Peeping Tom

Shocking, amazing movie--Michael Powell does it again, but this was so unexpected I'm still reeling. "The Red Shoes" this is not--it's a brutal, perverse serial killer movie that feels like it sets the stage for so much of what will come later in the genre. The Freudian overtones are overt but never hackneyed (Hitchcock would have killed to have made this movie) and contribute to a genuine sense of feeling for Mark, even as we recoil at his sociopathy. I adored this.

Excellent psychological thriller. Few films about voyeurism have been this good. Making the killer as human and sympathetic as they do, makes you feel quite uneasy. It didn't deserve the reception it got. It's definitely a classic.

An aspiring director named Mark Lewis films everything, using his cameras as a means to satisfy his voyeuristic obsession. That obsession leads to serial killings and an uneasy relationship between viewer and voyeur.

This feels very much like the kind of suspense and warped perspective provided by so many Hitchcock films. That's not to say that director Powell is a Hitchcock clone, it's just a great way to explain what the film is like. It's not possible to see how any fan of "Rear Window", "Psycho", or "Vertigo" will not appreciate "Peeping Tom".

Carl Boehm plays Lewis and is amazing in the role. He generates sympathy for his illness, which was undoubtedly brought about by his biologist father, who cruelly experimented on him as child. Further, he filmed and recorded young Mark as he tortured him. This all sounds grizzly but the old grainy home movies that show these horrors are very tame when compared to today's violent movie fare. Yet Powell generates tension and thrills through the shadows and darkness of city streets and Lewis's darkroom.

There are some great scenes but most enjoyable involved interrogation of Lewis by sweet but curious neighbor Helen, a police detective investigating one of Lewis's murders but primarily when he's confronted by Helen's blind mother, who is the only person suspicious of Mark based solely on his mannerisms, detected without her sight.

"Peeping Tom" is a classic demonstration of suspense and the ability to present terror and psychological horror without buckets of bloodshed.

An excellent horror thriller that feels like it could happen anytime to you.

The best line in the movie: "He won't be doing the crossword tonight."

Peeping Tom is an entertaining story about a disturbing obsession. The lighting is incredibly successful at creating the right atmosphere for this film and made for some wonderful shots. Karlheinz Böhm is perfect as Mark Lewis.

When your girlfriend discovers your porn stash...

The heavy, classical style of writing / acting is compensated by the beauty of the directing.

Starts out feeling like some lame 60s slasher/exploitation film. But give it a bit. Picks up a little way through. Characters are well fleshed out, a lot of grey areas instead of simply things being black and white. Was pleasantly surprised.