31 Days 31 Horror Movies! Day Six: Peeping Tom (1960)

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Peeping Tom (1960)

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In 1960, two films were released that would change the horror genre. One of them was Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and the other was Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom. Both deal with serial killers and how their abuse as children made them what they are. Both are also attributed with creating the template for the slasher genre. Psycho is more stylish and crowd-pleasing, but Peeping Tom is creepier and more direct.

The movie stars Carl Boehm as Mark Lewis, a serial killer whose weapon of choice is a camera. While he films the victims he grabs one leg of the tripod, which has a knife attached to it, and stabs them to death. Adding to the horror is a mirror on top of the camera so the victim can watch themselves die.

At the time of its release, Peeping Tom was highly controversial. Audiences could not handle the shocking plotline nor the character’s disturbing back-story. Modern audiences will find the film rather tame and perhaps a bit over-the-top since the actors are very theatrical. But if you’re interested in watching a piece of cinema history then check it out.