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''Body Double'' is a 1984 American
erotic thriller The erotic thriller is a film subgenre defined as a thriller with a thematic basis in illicit romance or sexual fantasy. Though exact definitions of the erotic thriller can vary, it is generally agreed "bodily danger and pleasure must remain i ...
film directed, co-written, and produced by
Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (; born September 11, 1940) is an Americans, American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for work in the suspense, Crime film, crime, and psychological thriller genres. ...
. It stars
Craig Wasson Craig Wasson (born March 15, 1954) is an American actor. He made his film debut in '' Rollercoaster'' (1977). He is best known for his roles as Jake Scully in Brian DePalma's '' Body Double'' (1984), and Neil Gordon in Chuck Russell's '' A Nigh ...
,
Gregg Henry Gregg Lee Henry (born May 6, 1952) is an American actor. He is best known for his performance as serial killer Dennis Rader in the television film '' The Hunt for the BTK Killer'' and for playing various "heavies" in various films, such as in ' ...
,
Melanie Griffith Melanie Richards Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American actress. Born in Manhattan to actress Tippi Hedren, she was raised mainly in Los Angeles, where she graduated from the Hollywood Professional School at age 16. In 1975, 17-year-old ...
, and
Deborah Shelton Deborah Shelton is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 1970. She is also known for her appearances on ''Dallas'' for three seasons, with a special guest return in 2013. Pageants In 1970, Shelton competed ...
. The film is a direct homage to the 1950s films of
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
, specifically ''
Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery film, mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes, based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "After-Dinner Story, It Had to Be Murder". Originally released ...
'', ''
Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
'', and ''
Dial M for Murder ''Dial M for Murder'' is a 1954 American crime thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, Anthony Dawson, and John Williams. Both the screenplay and the successful stage play on which it was ...
'', taking plot lines and themes (such as
voyeurism Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature. The term comes from the French ''voir'' which means "to see". ...
, panic attack and obsession) from the first two. At the time of its release, the film was a commercial failure, earning $8.8 million at the box office against a production budget of $10 million, as well as mixed reviews, though Griffith's performance earned praise and earned her a nomination for the
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture is a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award that was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the pre ...
. Subsequently, the film received positive appraisal from cinema fans and is now considered to be a
cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
.


Plot

Struggling actor Jake Scully has recently lost his role as a vampire in a low-budget horror film after his
claustrophobia Claustrophobia is a fear of confined spaces. It is triggered by many situations or stimuli, including elevators, especially when crowded to capacity, windowless rooms, and hotel rooms with closed doors and sealed windows. Even bedrooms with a l ...
thwarts shooting. Upon returning home to discover his girlfriend cheating on him, Scully splits up with her and is left homeless. At a
method acting Method acting, known as the Method, is a range of rehearsal techniques, as formulated by a number of different theatre practitioners, that seeks to encourage sincere and expressive performances through identifying with, understanding, and expe ...
class, where he meets Sam Bouchard, Scully reveals his fears and the childhood cause of his claustrophobia. They go to a bar where Scully is offered a place to stay; Sam's rich friend has gone on a trip to Europe and needs a house-sitter for his ultra-modern home in the Hollywood Hills. While touring the house with Scully, Sam is especially enthusiastic about showing him one feature: a telescope, and through it a female neighbor, Gloria Revelle, who erotically dances at a specific time each night. Scully voyeuristically watches Gloria until he sees her being abused by a man she appears to know. The next day, he follows her when she goes shopping. Gloria makes calls to an unknown person whom she promises to meet. Scully also notices a disfigured "Indian", a man he had noticed watching Gloria a few days prior. Scully follows Gloria to a seaside motel where she is apparently stood up by the person she was there to meet. On the beach, the Indian suddenly appears and snatches her purse. Scully chases him into a nearby tunnel, but his claustrophobia overcomes him. Gloria walks him out of it, and they impulsively and passionately kiss before she retreats. That night, Scully again is watching through the telescope when the Indian returns and breaks into Gloria's home. Scully races to save Gloria, but her vicious white German Shepherd attacks him, and the Indian murders Gloria with a huge handheld drill. Scully alerts the police, who rule the murder a botched robbery. However, Detective Jim McLean becomes suspicious after finding a pair of Gloria's panties in Scully's pocket. Although McLean does not arrest him, he tells Scully that his voyeuristic behavior and failure to alert police sooner helped cause Gloria's death. Later that night, suffering from insomnia and watching a pornographic television channel, Scully sees porn actress Holly Body dancing sensually, exactly as Gloria did. In order to meet Holly, he is hired as a porn actor in Holly's new film. Scully learns from Holly that Sam hired her to impersonate Gloria each night, dancing in the window, knowing Scully would be watching and later witness the real Gloria's murder. Offended when he suggests she was involved in a killing, Holly storms out of the house. An older man in a Ford Bronco picks her up, knocks her unconscious and drives away with her. Scully follows them to a reservoir where the man is digging a grave. Scully attacks him, and in the scuffle peels his face off to reveal it as a mask worn by Sam (who also disguised himself as the "Indian" earlier). Scully has been set up as a scapegoat by Sam, who is in fact Gloria's abusive husband Alex, to provide him with an alibi during the murder. Scully is overpowered and thrown into the grave. Though his claustrophobia initially incapacitates him again, he overcomes his fear and climbs out, and Sam is knocked into the aqueduct by Gloria's white German Shepherd and drowned. During the ending credits, Scully is shown having been recast in his previous vampire role as Holly watches from the sidelines.


