Makeover Montage: A Fashion in Film Podcast · Marie Lodi and Blaire Bercy

1980s Mall Catalogue Perfection in Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

October 4, 2024·1 hr 33 min·5 clips

Meghan McLaughlin’s mood board for Lisa Frankenstein pulls from Esprit, Banana Republic, Benetton, and The Limited.

Marie Lodi and Blair Bursey open in full spooky-season mode and steer the conversation toward Lisa Frankenstein. They call it newer and say it has been underrated, with streaming helping more people finally catch up. Before settling in, they touch on what they have been watching, including Fight Night on Peacock. Then they swing back to the film. Lisa goes to a party and ends up in a bad situation. She is also shown as someone who keeps going to the cemetery. There she talks to a statue of a Victorian-era bachelor. Lightning hits the statue and brings him back as a zombie. From there, the two become friends, and that friendship turns into a string of murderous hijinks. The hosts point out that he gets a makeover too. That makeover takes them into 1980s heartthrob territory. Pretty in Pink comes up as a major reference point. They also pull in Winona Ryder in Heathers. The styling shorthand lands somewhere between t-shirts, blazer, and pure era memory. They say you can see those inspirations in specific scenes, and they connect them to Katherine Newton's costumes. The episode then opens out into a broader talk about costume designer Megan McLaughlin. They mention her work on Happy Death Day and 10 Cloverfield Lane. They also note her costume supervisor credits on Claws and True Detective season one. The conversation folds in little easter eggs tied to Zelda Williams and Robin Williams. It also connects those touches back to Diablo Cody. Everything keeps moving by association. The result is a quick, referential, costume-first chat that keeps snapping from plot to wardrobe to memory.

As heard by us

A playful costume chat about Lisa Frankenstein and its 1980s-inspired look.

This Makeover Montage episode is a lively discussion of Lisa Frankenstein, a newer film the hosts call cute and underrated. They spend most of the time tracing its style back to 1980s heartthrobs, Pretty in Pink, and Heathers, which gives the conversation its best stretch.

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Why you'd press play

For a spooky-season read on Lisa Frankenstein's 1980s-inspired style, press play.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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