Peeping Tom (1960) – Episode 89 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era

"I'm told by a friend that you have some views for sale." Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew - Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, Jeff Mohr, and listener guest host Shawn Parks - as they become the voyeurs watching the voyeur murderer turning his victims into voyeurs of their own deaths in Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom (1960).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 89 – Peeping Tom (1960)

A young man murders women, using a movie camera to film their dying expressions of terror.

IMDb

 

• Director: Michael Powell
• Writer: Leo Marks
• Music: Brian Easdale
• Cinematography: Otto Heller (photographed by)
• Film Editing: Noreen Ackland
• Selected Cast
  • Karlheinz Böhm as Mark Lewis (as Carl Boehm)
  • Anna Massey as Helen Stephens
  • Moira Shearer as Vivian
  • Maxine Audley as Mrs. Stephens
  • Brenda Bruce as Dora
  • Miles Malleson as Elderly gentleman customer
  • Esmond Knight as Arthur Baden, the director
  • Martin Miller as Dr. Rosan
  • Michael Goodliffe as Don Jarvis
  • Jack Watson as Chief Insp. Gregg
  • Nigel Davenport as Det. Sgt. Miller
  • Shirley Anne Field as Diane Ashley
  • Pamela Green as Milly, the model
  • Michael Powell as A.N. Lewis
  • Columba Powell as Young Mark Lewis
  • Brian Wallace as Tony, Downstairs Lodger (uncredited)
  • Susan Travers as Lorraine, the model (uncredited)

Peeping Tom elicited outrage from most film critics at its release, 4-5 months before the release of Hitchcock’s Psycho. Shawn, our listener guest host for this episode, picked Peeping Tom after he’d seen it referred to as a proto-slasher and also finds the juxtaposition of the artist as the obsessed killer interesting. Whitney loves the colors and shot construction right from the opening scene. As usual, Jeff points out some cast members who have appeared in other Decades of Horror episodes. Chad is impressed with the script and the multiple layers it contains.

While you might feel like you need a shower after viewing Peeping Tom, your Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue-Crew highly recommend it. As of this writing, Peeping Tom is a bit scarce in the US on physical media - a Criterion issue DVD of Peeping Tom is out-of-print while a UK-released (Region 0) Blu-ray is still available - but the film is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.

Chad, Whitney, and Jeff give a big Grue-Crew thank you to Shawn Parks! His film pick, research, and passion for the subject made this episode a joy! Be sure to check out Shawn on his own podcast, Talk Horror to Me.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. The next episode in their very flexible schedule, chosen by their next super-secret guest host, will be Son of Kong (1933).

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