Cast

The film includes appearances from real-life adult performers Linda Shaw, Alexandra Day, Cara Lott, Melissa Scott, Barbara Peckinpaugh and Annette Haven.
Steven Bauer Steven Bauer (born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson; December 2, 1956) is a Cuban American actor. Bauer began his career on PBS, portraying Joe Peña, the son of Cuban immigrants on '' ¿Qué Pasa, USA?'' (1977–1979). He played Manolo "Ma ...
, from De Palma's previous film ''
Scarface Scarface may refer to: Gangster-related * Scarface, nickname for Al Capone (1899–1947), an American gangster and a businessman. * ''Scarface'' (novel), a novel by Armitage Trail, loosely based on Capone's rise to power ** ''Scarface'' (1932 ...
'' and Griffith's then-husband, has a cameo as a male porn actor.


Production

After De Palma's successes of '' Carrie'', '' Dressed to Kill'' and his remake of ''Scarface'',
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
offered him a three-picture deal with ''Body Double'' set to be the first.


Writing

De Palma created the concept of the film after interviewing
Angie Dickinson Angie Dickinson (born Angeline Brown; September 30, 1931) is an American retired actress. She began her career on television, appearing in many Anthology series#Television, anthology series during the 1950s, before gaining her breakthrough rol ...
's body doubles for '' Dressed to Kill''. "I started thinking about the whole idea of the body double," he said. "I wondered what I would do if I wanted to make sure to get somebody's attention, to have them looking at a certain place at a certain time." The erotic thriller was also becoming a popular genre to audiences, with the box offices successes of ''Dressed to Kill'' and ''
Body Heat Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...
''. After fighting with censorship boards over the rating of ''Scarface'' — they rated it X and he had to battle to make it R – De Palma resolved to make ''Body Double'' as pushback. At the time, he said, "If this one doesn't get an X, nothing I ever do is going to. This is going to be the most erotic and surprising and thrilling movie I know how to make...I'm going to give them everything they hate and more of it than they've ever seen. They think ''Scarface'' was violent? They think my other movies were erotic? Wait until they see ''Body Double''." Having been impressed with the horror film ''Blood Bride'', De Palma enlisted its director and writer Robert J. Avrech to write the ''Body Double'' script with him. Both were fans of
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
, and screened ''
Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery film, mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes, based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "After-Dinner Story, It Had to Be Murder". Originally released ...
'' and ''
Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
'' to gather inspiration. Avrech later described his work on the film as "working off of De Palma's ideas of Hitchcock's ideas."


Casting

De Palma initially wanted pornographic actress Annette Haven to play Holly, but she was rejected by the studio due to her pornographic filmography. Nonetheless, Haven did appear in a minor role and consulted with DePalma about the adult film industry. De Palma then offered the role to
Linda Hamilton Linda Carroll Hamilton (born September 26, 1956) is an American actress. Known for portraying tough, resilient characters, she made her film debut in 1979 before achieving fame with her starring role as Sarah Connor (Terminator), Sarah Connor i ...
, who turned it down in favor of ''
The Terminator ''The Terminator'' is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, written by Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd and produced by Hurd. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cybernetic assassin sent back in t ...
''.
Jamie Lee Curtis Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, and children's author. Known for List of Jamie Lee Curtis performances, her performances in the horror and slasher film, slasher genres, she is regarded as a scream qu ...
,
Carrie Fisher Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983) and reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The F ...
, and
Tatum O'Neal Tatum Beatrice O'Neal (born November 5, 1963) is an American actress. At the age of 10, she became the youngest person ever to win a competitive Academy Award, for her performance as Addie Loggins in '' Paper Moon'' co-starring her father, Ry ...
were considered for the role before
Melanie Griffith Melanie Richards Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American actress. Born in Manhattan to actress Tippi Hedren, she was raised mainly in Los Angeles, where she graduated from the Hollywood Professional School at age 16. In 1975, 17-year-old ...
was cast. De Palma later said Haven "was an enormous amount of help" to him in his understanding of the adult film industry and what Holly's background might be, and Griffith brought "a comic edge that I wanted to be a major part of the tone of the second half of the movie." Griffith was initially reluctant to take the role, thinking she "didn't want any more nymphet roles, but now I think I can bring a lot of life to that kind of character...I think I gave her a great amount of intelligence." De Palma considered Dutch erotic actress
Sylvia Kristel Sylvia Maria Kristel (28 September 1952 17 October 2012) was a Dutch actress and model who appeared in over 50 films. She was the eponymous character in five of the seven Emmanuelle films, including originating the role with ''Emmanuelle'' (1974) ...
for the role of Gloria, but she was unavailable. Although he cast
Deborah Shelton Deborah Shelton is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 1970. She is also known for her appearances on ''Dallas'' for three seasons, with a special guest return in 2013. Pageants In 1970, Shelton competed ...
, he found her voice to be unsuitable and had her lines dubbed by
Helen Shaver Helen Shaver (born February 24, 1951) is a Canadian actress and film and television director. After appearing in a number of Canadian movies, she received a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress for her performance in the romantic drama '' In P ...
in post-production. ''Body Double'' contains a
film within a film A story within a story, also referred to as an embedded narrative, is a literary device in which a character within a story becomes the narrator of a second story (within the first one). Multiple layers of stories within stories are sometimes ...
sequence in which pop band
Frankie Goes to Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English pop band that formed in Liverpool in 1980. They comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Mark O'Toole (bass), Brian Nash (guitar) and Peter Gill (drums). Johnson and Ruther ...
performs their song "
Relax Relax or RELAX may refer to: Albums * ''Relax'' (album), by Das Racist, 2011 * ''Relax'', by Blank & Jones, 2003 * ''Relax'', by Los Piratas, 2003 Songs * "Relax" (Deetah song), 1998 * "Relax" (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song), 1983 * "Relax ...
" on the set of a pornographic film, and in which
scream queen A scream queen (a wordplay on ''screen queen'') is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. Scream king is the equivalent for men. Notable scream queen examples include ...
Brinke Stevens Brinke Stevens (born Charlene Elizabeth Brinkman, September 20, 1954) is an American actress. A native of San Diego, Stevens initially pursued a career as a marine biologist prior to becoming an actress, earning an undergraduate degree in biolo ...
, and adult actresses Cara Lott and Annette Haven appear. The club scene was converted into a music video and shown on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
. Voice actor
Rob Paulsen Robert Frederick Paulsen III (born March 11, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director, known for his roles in numerous animated television series and films. He received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Pro ...
has a bit role as a cameraman who utters "Where's the cum shot?".


