Strickland’s work is a vital bridge between the avant-garde and narrative cinema. Drawing from 70s sexploitation, Euro-horror, and radio drama, he creates "hauntological" dreamscapes that feel both ancient and contemporary.
While many directors approach kink with a "shock value" lens, Strickland treats it with a mix of deadpan humor and profound tenderness. The Duke of Burgundy (2014) (0.5.9) is perhaps his masterpiece—a lush, lepidopterist-themed romance that uses ritualized S&M to explore the very human exhaustion of maintaining a relationship. It’s a film that includes a "perfumes by" credit, highlighting his obsession with the atmosphere over traditional plot. 3. Retail Therapy Gone Wrong Peter Strickland
Strickland’s breakthrough, Berberian Sound Studio (2012) (0.5.18), remains one of the most effective meditations on the psychological weight of sound. By focusing on a mild-mannered sound engineer working on an Italian giallo film, Strickland turns the tools of cinema—reels, microphones, and rotting produce—into instruments of mental collapse. It’s a film where the "unseen" horror is far more terrifying because your ears are doing all the heavy lifting. 2. The Beauty of the Fetish Strickland’s work is a vital bridge between the
The Tactile Nightmare: Why Peter Strickland is the Most Sensory Director Working Today The Duke of Burgundy (2014) (0
In a modern cinematic landscape often criticized for looking like "content"—flat, digital, and disposable—the films of feel dangerously physical. To watch a Strickland film isn’t just to observe a story; it’s to be subjected to a series of textures, smells, and sounds that feel almost invasive.