Stevecorp
Don't listen to the negative reviews
Intcatinfo
A Masterpiece!
Mathilde the Guild
Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
CinemaClown
An interesting journey into the mind of a serial killer that also touches on themes of voyeurism, loneliness, childhood trauma, sexual repression & the art of filmmaking, Peeping Tom was torn to shreds by critics when it premiered but just like any other film that was ahead of its time, it has garnered a cult following and is now regarded as a genre classic.Set in London, the story of Peeping Tom follows a lonely young man obsessed with the effects of fear and is making a documentary on it, the content of which involves him recording the final expressions of victims as he murders them. Things are set in motion when the woman living below his apartment befriends him and later comes across his works inadvertently.Directed by Michael Powell, the film packs a number of shooting tips & tricks up its sleeve and opens with a scene that introduces the protagonist doing what he does best, all captured from his camera's viewpoint. Powell paints a tragic portrait of the killer here, keeping his human aspects in tact throughout while showing him to be a psychotic product of child abuse.Also notable is the self-reflexive use of camera as this cinematic device narrates a story of its own through its POV shots, smooth manoeuvring, sharp images, bright lighting & vivid use of colour palette. Humour is cleverly incorporated in spite of the dark tone. Editing keeps the tension palpable, even leaving few murder moments to viewers' imagination, but the pacing is a bit on the slow side.Coming to the performances, Carl Boehm plays the serial killer and does a fantastic job at capturing his human side and articulating it to the audience in a relatable way. It's a thoughtful, balanced & impressive act by all means. Anna Massey is in as the girl next door but her work is mediocre at best while her mother, played by Maxine Audley, manages to leave an impression of her own despite her limited screen time.On an overall scale, Peeping Tom is a fascinating example of psychological horror that's skilfully directed by Michael Powell and is brilliantly steered by Carl Boehm's terrific rendition of his simultaneously creepy & pitiful character but there are slow patches in the middle that make the ride a bit tedious at times plus the interaction between our protagonist & his girl friend isn't quite engaging either. Controversial at its time of release, Peeping Tom has rightfully earned its place today amongst the finest works of its genre.
christopher-underwood
This looks so good and appears far more seriously intended than the same years Psycho, yet I hesitate to enthuse. I feel it would have been a better idea to use a likable English actor in the central role and imbue him with a more subtle creepiness. It seems too easy to just make the baddie a German so that we may assume the worst. True, we are supplied with background evidence of abuse of the abuser, thanks to the survival of his father's films of him as a child and there is word from a psychiatrist towards the end regarding the needs of a pathological voyeur. But the real horror of the need to create fear in another to excite is not properly explored which is a shame especially as only a few years later the horrors of the Moors Murders would be upon us. Nevertheless the use of colour is extraordinary, the recreation of the seedy newsagents (complete with copies of the UK glamour digests, Spick and Span) the alley way prostitutes and the glamour photography wondrous. Anna Massey always strikes me as a most awkward actress but she does very well here almost covering up for the more tentative performance from Karlheinz Bohm as the man with the killer camera.
elvircorhodzic
PEEPING TOM is a psychological thriller with elements of horror, which, in a perverse way, examines fear and obsession of one voyeur.The main protagonist meets a prostitute, covertly filming her with a camera hidden under his coat. He follows her, murders her and later watches the film in his nest. He is a member of a film crew and also works part-time photographing soft-porn pin-up pictures of women. A young woman lives with her blind mother in the flat below his. She has decided to make friends with a strange and shy photographer on her 21 st birthday. He gradually begins to discover to his new friend a trauma from his childhood and a dark vision of his present...The main protagonist is a split personality, a voyeur and a kind of sexual maniac. His character is somewhat tragic, which is ironic in the end. A very intense and complex story is told through the lens of a perverse and deadly camera. The main protagonist has an incredible chemistry with his camera. It is his expression, weapons and salvation.Psychology is very complex in this film. There is a kind of psychological triangle between the photographer, his father and his victims. He goes through his own fear, while he kills his victims. This is a morbid view of voyeurism and eroticism. The excitement was replaced with an obsession, fears and perversions.Carl Boehm as Mark Lewis is a very convincing "peeping tom". He is mad and scared at the same time. Anna Massey as Helen Stephens is his love interest. Maxine Audley as Mrs. Stephens is her blind mother and a real challenge for Mark. This character has a mystical story, which remained sketchy. There is also Moira Shearer (Vivian) with a ridiculous choreography, without her red shoes.An interesting look at the psychology of a murderer whose life has no meaning without his strange camera.
Predrag
This wonderfully creepy 1960 horror film predates Psycho by about 3 months and predates the "slasher" film by about 16 years and, in braving new ground which deviated from the Gothic Horror film movement spawned by Hammer Films in 1957, helped move horror from the Gothic castles to the house next door. Michael Powell's film presents us with a young man who is so fascinated by the subject of fear, that he stalks young women and kills them while filming their deaths with his movie camera. In to the young man's world, comes a young woman who only wants to understand him and love him, but will she find out his horrible secret before its too late? However, on a cerebral level, Peeping Tom retains its capacity to disturb. Rarely has a film depicted the process of a killer being created so chillingly, nor the manner in which such individuals are capable of conflicted, dualistic personalities. Consider how many serial killers have been described to be charming and kind by others who knew them (Dennis Nilsen or Ted Bundy for example).The scenes showing this transition from shy man-child to confident killer are masterful, with Carl Boehm overcoming other more obvious limitations in his casting (the accent mainly) to portray this aspect unerringly. Peeping Tom has been an incredibly influential film for today's filmmakers, as its influences can be seen in films from Road to Perdition to Red Dragon. I highly recommend it to any fan of film and film history.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