Filming

Principal photography began in Los Angeles on February 21, 1984. Several locations in and around the area were used, including:
Tail o' the Pup Tail o’ the Pup is an iconic Los Angeles, California hot dog stand actually shaped like a hot dog. Built in 1946, the small, walk-up stand has been noted as a prime example of ''"programmatic" or "mimetic"'' novelty architecture. It was one of ...
, the
Beverly Center The Beverly Center is a shopping mall in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is an eight-story structure located near the West Hollywood, California, West Hollywood border but within Los Angeles city limits, bounded by Beverly Boulevard, ...
,
Barney's Beanery Barney's Beanery is a chain of gastropubs in the Greater Los Angeles Area. John "Barney" Anthony founded it in 1920 in Berkeley, California, and in 1927 he moved it to U.S. Route 66, now Santa Monica Boulevard (California State Route 2, State Ro ...
, the LA
Farmer's Market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or ...
, the Rodeo Collection mall on
Rodeo Drive Rodeo Drive () is a street in Beverly Hills, California, with its southern segment in the City of Los Angeles, known as one of the most expensive streets in the world. Its southern terminus is at Beverwil Drive, and its northern terminus is a ...
, the
Spruce Goose The Hughes H-4 Hercules (commonly known as the ''Spruce Goose''; registration NX37602) is a prototype strategic airlift flying boat designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft Company. Intended as a transatlantic flight transport for use durin ...
dome, the Beach Terrace Motel in
Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
, the Hollywood Tower and adjacent
Hollywood Freeway The Hollywood Freeway is one of the principal freeways of Los Angeles, California (the boundaries of which it does not leave) and one of the busiest in the United States. It is the principal route through the Cahuenga Pass, the primary shortc ...
,
Tower Records Tower Records is an international retail franchising, franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when ...
, and the Chemosphere house.


Post-production

The film was initially given an X by the
Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the Major film studios, five major film studios of the Cinema of the United States, United States, the Major film studios#Mini-majors, mini-major Amazon MGM Stud ...
ratings board. Because many theaters refused to show X-rated films, De Palma had to re-edit the film as he did on ''Dressed to Kill'' and ''Scarface''. De Palma cut what he called "a few minor things from the porno movie scene" and secured an R rating. De Palma said Columbia did not support the film due to its excessive violence. He said, "Do you think the guys who run Coca-Cola (Columbia Pictures' parent company) want publicity about violence? They are very aware of their public images, and when they start seeing articles in ''The New York Times'' about their product and violence, they go crazy. They're not showmen. They're corporation types."


