An interesting journey into the mind of a serial killer that also touches on themes of voyeurism, loneliness, childhood trauma, sexual repression & the art of filmmaking, Peeping Tom was torn to shreds by critics when it premiered but just like any other film that was ahead of its time, it has garnered a cult following and is now regarded as a genre classic.Set in London, the story of Peeping Tom follows a lonely young man obsessed with the effects of fear and is making a documentary on it, the content of which involves him recording the final expressions of victims as he murders them. Things are set in motion when the woman living below his apartment befriends him and later comes across his works inadvertently.Directed by Michael Powell, the film packs a number of shooting tips & tricks up its sleeve and opens with a scene that introduces the protagonist doing what he does best, all captured from his camera's viewpoint. Powell paints a tragic portrait of the killer here, keeping his human aspects in tact throughout while showing him to be a psychotic product of child abuse.Also notable is the self-reflexive use of camera as this cinematic device narrates a story of its own through its POV shots, smooth manoeuvring, sharp images, bright lighting & vivid use of colour palette. Humour is cleverly incorporated in spite of the dark tone. Editing keeps the tension palpable, even leaving few murder moments to viewers' imagination, but the pacing is a bit on the slow side.Coming to the performances, Carl Boehm plays the serial killer and does a fantastic job at capturing his human side and articulating it to the audience in a relatable way. It's a thoughtful, balanced & impressive act by all means. Anna Massey is in as the girl next door but her work is mediocre at best while her mother, played by Maxine Audley, manages to leave an impression of her own despite her limited screen time.On an overall scale, Peeping Tom is a fascinating example of psychological horror that's skilfully directed by Michael Powell and is brilliantly steered by Carl Boehm's terrific rendition of his simultaneously creepy & pitiful character but there are slow patches in the middle that make the ride a bit tedious at times plus the interaction between our protagonist & his girl friend isn't quite engaging either. Controversial at its time of release, Peeping Tom has rightfully earned its place today amongst the finest works of its genre.

PEEPING TOM is a psychological thriller with elements of horror, which, in a perverse way, examines fear and obsession of one voyeur.The main protagonist meets a prostitute, covertly filming her with a camera hidden under his coat. He follows her, murders her and later watches the film in his nest. He is a member of a film crew and also works part-time photographing soft-porn pin-up pictures of women. A young woman lives with her blind mother in the flat below his. She has decided to make friends with a strange and shy photographer on her 21 st birthday. He gradually begins to discover to his new friend a trauma from his childhood and a dark vision of his present...The main protagonist is a split personality, a voyeur and a kind of sexual maniac. His character is somewhat tragic, which is ironic in the end. A very intense and complex story is told through the lens of a perverse and deadly camera. The main protagonist has an incredible chemistry with his camera. It is his expression, weapons and salvation.Psychology is very complex in this film. There is a kind of psychological triangle between the photographer, his father and his victims. He goes through his own fear, while he kills his victims. This is a morbid view of voyeurism and eroticism. The excitement was replaced with an obsession, fears and perversions.Carl Boehm as Mark Lewis is a very convincing "peeping tom". He is mad and scared at the same time. Anna Massey as Helen Stephens is his love interest. Maxine Audley as Mrs. Stephens is her blind mother and a real challenge for Mark. This character has a mystical story, which remained sketchy. There is also Moira Shearer (Vivian) with a ridiculous choreography, without her red shoes.An interesting look at the psychology of a murderer whose life has no meaning without his strange camera.

This is a film better seen only once. It involves a filmmaker who kills women while filming their fear at their dying moments. We are brought into this by the camera angles. We get to know a young woman with whom he becomes fascinated. She starts to care for him, but there should have been hints to his lack of mental balance. No such luck. She is put through a terrifying ordeal. It's my understanding that the director pretty much lost his career over this production. He had other successes but it's not hard to imagine that the casual or even serious film-goer could have been really turned off by this. The positive is the artistry of the film; the downside is certainly the subject matter.

Lonely photographer Mark Lewis works in a film studio and moonlights supplying cheesecake photos to a magazine store. He lives in the house that he inherited from his parents, and rents to tenants to help him pay the bills and keep the building. Mark was the subject of bizarre experiments of effects of the fear conducted by his scientist father when he was a child, and since has become obsessed by the faces of frightened women in the moment of death. He kills women, filming their face, so they can see their fear. When Mark meets his neighbour and tenant Helen on her birthday, he befriends her and soon becomes intimate. Mark has become infatuated with Helen, and begins to become even more unhinged......Powell risked his illustrious career with this movie, and all it's controversy and lambasting it received on its initial release has only helped its cause as the years have passed.It's a very unnerving film to say the least, because unlike other films in this genre, we are with Mark for the duration of the narrative, other characters are in the film to either help, hinder, vex, or endear him, thus making him the hero of the film, the only character you can really show empathy for.And this is why the film is so disturbing, Powell has made a film where all the characters are highly unlikeable dirty and insufferable, so in many instances, Mark is the hero, and you find yourself justifying his actions, because of his suffering, because of his isolation, and most of all, his choice of employment.It's a shocking movie that paved the way for many films that have referenced many of its scenes, and characters.Not comfortable viewing by any means, but essential.Would make a great companion piece with Blow up and Frenzy.