Peeping Tom is a film characterised by its vibrant colour scheme and taboo subject matter. At the time, Peeping Tomβs tale of a tormented young man and his insatiable desire for murder was described as evil, beastly, depressing, nauseating and pornographic. It has since undergone a major critical reappraisal and for my money, it is one of the most gorgeous horror films out there.
Peeping Tom stars German-Austrian actor Karlheinz BΓΆhm as Mark, a serial killer who is terrorising the young, sexually alluring women of London. Heβs like an awkward mix of Michael Caine and Peter Lorre, with the voice of Kif from Futurama. His favourite hobby, aside from murder, is video photography. Indeed, he works as a focus puller on movie sets, but even in his spare time, he never leaves home without his camera. Mark never knows; The urge to film or to kill could strike at any moment and he needs to be prepared. You see, Markβs hobbies are not mutually exclusive. Not only does he prey on unsuspecting women, he likes to immortalise their final moments on video, capturing the very essence of total terror, as he penetrates them with a blade hidden within the tripod. The film follows Mark as he succumbs to his uncontrollable nature, while attempting to subdue it as the nice lady from downstairs takes a romantic interest in him.
Powell and Pressburger were one of Britainβs greatest directing assets in the 1940s. Together they directed some of the most famous and well regarded films of the era; A Canterbury Tale, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus and A Matter of Life and Death, to name but a few. Peeping Tom was one of Michael Powellβs first solo efforts after disbanding his winning streak partnership with Pressburger.
What he created was yet another work of art, though notably more taboo than the aforementioned dramas. Peeping Tom deals openly with sex, lust and death. Dodgy old fellers are seen perusing backdoor catalogues of nudey ladies, the scenes chock full of tongue-in-cheek dirty humour. Mark moonlights as a photographer for such pornography and canβt help but murder those he feels a sexual attraction towards. On the surface, it sounds like a fall from grace in comparison to Powellβs classy backlog, but the film is exquisitely stylised and more influential than it was first given credit for. It also signals the horror genre to come, and indeed, society to come. The 60s saw great changes in attitudes towards sexual openness and freedoms. Itβs not
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