Themes


Artifice and illusion

De Palma said the film deals with themes previously explored in his other films: "visualistic storytelling, a kind of obsessional
voyeuristic Voyeurism is the Sexual attraction, sexual interest in or Human sexual activity, practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, Human sexual activity, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature. ...
activity, a sense of humor about the world we live in, manipulators manipulating manipulators". The theme of artifice is demonstrated through ''Body Double''s
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
setting—a location itself understood to be in the business of " make-believe"—characters, and plot. The title refers to the filmmaking term for a person who substitutes for another actor in scenes where the face is not shown, but it also acquires a second literal meaning in the film as the audience, along with Jake, is presented with situations intended to deceive. The theme is also exhibited in multiple plot lines throughout, such as Jake's belief that it is Gloria he is spying on, Jake disguising himself in order to infiltrate the pornographic film shoot, and the reveal of the killer's identity. Numerous scenes call attention to their own artificiality and the film's construction, from the opening scene of a desert where the camera then pulls away to reveal the desert is in fact a painted backdrop on the set of a
B movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...
. Critics noted that with this scene, "De Palma puts us on edge from the start...repeatedly revealing in the first few minutes that what we're seeing isn't real — it's all a calculated illusion intended to trick us." De Palma also makes use of
rear projection Rear projection (background projection, process photography, etc.) is one of many in-camera effects cinematic techniques in film production for combining foreground performances with pre-filmed backgrounds. It was widely used for many years i ...
techniques to emphasize artificialness. Rear projection is used in scenes where Jake drives around Los Angeles following Gloria. The scene of Jake's kiss with Gloria in front of the tunnel uses rear projection and functions as a direct reference to Alfred Hitchcock's ''
Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
'' with its 360-degree camera shot. The scene on the porn film set soundtracked to Frankie Goes to Hollywood's song "Relax" is referred to by critics as "exhilarating" for its staging and
metatextuality Metatextuality is a form of intertextual discourse in which a text makes critical commentary on itself or on another text. This concept is related to Gérard Genette's concept of transtextuality in which a text changes or expands on the content ...
. Filmed in one long unbroken take, the scene segues into a musical sequence without warning and prompts viewers to question whether the action is happening in the porn film itself or the larger world of ''Body Double.'' Manuela Lazic of ''The Film Stage'' noted that the scene has "Jake layinga parody of his nebbish self accompanied physically and musically by Frankie Goes to Hollywood", and that "the director presents a need to ' fake it 'til you make it' as absolute and inescapable. It is telling of De Palma's joyful cynicism that this scene, an apotheosis of fakery and eroticism, is probably ''Body Double''s most memorable." For the sequence, De Palma allowed his actual camera crew to be visible in shots, further blurring the lines between the film itself and the film Holly Body is making. ''Body Double'' also explores the difference between fantasy and reality as Jake becomes drawn to who he thinks is Gloria dancing in the window. As a voyeur, he attaches a
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
to her without ever interacting with her in person. When Jake becomes compelled to follow Gloria, she becomes a flesh and blood person to him, more than an object of his fantasies. On a more heightened level, when Jake has his first conversation with Holly after the filming of the porn movie, he is taken aback by her straightforwardness and assertiveness. Holly, "a woman with agency, in full command of her body, career, and sexuality... ppears to bea rebuke of the illusion Jake held of the leering, lip-licking porn star in ''Holly Does Hollywood''". De Palma has commented on the deliberate mixing of illusion and reality, saying "It
he film He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
constantly plays with that. But even though there are great shifts in form, it never really alienates the audience, which is an accomplishment, I feel."


Voyeurism and exhibitionism

As in his previous films such as ''
Greetings Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship (usually cordial) or social status (formal or informal) between individ ...
'', ''
Hi, Mom! ''Hi, Mom!'' is a 1970 American black comedy film written and directed by Brian De Palma, and is one of Robert De Niro's earliest films. De Niro reprises his role of Jon Rubin from '' Greetings'' (1968). In this film, Rubin is a fledgling "ad ...
'', '' Dressed to Kill'', and ''
Blow Out ''Blow Out'' is a 1981 American independent mystery thriller film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The film stars John Travolta as Jack Terry, a movie sound effects technician from Philadelphia who, while recording sounds for a low-bud ...
'', De Palma addresses the theme of voyeurism. Critics noted that the act of voyeurism can provide an "illusory, imaginative form of control", a feeling Jake has lost due to his demoted, emasculated position. With ''Body Double'', voyeurism becomes tied to exhibitionism, and is used to reflect back on the viewer. Jake, a voyeur who "likes to watch", is understood to be a stand-in for the audience. Voyeurism is turned on its head as it is intimated early on that the woman Jake is peeping on knows her nightly dances are being watched, and with the eventual reveal that the routine is in fact a hired performance. The scene of Jake first encountering Holly on the set of ''Holly Does Hollywood'' is understood to be a commentary on the
male gaze In feminist theory, the male gaze is the act of depicting women and the world in the visual arts and in literature from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the heterosex ...
. Jake spies Holly in a hallway mirror reflection; as he approaches her, a bathroom mirror captures Jake looking at Holly; thus, the audience is watching Jake watch Holly, who in turn is performing for the porn film and is aware of Jake's presence. Critic
David Denby David Denby (born 1943) is an American journalist. He served as a film critic for ''The New Yorker'' until December 2014. Early life and education Denby grew up in New York City. He received a B.A. from Columbia University in 1965 and a master ...
observed: "''Body Double'' is about Los Angeles, about the eroticized way of life, partly created by the media culture, in which exhibitionist and voyeur are linked by common need. The people live in houses with huge windows; they cruise one another insolently, unafraid of being watched as they watch; privacy is meaningless—there is only the sexiness of endless scrutiny and quick encounter."


