Naman Shrestha
With Lindsay Hartley occupying the director’s chair, Lifetime’s ‘Dressed to Kill’ is a thriller movie that centers upon the mysterious death of a fashion mogul and its ripple effects. When Vanessa Silver, a hugely successful fashion mogul, makes a surprising decision to name her hardworking and overworking assistant, Amy Ross, as her successor instead of her own daughter, Blair, it shocks the entire organization. However, what shocks everyone further is when her dead body surfaces the following morning. Upon finding out that Amy has received 90% of Vanessa’s company while Blair only received the remaining 10%, the former’s boyfriend Kevin suspects that something concerning is at play.
While Amy becomes the prime suspect in the case of Vanessa’s demise, Blair receives incessant threats. The former assistant believes that the threats are nothing serious until Blair gets ambushed at work. Now, with all the suspicion on her, Amy must find a way to gain everyone’s trust and prove her innocence. The makers of ‘Dressed to Kill’ manage to create atmospheric tension, mainly with the help of the locations, especially the workplace where most of the story unfolds.
Dressed to Kill Filming Locations
‘Dressed to Kill’ was filmed in its entirety in Kentucky, especially in Louisville and Shelbyville. As per reports, principal photography for the Lifetime production got underway in the second week of February 2024 under the working title ‘Killer Fashion’ and went on for less than a couple of weeks before getting wrapped up in the same month. One of the cast members, Annie Sullivan, took to social media and shared her experience of shooting the film a few months after the completion of filming. She said, “This project was such a JOY. The cast. The crew. EVERYONE involved was so wonderful!! Thank you to @maverickfilmprod, for having me again. Working with y’all is always so amazing. I am so grateful! To the queen, @lindsaynhartley, I’m SO glad to work with you again! I’m so thankful for all your guidance and direction!”
Louisville, Kentucky
Most of the pivotal sequences for ‘Dressed to Kill’ were reportedly lensed in and around Louisville, situated in Kentucky’s outer Bluegrass region. Also known as River City, the city served as an ideal filming destination because of its vast and versatile landscape. Besides providing suitable backdrops outdoors, Louisville also allowed the filming unit to set up camp at various residential places and establishments to shoot key indoor scenes. A few scenes were also recorded near the Big Four Bridge at 1101 River Road.
Shelbyville, Kentucky
In the later part of the production, the cast and crew of ‘Dressed to Kill’ also traveled east of Louisville to Shelbyville, a home rule-class city. From what we can tell, they were spotted taping important exterior scenes around the Main Street of Shelbyville, with several businesses like Tracy’s Home Furnishings in the backdrop. It is likely that some of the portions were also lensed around Stargazer Plaza on the same street.
Dressed to Kill is a Work of Fiction
Crimes within an organization, especially robbery and murder, have happened in the past, with money being the primary motivating factor. The same kind of realistic scenario is explored through the story of Vanessa’s murder and the accusation of her assistant, Amy Ross. Thus, it is only natural for the audience to try and connect the dots between the fictional narrative of the Lifetime production and the real-life news stories about the murders of CEOs. In recent years, particularly in the summer of 2020, a tech CEO named Fahim Saleh was found murdered in his multimillion-dollar Lower East Side apartment.
As portrayed in ‘Dressed to Kill,’ his personal assistant Tyrese Haspil was accused of committing the crime and dismembering his CEO boss. It was reported that the accused assistant robbed his boss of more than $50,000 via Intuit and PayPal transfers, starting in 2017. In 2024, it turned out that Tyrese actually did murder Fahim as he was sentenced to 40 years in state prison for the brutal killing. However, that’s where the Lifetime film differs from reality, as intended by the two screenwriters — Miriam Lyapin and Amy Irons. Unlike Tyrese, Amy is innocent and is being framed for the murder of Vanessa. Thus, it would be safe to say that despite the key plot difference, there are certain realistic instances that can result in the speculation of the thriller being a portrayal of real life even when it is not.
Dressed to Kill Cast
Brianna Cohen dons the garb of Amy Ross, a hardworking assistant to a fashion mogul, in the Lifetime thriller. After finding success in commercials, she stepped into the limelight by bagging roles in various independent movies and TV shows over the years. Mostly recognized for her roles in ‘Orange Is the New Black’ and ‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga,’ she has also been featured in ‘A Baby at any Cost,’ ‘Nightmare PTA Moms,’ ‘Secrets in the Marriage,’ ‘Secret Love Triangle,’ and ‘Don’t Let Him Find You.’ While Suzanne R. Neff portrays Amy’s boss, Vanessa, Annie Sullivan essays the role of Vanessa’s daughter, Blair.
‘Dressed to Kill’ also features other talented actors in supporting roles, including Monanik ‘Moe’ Dugar as Wanda Lovell, Mo Sehgal as Kevin, Micheal J Stiles as Mr. Appleman, Evanthia Theodorou as Clara, Creshaun Sanders as Officer Andrews, Lisa Baldwin as Amanda Harrington. On the one hand, Jennifer Uphold and Brian Patrick Thomas portray the two fashion show attendees. On the other hand, Brandon Bell plays the role of a security guard. In addition, Gene Wood (CSI Tech), Dharma Richards (an Officer), and Alan Hosking (Coroner) feature in the thriller too.
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