Medusa Deluxe review: Whodunnit set in the world of competitive hairdressing is a cut above

A stylist is discovered dead on the eve of a fiercely contested hairdressing competition, their scalp removed in grisly fashion. With London police on the scene and conducting an investigation, there is more than a little chitter-chatter among the mostly female contestants, all of whom come to the event amid a tangle of vicious rivalries, resentments, and obsessions.

In his feature debut, writer-director Thomas Hardiman leads us around the dressing rooms, fire exits, lockers and backstages as a dynamic array of characters and their interactions propel this whodunnit. The collision of so much ambition, animosity and flamboyance provides an effective engine room for the gradually escalating tension.

A venomous Clare Perkins heads the ensemble cast. Together they conjure a cut-throat milieu that makes shark-infested waters seem cosy by comparison.​​​​​​

Four stars