Body Double
Completely misinterpreted by critics upon release (director Brian De Palma was Razzie-nominated in the same year as the makers behind genuine abominations like Rhinestone and Sheena picked up nods) this is a gleefully outrageous thriller, which takes the director’s Hitchcock obsession to a dizzy level. It’s an absolute hoot, and De Palma stays delicately (it must be said) on the right side of parody.
From its stylish Rear Window-like premise, to the bizarre, gear-shifting mid-section (where Frankie Goes to Hollywood inexplicably make an appearance), there’s also the opportunity to see an LA in all its garish 80’s glory. Body Double is the kind of film you’d imagine Brett Easton Ellis’ character from that era would make multiple trips to the cinema to see and then brag about it to their friends. There’s also an underlying perverseness to it all which only reinforces the guilty pleasure factor (how De Palma managed to get away with the end credit shot in what is essentially a mainstream film, is hysterical).
The director’s career has been a case of diminishing returns for a while now, but it’s been a long time since he pulled off trash with such aplomb.
