Costume Research (for antagonist)

This is one of the main costumes worn by Christian Bale in 'American psycho'. It is an unusual costume to be worn by someone preparing  murder but it does fit the role very well; the character is someone who acts heartlessly and sees what he is doing as his job and right. The suit shows that the character is civilised and doesn't see what he is doing as bad. Its a very clean and clean cut suit which reflects the characters OCD and precision in life - he doesn't look as if he is concerned he might get messy as this is quite an expensive costume which implies that he will have the same precision and control in the murder as he does with everything else in his life.

His costume reflects the souless atmosphere of the setting. His detachment from what he is doing is also shown by the plastic cover he later adds over the suit to make sure he doesn't get marked by the blood.

This is the costume worn by the character Esther in 'Orphan'. It really plays on the contrast of good and evil, what the girl looks like and what she is really doing. The costume is very innocent and very grily in an old fashioned way. The hair brushed neatly into bunches done up with ribbon shows that the girl is quite precise and knows what she is doing. The same ribbon is used in the girls hair, necklace and bracelet which shows consitancy in character- she has decided to do something and it is unlikely she will be swayed.

The costume worn at the end of 'Psycho' (1960) by the character Norman Bates is misleading. He is wearing a shirt and trousers typical of normal 60s fashion and so appears normal and not dangerous. The blanket wrapped around his shoulders gives the impression that he is a victim as victims are usually given a blanket after a traumatic experience. His Smile constrasts the the costume well as the costume does not imply that he is harmeful but his smile shows us that he is not what he appears- the violence is unexpected when he (earlier) attacks the girl.

I think we need to follow the examples shown to make our villain believable. The character is supposed to be unassuming and the violence is unexpected and so I think we should stick to simple, reasonably smart, pale costumes for the main girl. The costumes need to be innocent so that the audience can not guess what is going to happen.