Body Double

Jake Scully (played with benign creepiness by Craig Wasson) is a wannabe actor who can’t even keep a cheap horror movie gig due to his paralyzing claustrophobia. Sleeping on a friend’s floor after catching his girlfriend aglow in climax with another, he finds a lucky turn when fellow struggling actor Sam offers him a place (and not just any dump – the legendary octagon-shaped Chemosphere, once parodied in The Simpsons as Troy McClure’s residence). Even better, it comes with a view – a peep through a telescope lands eyes on a neighbor who does a nightly dance in the nude. Jake can’t help but look, and then he realizes he’s not the only one looking. Soon he comes to witness the woman’s brutal murder, not only unable to stop it, but also becoming a suspect himself. A chance viewing of a late-night TV spot with porn star Holly Body (Melanie Griffith with one of the best looks ever) puts Jake on a path to figure out what really happened – he thinks Holly can help him, if he can convince her. Brian De Palma takes bits of REAR WINDOW and VERTIGO and sleazes them up ‘80s style in a movie that has dark humor, thrills, and sexiness that all add up to magnificent pleasure.

Directed by Brian De Palma

1984 | USA | English language | DCP

Rated R