Satire of Hollywood

Marylynn Uricchio of the ''
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving Greater Pittsburgh, metropolitan Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the fi ...
'' wrote, "De Palma throws in elements of
satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...
and more than nods his head at the whole Hollywood tradition. There's that sweepy, heavy-handed score by Pino Donaggio that punctuates the action with a snide smile. And there's that 360-degree kiss scene, straight out of Hitchcock, with the highly colored backgrounds of the old
Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...
films." Griffith stated ''Body Double'' "is a parody of Hollywood more than anything". Some critics opined that the character of "The Indian", with his garish makeup, is a reference to the old Hollywood practice of using
redface Redface is the wearing of makeup to darken or redden skin tone, or feathers, warpaint, etc. by non-Natives to impersonate a Native American, Indigenous Latin American or Indigenous Canadian person, or to in some other way perpetuate stereotyp ...
to depict Native American characters. Critics have also pointed out that the film's juxtaposition of mainstream Hollywood filmmaking with pornography illustrates that "mainstream films use sex and sexuality in the same manner as
exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that seeks commercial success by capitalizing on current trends, niche genres, or sensational content. Exploitation films often feature themes such as suggestive or explicit sex, sensational violence, drug use, nudi ...
s." By blurring the boundaries between mainstream filmmaking and pornography and showing how illusionism is present in both, ''Body Double'' knowingly satirizes the world of Hollywood and its pretenses that it is more "legitimate" than the adult film world.


Release

The film was previewed for Columbia Pictures executives in Van Nuys ahead of its general release. De Palma says that Columbia was enthusiastic about the film until the screening. Response from the audience was not strong "and the studio started to get really worried," he said. "The only people crazier than the people who criticize me for violence are the people at the studios. I can't stand that sort of cowardice." De Palma and Columbia mutually agreed to end the three-picture deal.


Box office

''Body Double'' was released theatrically in the United States on October 26, 1984, the same day as ''
The Terminator ''The Terminator'' is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, written by Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd and produced by Hurd. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cybernetic assassin sent back in t ...
''. It opened at number three at the box office, earning $2.8 million in its opening weekend. The film earned $8.2 million over its first three weeks, before being pulled in its fourth week. The film earned $8.8 million on a $10 million budget, making it a
box office bomb A box-office bomb is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the combined production budget, marketing, and distribution costs exceed the revenue after release has te ...
.


