Office Killer, the only film by Cindy Sherman, one of the twentieth century's most significant artists, has failed to be critically examined. Dahlia Schweitzer explores the film on a variety of levels, arguing that it is only through a close reading of the film that we can begin to appreciate the messages underlying all of Sherman's work. 

One of the twentieth century’s most significant artists, Cindy Sherman has quietly uprooted conventional understandings of portraiture and art, questioning everything from identity to feminism. Critics around the world have taken Sherman’s photographs and extensively examined what lies underneath. However, little critical ink has been spilled on Sherman’s only film, Office Killer, a piece that plays a significant role both in Sherman’s body of work and in American art in the late twentieth century. Dahlia Schweitzer breaks the silence with her trenchant analysis of Office Killer and explores the film on a variety of levels, combating head-on the art world’s reluctance to discuss the movie and arguing instead that it is only through a close reading of the film that we can begin to appreciate the messages underlying all of Sherman’s work.

Part I: Another Kind of Introduction 

Why Office Killer Deserves Your Attention (And How It First Grabbed Mine) 

Character Reference Guide 

Office Killer Plot Synopsis

Part II: Another Kind of Art 

Conception: In Art We Trust 

Direction: Sherman’s March

Production: The Big Picture 

Part III: Another Kind of Entertainment 

How to Look at Office Killer (And What I Missed the First Time) 

Part IV: Another Kind of Commentary 

Considerations: Cast, Costumes, and Characters 

Conversations: Noir, Horror, and Comedy 

Considerations: Disease, Technology, and the Workplace

Comparisons: Working Girl, Basic Instinct, and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? 

Part V: Another Kind of Conclusion 

How Office Killer was Absolutely Right about Everything (Yet Still Managed To Fail So Miserably) 

Study Guides 175

Office Killers: Character Crib Notes 

Textual Insanity: Relationships to Other Movies 

Horrific Experiences: Interviews with Christine Vachon, James Schamus, Todd Thomas, and Tom Kalin 

Film Credits and Cast List