The huge emphasis on Norma Desmond’s glamorous appearance comes after an equally detailed description of the decay of her Hollywood mansion. 

What kind of woman dresses like she’s going to an Oscars luncheon in the middle of her dark and dilapidated home? There’s intrigue in these details.

“High voltage” is not a word used to describe humans, but suggests a frightening Frankenstein-like deathy tirelessness, planting disturbing seeds for what’s to come.