out Elliott's client list for him]] Liz flatly refuses to play along. She's utterly matter-of-fact and unashamed about how she makes her living. And while Kate feels a bout of guilt upon a little girl staring at her in the elevator, after her murder no one implies her fate was in any way deserved, or that she was a horrible person simply for having a casual fling.

* {{Fanservice}}: Gratuitous nudity in the shower scenes. Also Liz in black lingerie in the film's climax. (See StockingFiller, below.)

* RewatchBonus: When Kate comes out of the art museum, and stands on the steps, the camera pans from her down the steps and along the pavement to the taxi where her soon-to-be lover is displaying her glove. On a later viewing, during that long movement the camera also [[spoiler: passes Bobbi, showing that 'she' followed Kate from Elliott's office. But since this is the first time she appears in the movie, you won't recognize her unless you've seen the movie before.]]

* PsychoPsychologist: [[spoiler: Dr. Elliott]] should really not be practicing.