Peeping Tom

Genre: horror thriller

With: Karlheinz Böhm (Mark Lewis), Anna Massey (Helen Stephens), Maxine Audley (Mrs. Stephens), Moira Shearer (Vivian), Brenda Bruce (Dora), Pamela Green (Millie), Esmond Knight (Arthur Baden), Shirley Anne Field (Pauline Shields), Michael Goodliffe (Jarvis), Bartlett Mullins (Peters)

Director: Michael Powell

Screenplay: Leo Marks

Release: 1960

Studio: Michael Powell (Theatre) Ltd.

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10 

 

‟Do you want me to act frightened?” 

 

QuickView

Story-line: one night in London, Mark approaches a prostitute while filming her with a hidden camera. Without even looking at him, she says, ‟It’ll be two quid” and enters a building. He follows obediently, knowing that he will soon be rewarded with his greatest of pleasures: seeing that woman in a state of deathly fear.

Pluses: excellent acting by Karlheinz Böhm (EFFI BRIEST) as a bruised, conflicted and dangerous character, fine support from Anna Massey and a magnificent Maxine Audley, economical direction, an unusually detailed screenplay (for horror movies) bolstered by strong dialogues and disturbing surprises, modest but efficient production values, fine cinematography and a powerful, tormented musical score by Brian Easdale.

Minuses: this suspenseful film is so creepy that it caused permanent damage to Michael Powell’s career in cinema.

Comments: this suspense film à la Hitchcock is remarkable for its painstaking − and successful − efforts to investigate Mark’s motivations and psychology. It all adds up to a haunting, effective and very gutsy thriller that will astound any movie buff. If you don’t trust me on this, trust Martin Scorsese… he’s a big fan of PEEPING TOM.

  

MBiS 

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