Reception

''Body Double'' debuted to a divided response; positive reviews praised the visual style and the performances, while negative reviews criticized the plot, described the
Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
homages as derivative, and lambasted the sex and violence as vulgar.
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
praised the film, giving it three and a half out of four stars and calling it "an exhilarating exercise in pure filmmaking, a thriller in the Hitchcock tradition in which there's no particular point except that the hero is flawed, weak, and in terrible danger – and we identify with him completely."
Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who was the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in 2000. ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote that De Palma "again goes too far, which is the reason to see it. It's sexy and explicitly crude, entertaining and sometimes very funny. It's his most blatant variation to date on a Hitchcock film (''Vertigo''), but it's also a De Palma original, a movie that might have offended Hitchcock's wryly avuncular public personality, while appealing to his darker, most private fantasies." Writing for '' The Day'', Paul Baumann said, "This is one movie that can make the horrific fascinating and still underline, in a hilarious way, the absurdity of it all." The ''Schenectady Gazette''s Dan DiNicola wrote, "I could not resist
he film's He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
visual brilliance which without malice or cynicism holds up a mirror to the 'nature' of millions of American viewers." Griffith received critical acclaim for her performance, with Canby commenting she "gives a perfectly controlled comic performance that successfully neutralizes all questions relating to plausibility. She's not exactly new to films, having played in ' Night Moves,' '
Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses d ...
' and '
The Drowning Pool ''The Drowning Pool'' is a 1950 mystery novel by American writer Ross Macdonald, then writing under the name John Ross Macdonald (and simply John Macdonald in the UK). It is his second book in the series revolving around the cases of private de ...
' as a very young actress. What is new is the self-assured screen presence she demonstrates here, and it's one of the delights of 'Body Double.'" Baumann wrote Holly's "wildly incongruous conversations with the earnest Jake get funnier and funnier as the real danger gets closer and closer" and that De Palma can turn " riffith'scaustic hectoring of motorists...into a charmed bit of pathos".
Todd McCarthy Todd McCarthy (born February 16, 1950) is an American film critic and author. He wrote for '' Variety'' for 31 years as its chief film critic until 2010. In October of that year, he joined ''The Hollywood Reporter'', where he subsequently served ...
of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' stated, "To his credit, DePalma moves his camera as beautifully as any director in the business today and on a purely physical level 'Body Double' often proves quite seductive as the camera tracks, swirls, cranes and zooms towards and around the objects of De Palma's usually sinister contemplation. Unfortunately, most of the film consists of visual riffs on Alfred Hitchcock, particularly '
Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
' and '
Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery film, mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes, based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "After-Dinner Story, It Had to Be Murder". Originally released ...
.'"
David Denby David Denby (born 1943) is an American journalist. He served as a film critic for ''The New Yorker'' until December 2014. Early life and education Denby grew up in New York City. He received a B.A. from Columbia University in 1965 and a master ...
of ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
'' gave a mixed review, but raved about De Palma's "gliding, sensual trancelike style that is the most sheerly pleasurable achievement in contemporary movies." Denby singled out the scene set at the Rodeo Collection mall, writing "virtually wordless, this sustained episode accumulates a kind of suspense that is as much moral and psychological as physical".
Paul Attanasio Paul Albert Attanasio (born November 14, 1959) is an American screenwriter and producer. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, once for '' Quiz Show'' (1994) and once for '' Donnie Brasco'' (1997). Earl ...
of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' positively reviewed the film, writing, "A lewd, gory, twisty-turny murder mystery swirling around Hollywood's porn industry, 'Body Double' finds Brian De Palma at the zenith of his cinematic virtuosity. The movie has been carefully calculated to offend almost everyone—and probably will. But, like Hitchcock, De Palma makes the audience's reaction the real subject; 'Body Double' is about the dark longings deep inside us." Negative reviews opined De Palma was returning to familiar territory by riffing on Hitchcock. In ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'',
Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael often defied the conse ...
shared "the big, showy scenes recall ''Vertigo'' and ''Rear Window'' so obviously that the movie is like an assault on the people who have put De Palma down for being derivative. This time, he's just about spiting himself and giving them reasons not to like him. And these big scenes have no special point, other than their resemblance to Hitchcock's work."
Sheila Benson Sheila Benson (December 4, 1930February 23, 2022) was an American journalist and film critic. She served as film critic for the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1981 to 1991. Early life and education Benson was born in New York City on December 4, 193 ...
of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' panned the film as "elaborately empty" and "silly", suggesting that De Palma "finally may have exhausted the patience of even his most tenacious admirers." Kael added that "the voyeuristic sequences, with Wasson peeping through a telescope, aren't particularly erotic; De Palma shows more sexual feeling for the swank buildings and real estate." Some also claimed the plot is ultimately given less importance than the film's visuals. ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
'' wrote, "Contrived, shallow, distasteful, and ultimately pointless, ''Body Double'' is more an exercise in empty cinematic style than an engrossing thriller. Although cinematographer Burum executes some absolutely breathtaking camera moves, his effort goes for naught when pitted against director De Palma and cowriter Avrech's insipid narrative." Rita Kempley of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' described the film as a
horror comedy Comedy horror (also called horror comedy) is a literary, television and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as having three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof." Comedy horror can a ...
, but said it comes off as "sadistic" and does not find a balance "between the comic and the macabre". The film was criticized for a violent scene involving a woman that some described as an example of sexualized violence. In the scene, the woman is killed by a power drill; though the drill is never shown entering the victim's body, it is suggestively framed as a
phallus A phallus (: phalli or phalluses) is a penis (especially when erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history, a figure with an erect penis is described as ''ithyphallic''. Any object that symbo ...
. In a review that awarded two-and-a-half stars out of four,
Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune'' who co-hosted a movie review television series alongside colleague Roger Ebert. Siskel started writing for the '' ...
of the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' wrote, "When the drill came onto the screen, De Palma lost me and control of his movie. At that point ''Body Double'' ceased to be a homage to Hitchcock and instead became a cheap
splatter film A splatter film is a subgenre of horror films that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. These films, usually through the use of special effects, display a fascination with the vulnerability of the human body a ...
, and not a very good one at that." In contrast, David Denby noted the film's "violence is so outlandish that only the literal-minded should be able to take it seriously", and argued that its gaudiness appears to address De Palma's detractors "who talk of violence in his films as if it were the real thing", or those who cannot distinguish between the image and actual violence. The London Clinic for Battered Women asked Columbia Pictures for a percentage of the profits from the film, claiming it was "
blood money Blood money may refer to: * Blood money (restitution), money paid to the family of a murder victim * A stream of revenue used by boarding masters for placing many seaman on ships * Money obtained from crime, especially at the cost of another's lif ...
" for using "the victimization of women as a source of massive profit." In response to the criticism, De Palma said it "was not isintention to create a sexual image with the drill, although it could be construed that way." He added, "Women in peril work better in the suspense genre. It all goes back to the '' Perils of Pauline''...I don't think morality applies to art. It's a ludicrous idea. I mean, what is the morality of a still life? I don't think there's good or bad fruit in the bowl."


