Netflix Fix #3 -- Peeping Tom

Next up on my Netflix junkie watch is a controversial and oft-overlooked British psychological thriller called Peeping Tom. Made back in 1960, it's one of those special films that shocked and angered so many people upon its initial release, that it subsequently became taboo and was virtually swept under cinema's rug, in hopes that it'd be forgotten like a bad virus. Problem was, though, that it's critically looked at with praise, and greats such as Martin Scorcese have stated their love of it and how influential it was in their careers. Peeping Tom caused such a negative fuss, however, that it left an permanent stain on director Michael Powell's up-and-coming reputation, one that hindered his career as a result. Poor chap.

All of that into consideration, it was clearly a flick I needed to see for myself, and up until the 'Flix (yeah, that's how I'm going to abbreviate it....wanna fight about it?), the only I would've seen it was by dropping a cool 20-spot to buy the DVD, fortunately my better instincts prevented me to do so. Having just watched it, I can't say that I'd ever want to own it. It wasn't bad by any means, and I can totally understand why it was such a groundbreaking experience back in 1960. It's just that, Peeping Tom is a film that hasn't aged very well, at least to me. There's very little tension, and in the wake of endlessly-jarring films since 1960, the effect it must've had on audiences back then is not felt in the slightest today.

I can only imagine how sick and disturbing it must have been for British audiences in that debut year. The stuff that goes on and the underlying themes explored are far from the mature humor of most early British cinema. This is pretty bleak and demented stuff.

Marc is a reclusive, tormented wannabe filmmaker. No matter what time of day or where he is, he always carries his trusty camera, complete with a tripod of stand-up legs. This sick fuck isn't videotaping nature for harmless hobby, though; he uses this camera to lull piece-of-ass women into false sense of curiousity, before removing the bottom of the center leg to reveal a blade that he jams into the gal's throat, all while filming for his own twisted enjoyment. Yeah, like I said, sick shit, right? Of course, being made in 1960, there's no blood seen at all, and the kills are mostly implied through the facial expressions of the victims, but what's suggested is pretty daring.



The opening scene is perhaps the film's most effective. Like the jumpoff sequence in the original Halloween, its all seen in first-person, this time through Marc's camera lens as he takes a prostitute up to a private room in the middle of the night, where he proceeds to poke a hole clear through her neck (wonder how much hookers charge for that in London?). Maybe it's because I'm fucking weird, but I always find first-person kills to be especially effective. It's the feeling of actually committing it, perhaps, or even the interaction between you and the victim as you're watching it on screen. In Halloween, it was seen through a Halloween mask, and turned out to be an 8-or-so year old Michael Myers killing his slutty older sister. For sake of debate, the way John Carpenter executes it in Halloween is a bit more unsettling than how director Michael Powell handles it here in Peeping Tom. But Powell still gets major points for creativity, considering his films was made nearly 20 years before Carpenter's.

Sounds like I'm all about Peeping Tom up 'til this point, huh? Well, here comes the hate. First off, there's not one likeable character in the entire film, and that's never a good thing. The main guy/villain, Marc, is so socially awkward that you want to feel sympathy for the sick fuck, but every time he opens his mouth, you're irritated by how much of a whiny fruitcup he is. "Just shut the fuck up already, and stop your bitching you pussy!" That's what I was thinking the whole time.

Or, better yet, I was thinking, "Just fucking kill somebody already!" There's only three deaths in the entire movie, one being SPOILER ALERT Marc himself, in a delusional bit of suicide at the end. Not to sound all morbid, but a higher body count would've worked wonders here. Pretty much everybody who steps foot on screen deserved to die, just off sheer annoyance factors alone. There's the naive, far-too-innocent redhead neighbor, Helen, who flirts endlessly with Marc, not realizing that he's madder than a French hair. The scenes where they awkwardly flirt are about as touching and romantic as a vasectomy. You're supposed to feel for her, how she's falling for a man who isn't responsive, and how she's so blind to the fact that her dream-lover is in fact a sexually-depraved deviant with homicidal festishes. Don't you hate when that happens, ladies?

And then, the most god-awful character of all, some Paris Hilton-in-the-face-looking model who never shuts the fuck up and complains and deserves a beatdown by another girl (I don't condone men hitting women, of course), is killed entirely off screen. Not even off screen, actually....the scene completely fades to black right as Marc stands over her, camera-impaler in hand. Fuck you, Michael Powell!! The least you could've done was show that annoying twat get offed. I was highly peeved, as you can tell.

In hindsight, there is one character who isn't entirely deplorable. Marc works as a cameraman on a movie production, one which has a mean and insulting director. He has little screen time, but does manage to fire off one gem of a line: after the female star discovers her stand-in's corpse in a toy chest during a scene, she lets out a yelp and falls to the floor. The director, not knowing what she saw, yells, "That silly bitch! She fainted in the wrong scene!" I LOLed there, for sure.

In the end, Peeping Tom is definitely a groundbreaker, and an important film. Some of the camera techniques are pretty slick, and you can certainly see how it could've been influential on a number of filmmakers (Stanley Kubrick, perhaps, in a couple moments...aforementioned John Carpenter in others). And the idea that Marc gets off on the fear he sees in his victim's faces is pretty clever, in a sick way. And, the way he offs himself is rather effective.



I just wish I could've seen it back in the '60s, when it's polarizing and stunning effects would have definitely been felt by yours truly. Having seen some of the most grotesque and shocking films ever made, such relatively-tame stuff as the images in Peeping Tom just can't chill me. They can impress me, as most do. Just can't make me shiver. Or even flinch. Damn shame.

But for film buffs and genre heads, Peeping Tom is one you should certainly try and peep at some point.