Body Double (1984)

While it might not be the best Brian De Palma film, Body Double (1984) is certainly the quintessential Brian De Palma film, and it’s certainly the most notorious, and it’s become my favourite of his auteur thrillers. Publicised as the heir to Alfred Hitchcock in his continual homages to the ‘Master of Suspense’ across films […]

Blow Out (1981)

A biography of Quentin Tarantino that I owned when I was 15 informed me that Blow Out (1981) was Tarantino’s favourite performance by John Travolta, the film he cited to convince the actor to trust in his comeback with Pulp Fiction (1994). After so many years of hearing that it was great from critics (especially Pauline Kael’s loving review […]

Tourist Trap (1979)

Another scary movie for Halloween! I’d only heard of Tourist Trap (1979) due to Waxwork Records reissuing the Pino Donaggio score on vinyl. The film itself is like a cross between Texas Chainsaw Massacre and House Of Wax as a group of young friends (including Jocelyn Jones, Robin Sherwood and Tanya Roberts) blow a tire and […]

Don’t Look Now (1973)

After Nicolas Roeg’s recent passing, it was time to finally watch Don’t Look Now (1973), of which I knew the references to it in pop culture and even the ending for so long, but had never actually seen it. It’s an eerie, involving piece of work that for most of its running length functions as […]