Thi film was on Turner Classic Movies last week. I had already seen it once, but decided to ask the lady friend if she'd like to see it.
Despite predating Psycho by a month, I would still pick Hitch's masterpiece over this one. With that being said, Peeping Tom is a pretty brilliant movie.
The first time I saw this, I have to admit that I was initially expecting a very violent film considering all the controversy that has surrounded it since the very beginning. It's obvious, though, that the film angered many because of how voyeuristic it is. Now, this isn't exactly the first suspense/horror film to come around that had a voyeuristic quality (Rear Window predates it), but this one's a bit different than the norm. The main character (and killer) is named Mark Lewis and he videotapes his killings. Often, we get shown the footage of the murders as they're taking place.
He keeps telling people that he's making a documentary when they ask about the camera. In a way, he is. After the murders, he goes home and watches his "work." Sometimes, he goes back to the scene of the crime and films the actions of the police. He watches that stuff too when he gets home.
The most interesting camera shots take place when he's in the confines of his home. After reading Roger Ebert's "Greatest Movies" essay on this film, I was glad to get a second chance to watch this. I was blown away by something I didn't initially catch. In Roger's own words, "Later we see the same footage in Mark's screening room, in a remarkable shot from behind Mark's head. As the camera pulls back, the image on the screen moves in for a closeup, so the face of the victim effectively remains the same size as Mark's head shrinks. In one shot, [Michael] Powell show us a member of the audience being diminished by the power of the cinematic vision. Other movies let us enjoy voyeurism; this one extracts a price."
Amazing. Brilliant stuff right there.
The scares are few and far between, but this one's got a lot more going on than your trypical slasher film. The camera is life, sex and death in this movie. Please, see it.
8/10
Despite predating Psycho by a month, I would still pick Hitch's masterpiece over this one. With that being said, Peeping Tom is a pretty brilliant movie.
The first time I saw this, I have to admit that I was initially expecting a very violent film considering all the controversy that has surrounded it since the very beginning. It's obvious, though, that the film angered many because of how voyeuristic it is. Now, this isn't exactly the first suspense/horror film to come around that had a voyeuristic quality (Rear Window predates it), but this one's a bit different than the norm. The main character (and killer) is named Mark Lewis and he videotapes his killings. Often, we get shown the footage of the murders as they're taking place.
He keeps telling people that he's making a documentary when they ask about the camera. In a way, he is. After the murders, he goes home and watches his "work." Sometimes, he goes back to the scene of the crime and films the actions of the police. He watches that stuff too when he gets home.
The most interesting camera shots take place when he's in the confines of his home. After reading Roger Ebert's "Greatest Movies" essay on this film, I was glad to get a second chance to watch this. I was blown away by something I didn't initially catch. In Roger's own words, "Later we see the same footage in Mark's screening room, in a remarkable shot from behind Mark's head. As the camera pulls back, the image on the screen moves in for a closeup, so the face of the victim effectively remains the same size as Mark's head shrinks. In one shot, [Michael] Powell show us a member of the audience being diminished by the power of the cinematic vision. Other movies let us enjoy voyeurism; this one extracts a price."
Amazing. Brilliant stuff right there.
The scares are few and far between, but this one's got a lot more going on than your trypical slasher film. The camera is life, sex and death in this movie. Please, see it.
8/10
