There are lot of Brian De Palma films that borrow liberally from the works of Alfred Hitchcock, whether it's the absurd sleaze of Body Double which smashes Vertigo and Rear Window together, or the slower and more melancholy Obsession which again looks for inspiration from Vertigo. Even the entertaining (but admittedly problematic) ideas in Dressed to Kill are just Psycho with a new outfit. So it's no surprise that here a lot of the same elements are used once again, and there's even another score by Bernard Herrmann. But of course none of these are really just the sum of their parts and need closer inspection. So let's break out the binoculars to take a look at this tale of split screens, identical twins, and bloody murder.
It's certainly a story that's told with a lighter touch than the others I've recalled here. I'm not just talking about the gaudy 1970s apartments and fashions on display. The opening lets everyone know the old voyeurism visuals are back in a big way, but even then it's through a slippery double lens that depicts a silly game-show within the movie. It lets you know what you're in for just enough to make all the knife twists later on feel relatively expected but still sudden. It's a story about twins and suspicious red pills after all, so there's a certain amount of genre familiarity you can rely on comfortably. If you're the sort of viewer that finds comfort in a good old suspense filled murder mystery of course.
The supporting cast also lends it a kind of campy tone, whether it's the protagonists mother (Mary Davenport) echoing the sort of maternal figures in North By Northwest and others, or the less than reliable private eye Larch (Charles Durning) who offers some help along the way but ultimately solves nothing. But the main stars are journalist Grace (Jennifer Salt) and the titular siblings (Margot Kidder). The latter in particular is great in both roles as the fiery model Danielle and her twisted twin Dominique. Those who only remember her as Lois Lane will find a lot to enjoy even if her French-Canadian accent isn't always consistent. But Jennifer Salt is also good as the career minded writer who wants to write about real stories for once, and thinks a potential murder case will be just the headline she needs.
In terms of the narrative it's all pretty solid as she tries to get the cops get involved, then a P.I., and then a doctor who knew the sisters as part of a study some years earlier. But how this is all constructed is the fun part as De Palma's technical skills come into play. Split screen view points are employed to build the tension by showing dual scenes coming together at the same time, making for a classic sequence that is engrossing while keeping to the overall themes. Elsewhere this sort of double vision is used in subtler ways, for example during sequences that foreshadow a character writing in blood by showing personalised birthday cake icing.
It's not all so subtextual of course, and drawing our eyes to Danielle's game-show prize - a set of kitchen cutlery - is more on the nose. But that's all part of the fun. Later sequences involving a psychiatric hospital are also very clearly sign posted, and there's no award for guessing how things turn out as Grace sneaks inside. Still, the shadowy efforts of Emil (William Finley) keep the guessing game going for a while, in a creepy dead eyed performance that is almost unrecognisable from his more sympathetic turn in Phantom of the Paradise one year later. Not all the puzzle pieces fit together in a satisfying manner, and I feel that parts of the reveal are a cheated a little.
Some of the revelations just become a bit silly as hypnotherapy and more deaths are thrown into the mix. However the whole mind control bit does allow for the most memorably stylised sequence, an eerie nightmare built with black and white photography and fish-eye 16mm lenses. They let loose in the third act to really warp the viewers perspective while keeping the voyeuristic hooks firmly in place. The distorted atmosphere in general is amplified by the music, while still retains a lot of the composer's signature brass but includes some great synthesizer elements to make it feel recognisable but alien at the same time.
Overall though this is a pre-Carrie hit for De Palma that isn't talked about enough these days considering how easy it is to watch. The zaniness of Phantom and the full blooded cruelness of later features like Blow Out (which are both still his best) are mostly absent; it's just a straightforward thriller with lots of interesting ideas and visuals. All the nuts and bolts detective elements and suspense movie pieces are here, making this ideal viewing for anyone looking for '70s crime drama or even just a Giallo style mystery plot. You can have your cake and eat it after all - just remember to use a sensible knife size to cut it with.
4/5