Awards and nominations


Cult reputation and reassessed response

In following decades, ''Body Double'' underwent a critical reassessment and developed a cult following, with critics citing its directorial and aesthetic indulgences, its early 1980s new wave soundtrack, homages to Alfred Hitchcock, and the use of iconic Los Angeles locations. Critic Sean Axmaker said that with distance, the film can more easily be seen as a
satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...
of the 1980s era of excess and an image-obsessed culture. Writing of the 2013 Blu-ray release of the film, Chuck Bowen of ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'' said, "''Body Double''s consciously derivative thriller plot is as dense with meta-text as any film in De Palma's career; the searing personal material, which has been buried underneath the film's superficial happenings with precision and élan, must be discovered with the eyes." Critic
Christy Lemire Christy A. Lemire (née Nemetz; born August 30, 1972) is an American film critic and host of the movie review podcast ''Breakfast All Day''. She previously wrote for the Associated Press from 1999 to 2013, was a co-host of '' Ebert Presents at ...
wrote, "What's real, what's imagined and what's movie magic remain mysteries until the end. But the winding road through the hills to get there is always a wind-in-your-hair thrill." Critics have also commented on how the second half of the film is a subversive commentary on the first part. In an essay for ''Bright Wall/Dark Room'' magazine, Travis Woods wrote, "just as the film's reflexive second hour is De Palma's counter-critique to his critics, it is also a gear-shift into Holly's world, a nightscape L.A. wherein De Palma subverts the tropes he littered throughout the film's first half by employing the postmodern grimy-sticky grit of
VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...
porn,
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
-styled music video theatrics, and the twisting of a traditional hero's journey dropped into the duplicitous hell of Me-Decade Hollywood." On the film's finale, Bowen added: "De Palma pulls the entire rug out from underneath the film's reality and turns everything we've just seen into a prolonged
Brechtian Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...
shaggy-dog joke, only to then pull the rug out from under that joke and halfheartedly reaffirm the film's reality as a mystery-thriller. By the end of this masterpiece, one of the great and most uniquely American films of the 1980s, we only trust surfaces, which are as fleeting and illusory as anything else." Griffith's and Wasson's performances have also been the focus of praise. Lemire wrote, "The scene in ollyexplains to
ake Ake (or Aké in Spanish orthography) is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the municipality of Tixkokob, in the Mexican state of Yucatán; 40 km (25 mi) east of Mérida, Yucatán. The n ...
what she will and will not do on camera is a perfect encapsulation of Griffith's charm. She's girlishly angelic but also startlingly no-nonsense. She's a much smarter cookie than she gets credit for being and her comic timing is slyly perfect." Manuela Lazic of ''The Film Stage'' said, "As central character Jake Scully, Wasson turns his conventionally attractive looks into an endlessly fascinating nebbishness and awkwardness. In an early scene, Jake simply walks to his car and jumps in the driver's seat, yet Wasson manages to turn this casual action into one of the most amusing instances of purposefully bad acting." Griffith later gave credit to the film and the accolades she garnered for her performance for helping to relaunch her film career after a brief absence. In a 2016 interview with ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', De Palma reflected on the film's initial critical reception, saying "''Body Double'' was reviled when it came out. Reviled. It really hurt. I got slaughtered by the press right at the height of the
women's liberation movement The women's liberation movement (WLM) was a political alignment of women and feminist intellectualism. It emerged in the late 1960s and continued till the 1980s, primarily in the industrialized nations of the Western world, which resulted in g ...
...I thought it was completely unjustified. It was a suspense thriller, and I was always interested in finding new ways to kill people." The film helped reintroduce the song "
Relax Relax or RELAX may refer to: Albums * ''Relax'' (album), by Das Racist, 2011 * ''Relax'', by Blank & Jones, 2003 * ''Relax'', by Los Piratas, 2003 Songs * "Relax" (Deetah song), 1998 * "Relax" (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song), 1983 * "Relax ...
" in America, where it recharted and reached the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in March 1985. Additionally, Mark Olsen of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' named ''Body Double'' as one of De Palma's "underrated gems" of the 1980s, stating, "Even more than ''Dressed to Kill'' or ''
Blow Out ''Blow Out'' is a 1981 American independent mystery thriller film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The film stars John Travolta as Jack Terry, a movie sound effects technician from Philadelphia who, while recording sounds for a low-bud ...
'', for me ''Body Double'' is the most quintessentially Brian De Palma movie of what might be thought of as his 'high period' – that late-'70s, early-'80s moment when he was making relatively high-budget, high-profile movies that culminated in ''
The Untouchables Untouchable or Untouchables may refer to: People * Untouchability, the practice of socially ostracizing a minority group of very low social status * Untouchables, word for the Dalits or Scheduled Castes of India * Untouchables (law enforcement), ...
''." In 2023, '' IndieWire'' listed ''Body Double'' as number 30 on their list of "The 100 Best Movies of the '80s".


Home media

''Body Double'' was first released on DVD in 1998 with
widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratio (image), aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ...
and
pan and scan Pan and scan is a film editing technique used to modify widescreen images for display on a fullscreen screen. It involves cropping the sides of the original widescreen image and panning across it when the shot's focus changes. This cropping c ...
formats. On October 3, 2006, the film was released as a Special Edition DVD by
Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
. The DVD included the featurettes "The Seduction", "The Setup", "The Mystery", and "The Controversy", all of which cover different aspects of the production and contain interviews with De Palma, Griffith,
Deborah Shelton Deborah Shelton is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 1970. She is also known for her appearances on ''Dallas'' for three seasons, with a special guest return in 2013. Pageants In 1970, Shelton competed ...
, and
Gregg Henry Gregg Lee Henry (born May 6, 1952) is an American actor. He is best known for his performance as serial killer Dennis Rader in the television film '' The Hunt for the BTK Killer'' and for playing various "heavies" in various films, such as in ' ...
. On August 13, 2013, the film was released to Blu-ray by Twilight Time. Special features from the 2006 DVD were ported over. On October 24, 2016, the film was re-released as a Limited Edition Blu-ray from Indicator Series. It included previously released features as well as an interview with Craig Wasson, the documentary ''Pure Cinema'' from first
assistant director The role of an assistant director (AD) on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have ...
Joe Napolitano Joseph Ralph Napolitano (November 22, 1948 – July 23, 2016) was an American television director who worked on multiple episodic series. He previously was a film assistant director. Career Napolitano's television credits include directing twelv ...
, and an illustrated booklet containing an essay by film critic Ashley Clark, a ''
Film Comment ''Film Comment'' is the official publication of Film at Lincoln Center. It features reviews and analysis of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world. Founded in 1962 and originally released as a quarterly, ''Film ...
'' interview of De Palma in 1984 by journalist Marcia Pally, and an article from a May 1987 issue of ''Film Comment'' in which De Palma gives a personal guide of his favorite films.


