Watching this movie over 40 years after it was made, I still found it a very disturbing movie. It is definitely not dated (as some people have claimed). For this, it is much too well crafted and too multilayered.
It is almost perfect in every respect. It is very well shot in brilliant colours. Boehm as the mad serial killer is very convincing. Certainly, the movie's lack of gore and the handling of sexuality might make it appear dated. But there is still much more to it. First, there is the scene when Lewis shows his child memories to Vivian, as recorded by his father for his studies. This scene builds a very intense atmosphere of terror and madness, and its subject, parental violence against children and its effects on them, is as actual as ever. Second, the final scene when Lewis explains in detail his perverse technique of filming his victims by reflecting their own image to them is again one of the most memorable scenes I have seen, especially when we watch Vivian's distorted image in the mirror. By the way, the idea of making the victims watch their own death has been copied in the more recent "Strange Days". Third, the movie shows a differentiated picture of the serial killer. In this respect, it is much more advanced than some recent (gory) serial killer movies. Once, Lewis is freed from his camera (on his first date with Vivian), he becomes a charming and normal boy. Fourth, the murders are depicted in such a way that gore simply isn't necessary. In this respect, the work of Powell is most reminiscent of Hitchcock. For example, when Lewis kills his second victim, the preparations for the murder are presented in so much detail that the audience starts longing for the act of killing. In this way, Powell not only transfers some of Lewis's guilt to the spectator (probably one of the reasons for the critics' reactions) but the killing itself just becomes the moment of relief and no gore is needed to create emotions. At another occasion, Powell varies the technique when Lewis meets Vivians's mother. This time no killing occurs (and not for the reason of some lucky intervention). Just one more evidence of how well crafted that movie is. Last but not least, the movie is not only concerned with the serial killer motif but also with voyeurism in general and in connection with cinema itself. After all, Lewis not only strives to capture the expression of fear on film, but his project is a complete documentary about the killing: he wants to be a director. In a cynic way, this approach to cinema is confirmed by the experience on the set of the movie on which Lewis works as the focus puller: the main actress cannot produce an accurate fainting unless she discovers the body. Moreover, Powell's direction invites the spectator on various occasions to become the voyeur himself.
The only thing which annoyed me in "Peeping Tom" where the pathetic role of Vivian's mother and the equally pathetic suicide of Lewis at the end.
"Peeping Tom" is a highly recommended movie which by its intricate script and great production values contains enough material to enjoy on repeated viewings.
It is almost perfect in every respect. It is very well shot in brilliant colours. Boehm as the mad serial killer is very convincing. Certainly, the movie's lack of gore and the handling of sexuality might make it appear dated. But there is still much more to it. First, there is the scene when Lewis shows his child memories to Vivian, as recorded by his father for his studies. This scene builds a very intense atmosphere of terror and madness, and its subject, parental violence against children and its effects on them, is as actual as ever. Second, the final scene when Lewis explains in detail his perverse technique of filming his victims by reflecting their own image to them is again one of the most memorable scenes I have seen, especially when we watch Vivian's distorted image in the mirror. By the way, the idea of making the victims watch their own death has been copied in the more recent "Strange Days". Third, the movie shows a differentiated picture of the serial killer. In this respect, it is much more advanced than some recent (gory) serial killer movies. Once, Lewis is freed from his camera (on his first date with Vivian), he becomes a charming and normal boy. Fourth, the murders are depicted in such a way that gore simply isn't necessary. In this respect, the work of Powell is most reminiscent of Hitchcock. For example, when Lewis kills his second victim, the preparations for the murder are presented in so much detail that the audience starts longing for the act of killing. In this way, Powell not only transfers some of Lewis's guilt to the spectator (probably one of the reasons for the critics' reactions) but the killing itself just becomes the moment of relief and no gore is needed to create emotions. At another occasion, Powell varies the technique when Lewis meets Vivians's mother. This time no killing occurs (and not for the reason of some lucky intervention). Just one more evidence of how well crafted that movie is. Last but not least, the movie is not only concerned with the serial killer motif but also with voyeurism in general and in connection with cinema itself. After all, Lewis not only strives to capture the expression of fear on film, but his project is a complete documentary about the killing: he wants to be a director. In a cynic way, this approach to cinema is confirmed by the experience on the set of the movie on which Lewis works as the focus puller: the main actress cannot produce an accurate fainting unless she discovers the body. Moreover, Powell's direction invites the spectator on various occasions to become the voyeur himself.
The only thing which annoyed me in "Peeping Tom" where the pathetic role of Vivian's mother and the equally pathetic suicide of Lewis at the end.
"Peeping Tom" is a highly recommended movie which by its intricate script and great production values contains enough material to enjoy on repeated viewings.
