Body Double is directed by Brian De Palma, he also co-writes the screenplay with Robert J. Avrech. It stars Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith, Gregg Henry, Deborah Shelton, Guy Boyd and Dennis Franz. Music is by Pino Donaggio and cinematography by Stephen H. Burum.

Brian De Palma continued his crusade to push buttons of the sensitive whilst homaging his hero Alfred Hitchcock, with this cheeky, garish, sleazy thriller. Even when moving away from Hitch like movies, he created a storm with Scarface (1983),so the critics of 1984 wondered if a return to suspense thriller territory would put the director back on an even cinematic keel? Not a bit of it! The reaction to Body Double was ridiculously over the top, apparently a misogynistic homage to the porn industry, with exploitation gore thrown in for good (bad) measure, Body Double was the devil's spawn in the eyes of critics. The public? Not so much, film was a sure fire hit at the box office.

Of course today it seems all very tame, where not even a simulated drilling killing can raise the temperature of the audience, or that frank sexual language and bare bodies no longer makes cinema goers blush. On reflection now it's easy to view De Palma's movie as a visionary piece of work, a film gently poking the ribs of Hollywood and the MPAA, and as was always the case with his 70s and 80s work, he was a director who easily elicited a response from his audience. And with his box of cinematic tricks still impressive before he became over reliant on them, Body Double is a fascinatingly lurid viewing experience.

That it's Vertigo and Rear Window spliced together is a given, but that doesn't make it a bad film, besides which it bears the De Palma stamp as well, undeniably so. Plot finds Jake Scully (Wasson),a struggling actor with claustrophobia, thrust into a world of murder, obsession, deceit and paranoia, for when he house sits for a newly acquired friend, he spies a sexy lady through the telescope apparently being stalked by an odd looking Native American. To reveal more would spoil the fun of anyone watching for the first time, but suffice to say that Jake has entered the realm where neo-noir protagonists wander around wondering how and why they are in this mess.

It's pulpy and pappy, but in the best ways possible, and unlike many other films made by directors who ventured into similar territory, it's never boring (hello Sliver). Cast are appropriately cartoonish or animated, the twists fun if not hard to see coming, and with De Palma's visual panache cosying up nicely with Donaggio's musical score, Body Double is fine entertainment brought to us by a director with a glint in his eye. 8/10

Director Brian de Palma's crime thriller is full of the expected Hitchcockian moments, from the murder viewed through a window (REAR WINDOW) to the hero's claustrophobia (a basic equivalent of VERTIGO). Obviously it's not as classic as its various predecessors, but there are enough twists and turns in the tale to keep one watching. However, you need to have your brain firmly in gear to do so or you may find yourself getting a headache.

The acting is all average, sometimes good, sometimes quite bad, but on the whole okay, and the film benefits from a respectable cast, some of whom (notably Melanie Griffith and Dennis Franz) have gone on to greater stardom. Although the film is best when working on the mystery aspects (the erotic moments are not handled too well),there is one excellent, striking set piece.

The moment occurs when the young woman is about to be murdered with a huge electric drill, and the hero desperately races to her house to try and save her, only to keep getting stalled, while the murderer also keeps being held up. The tension, as to whether the murderer or hero will strike first, is sustained remarkably well through the quarter of an hour long moment and it literally keeps you on the edge of your seat until the final outcome. This moment highlights an above average thriller, which veers too far on the silly side to be wholly enjoyable, but still contains plenty of nice photography and sinister shots to raise its value.

Amiable down on his luck actor Jake Scully (a solid and likable performance by Craig Wasson) gets a job taking care of a posh Hollywood high-rise home by fellow thespian Sam Bouchard (splendidly played to smarmy perfection by Gregg Henry). Jake watches gorgeous rich neighbor Gloria Revelle (a sympathetic turn by ravishing brunette beauty Deborah Shelton) do a nightly striptease and becomes obsessed with her. After he witness Gloria's brutal murder at the hands of a mysterious Native American prowler, Jake decides to investigate said killing and soon discovers that there's more going on than meets the eye.

Director Brian De Palma and screenwriter Robert J. Avrech concoct a dandy 80's thriller variant on Hitchcock's "Vertigo" and "Rear Window" that not only delivers the expected suspense and excitement promised by the clever and riveting premise, but also works as a smart and highly cinematic meditation on illusion, reality, voyeurism, and perception. De Palma shows tremendous skill relating various plot points through music and visuals alone. Moreover, he stages individual set pieces with tremendous panache: the grisly butchering of Gloria with a giant drill, a delightfully bawdy large scale musical production of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's gnarly hit song "Relax," and a tour-de-force climax involving an open grave and a roaring river. Better still, this picture pokes sly self-mocking fun at both schlocky low-budget fright flicks and raunchy adult hardcore fare alike. The acting is uniformly tops: Wasson makes for an appealingly flawed and vulnerable protagonist, Henry oozes scuzzy charm, Melanie Griffith impresses with a superbly brash and winning portrayal of jaded porno starlet Holly Body, Guy Boyd steals the few scenes he's in as sardonic homicide detective Jim McLean, and Dennis Franz is his usual excellent self as slimy director Rubin. Popping up in nifty bits are Barbara Crampton as Jake's unfaithful girlfriend Carol, Brinke Stevens as an extra in a porn film, and Slavitza Jovan (Gozer in "Ghostbusters") as a clothing store saleslady. Stephen H. Burum's slick, fluid, glittery cinematography pulls out the gloriously outrageous stylistic stops: tilted camera angles, gliding Steadicam tracking shots, and dazzling 360 degree circular tracking shots. Pino Donaggio's lush, rousing, pulsating score likewise hits the spot. Essential viewing for both De Palma fans and thriller buffs alike.