Peeping Tom (1960 film)

Peeping Tom is a 1960 British psychological horror film directed by Michael Powell. It stars Carl Boehm as Mark Lewis, a filmmaker who murders women while using a camera to record their dying expressions of terror.

The film explores themes of voyeurism, exploitation, and the relationship between observer and observed. Mark, a disturbed young man traumatized by his scientist father's invasive childhood experiments, uses his camera as both a tool of documentation and a weapon. He fits a blade onto the camera's tripod, using it to kill his victims while filming their reactions.

Peeping Tom was initially met with overwhelmingly negative reviews in the United Kingdom. Critics were shocked and appalled by the film's explicit depiction of violence and its perceived perversity. The film was considered scandalous and damaged Powell's career significantly. It was withdrawn from distribution shortly after its release.

However, in later years, Peeping Tom underwent significant re-evaluation. Critics and scholars began to recognize the film's artistic merit, its complex themes, and its innovative use of subjective camera techniques. It is now considered a groundbreaking and influential work of horror cinema, and a significant exploration of the ethics of filmmaking and the power of the gaze. Its influence can be seen in later films that explore similar themes, such as Brian De Palma's Sisters and Michael Haneke's Benny's Video.