In popular culture

The 1989
black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
film ''
Vampire's Kiss ''Vampire's Kiss'' is a 1989 American black comedy horror film directed by Robert Bierman and written by Joseph Minion. Starring Nicolas Cage, María Conchita Alonso, Jennifer Beals, and Elizabeth Ashley, the film tells the story of a literary ...
'' takes its title from the B-movie Jake Scully acts in. The 1991
Bret Easton Ellis Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author and screenwriter. Ellis was one of the literary Brat Pack (literary), Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique as a writer is the expression of extreme acts ...
novel ''
American Psycho ''American Psycho'' is a black comedy horror novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the First-person narrative, first-person by Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, and vain Manhattan investmen ...
'' repeatedly refers to ''Body Double'' as the favorite film of serial killer
Patrick Bateman Patrick Bateman is a fictional character created by novelist Bret Easton Ellis. He is the villain protagonist and unreliable narrator of Ellis's 1991 novel ''American Psycho'' and is played by Christian Bale in the 2000 film adaptation of th ...
because of the power drill scene. Bateman mentions that he has seen the film 37 times and rents the tape of it from a video store several times in the story. Pop singer
Slayyyter Catherine Grace Garner (born September 17, 1996), known professionally as Slayyyter, is an American singer and songwriter. She started her career independently releasing songs through SoundCloud. She released one of her first musical projects " ...
cited ''Body Double'' as an influence on her 2023 album ''
Starfucker Strfkr (a disemvowelment, as well as the letter C, of "Starfucker"), stylized in all caps, is an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. It began in 2007 as a solo project of Joshua Hodges. History Members include Joshua Hodges of Se ...
''. The cover for her single "Erotic Electronic" is a visual reference to the film's poster. The 2024
Ti West Timon C. West (born October 5, 1980) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor, cinematographer, and actor, best known for his work in horror films. He directed the horror films ''The Roost'' (2005), ''Trigger Man (2007 film), ...
horror film ''
MaXXXine ''MaXXXine'' is a 2024 American horror film written, directed, produced, and edited by Ti West. It is the third and final installment in West's ''X'' trilogy and a direct sequel to '' X'' (2022). Mia Goth reprises her role as Maxine Minx, sta ...
'' contains several visual and thematic references to ''Body Double''.


Remake

''Body Double'' was remade in 1993 in India as ''
Pehla Nasha ''Pehla Nasha'' () is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language thriller film and the debut film of director Ashutosh Gowariker. The movie is a remake of Brian de Palma's 1984 thriller ''Body Double''. It stars Deepak Tijori, Pooja Bhatt, Raveena Tandon. Th ...
''. The film was directed by
Ashutosh Gowariker Ashutosh Gowariker (born 15 February 1964) is an Indian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer who works in Indian cinema, Indian Hindi cinema. He is known for directing films "set on a huge canvas while boasting of an opulent treatment ...
in his directorial debut.
Deepak Tijori Deepak Tijori (born 28 August 1961) is an Indian film director and actor who works in Bollywood and Gujarati cinema, Gujarati films and is well known for his supporting roles in ''Aashiqui'' (1990), ''Khiladi (1992 film), Khiladi'' (1992), ''J ...
plays the lead role and the film features
Pooja Bhatt Pooja Bhatt (born 24 February 1972) is an Indian actress, director, and filmmaker who works in Hindi films. She established herself as one of the leading actresses of the 1990s and is the recipient of several accolades, including two National ...
,
Raveena Tandon Raveena Tandon (born 26 October 1972) is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi films. Considered as one of the leading actresses of the 1990s and early 2000s, Tandon is a recipient of several awards, including a National Film ...
and
Paresh Rawal Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works primarily in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. He has Paresh Rawal filmography, appeared in over 240 films and is the recipient of various L ...
.


See also

*
List of films featuring surveillance There is a significant body of films that feature surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing, or directing. This can include obser ...
*
List of American films of 1984 A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...


References


Bibliography

* *


Further reading

* (from booklet included in 2016 ''Body Double'' Blu-ray release) *


External links

* * * * * {{Frankie Goes to Hollywood 1984 films 1984 thriller films 1980s American films 1980s English-language films 1980s erotic thriller films 1980s mystery thriller films 1980s psychological thriller films 1980s satirical films 1980s slasher films American erotic thriller films American mystery thriller films American neo-noir films American psychological thriller films American satirical films American self-reflexive films American slasher films Columbia Pictures films English-language erotic thriller films English-language mystery thriller films Erotic mystery films Erotic slasher films Films about actors Films about filmmaking Films about Hollywood, Los Angeles Films about pornography Films about stalking Films directed by Brian De Palma Films scored by Pino Donaggio Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Los Angeles