Body Double (1984)
Average Rating: 6.3/10
Reviews Counted: 27
Fresh: 21 | Rotten: 6
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 1
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 0
liked it
Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 7,886
My Rating
Movie Info
In Body Double, director Brian DePalma pays homage to the Alfred Hitchcock movies Vertigo and Rear Window, adding a few grotesque touches all his own. Craig Wasson plays Jake, a struggling actor who keeps losing jobs because of his claustrophobia. To make matters worse, his girlfriend has walked out on him, so he has no place to sleep. His pal offers him the use of his apartment for the evening. The apartment happens to be equipped with a huge picture window and telescope, enabling him to spy on
Jan 1, 1984 Wide
Mar 6, 2001
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
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Cast
-
Craig Wasson
Jake Scully -
Gregg Henry
Sam Bouchard -
Melanie Griffith
Holly, Holly Body -
Deborah Shelton
Gloria Revelle -
Guy Boyd
Jim McLean -
Dennis Franz
Rubin -
David Haskell
Drama Teacher -
Jerry Brutsche
Police Officer -
Barbara Crampton
Carol -
Alexandra Day
1st Girl in Bathroom -
Ted Grossman
Stuntperson -
Al Israel
Corso -
Gela Jacobson
Corso's Secretary -
Larry Flash Jenkins
Assistant Director -
B.J. Jones
Douglas -
Slavitza Jovan
Saleslady -
Michael Kearns
Male Porno Star -
Monte Landis
Sid Goldberg -
Jeremy Lawrence
Theater Director -
Roi Loomis
TV Director -
Denise Loveday
Actress/Vampire Movie -
Russ Marin
Frank -
Rob Paulsen
Cameraman -
Ty Randolph
Tina -
Casey Sander
Man #2 (Holly Does Holl... -
Linda Shaw
Herself -
Rebecca Stanley
Kimberly -
Brinke Stevens
3rd Girl in Bathroom -
David Ursin
Man in Holly Does Holly... -
Douglas Warhit
Video Salesman -
Jerry Wills
Stuntperson -
Richard Warlock
Stuntperson -
Chuck Waters
Jogger -
Barbara Peckinpaugh
Girl in Holly Does Holl... -
Michael White (I)
Security Guard -
Ray Hassett
Police Officer -
Emmett Brown
Studio Guard -
Lane Davies
Billy -
Phil Redrow
Naked Man -
Nanci Rogers
Stuntperson -
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All Critics (31) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (23) | Rotten (7) | DVD (10)
Sleaze dominates the thin plot and absurd story line.
Classic De Palma. Stylish and Sexy.
It's a mystery, a romance, a horror flick, and a straight-faced parody all rolled into one unique little movie.
...De Palma's expectedly grandiose directorial choices go a long way towards keeping things interesting...
Emblematizes De Palma's refusal to take Hollywood seriously.
Unabashedly meshing gaudy 80s excess with the gritty 1940s-noir style.
Body Double, while not his finest, is the best candidate as Brian De Palma's signature film.
enough to portend the downfall of civilization... a guilty pleasure
Another sexed-up Hitchcockian thriller from Brian De Palma. Plays much better today than it did in 1984.
Kinda stupid, really.
Audience Reviews for Body Double
Super Reviewer
it was a classic WTF moment. you were wondering whether this is a cheesy porn or really an artsy work by director like de palma..
HITCHCOKIAN PORN.
Super Reviewer
Discussion Forum
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"You Can't Believe Everything You See"
Body Double is Brian De Palma at his core. This is a film that driven by erotica and violence, and De Palma balances the two of the really well, while paying homage(or ripping off, however you want to look at it) to Hitchcock's Vertigo and Rear Window. The film is odd for sure. De Palma isn't known for making non-odd films, but this one is even weirder than his norm.
I liked it for sure. Actually, I loved it for the first hour or so. I loved the scene where Jake follows the woman for like 15 minutes straight on screen. There's little dialogue, but it works perfectly because of genuine suspense being built by watching Jake follow a woman who's being followed by another man. The movie falls apart in its last third, but not enough to change how much I liked the movie, especially the first hour.
Jake is a struggling actor who was just fired from his acting job as a vampire because he is claustrophobic and can't handle the coffin scene. He also just broke up with his girlfriend and doesn't have a place to live. A friend of his sets him up with a nice place and shows him a woman that does a little naked dance in the window every night. Like any guy, Jake watches her every night. Through watching her, he notices another guy watching her, and sees him follow her one day. The guy steals her purse, but Jake gets it back for her. Later that night, Jake views the same guy breaking into her house. He tries to save her, but is too late. Yeah, that's just the set up.
If you are a De Palma fan, you should get a lot of satisfaction out of watching this one. If you aren't a De Palma fan, this movie is why you hate him. It definitely is not anywhere near his best, but there is something that is incredibly interesting about it. I could never recommend this to anyone though, because most people would probably be turned off to it. And I would completely understand why.