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Crime Cult Classic

Voyeurism, murder, and Hollywood sleaze collide in Brian De Palma’s pulpy thriller.

BODY DOUBLE

1984 · 1h 54m · R · Crime / Mystery / Thriller

After losing an acting role and his girlfriend, Jake Scully finally catches a break: he gets offered a gig house-sitting in the Hollywood Hills. While peering through the beautiful home's telescope one night, he spies a gorgeous blonde dancing in her window. But when he witnesses the girl's murder, it leads Scully through the netherworld of the adult entertainment industry on a search for answers -- with porn actress Holly Body as his guide.

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What is Body Double about?

Body Double is a 1984 American crime, mystery, and thriller film directed by Brian De Palma about an unemployed actor who, while house-sitting in the Hollywood Hills, becomes entangled in a voyeuristic murder mystery involving a seductive neighbor and the adult entertainment industry.

Themes & Keywords

Synopsis

After unemployed actor Jake Scully finds his girlfriend in bed with another man, he moves out and accepts an offer from fellow struggling actor Sam Bouchard to house-sit for a few weeks. Apart from getting to live in a swank and ultramodern house he also get to watch a sexy neighbor, Gloria Revelle, who does a sexy dance in front of her window every night at exactly the same time. He becomes interested in the girl, infatuated even, following her around and eventually meeting her. She also has another admirer however and while watching her one night through his telescope, Jake sees her murdered by this other man. The police are skeptical about what he claims to have seen, but the case takes an even stranger twist when, while watching adult TV, he sees a porn star do the exact same dance he had watched for all those nights. He soon realizes he has been an unwitting accomplice in a complex plot.
Details & Specs
Director
Brian De Palma
Writers
Robert J. Avrech, Brian De Palma
Release
1984
Runtime
1h 54m
Genres
Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Also Known As
Omicidio a luci rosse, Body Double, Doble cuerpo

Why Cult

De Palma Voyeurism

Experience Brian De Palma’s signature style as he crafts a neo-noir built around telescopes, windows, and obsession.

Hollywood Hills Sleaze

The film plunges you into a glossy, seedy Los Angeles—where glamour and danger share the same view.

Adult Industry Intrigue

Melanie Griffith’s Holly Body guides the hero into the adult entertainment world, adding a provocative edge to the mystery.

Neo-Noir Casting

Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith, and Gregg Henry headline a cast of misfits, suspects, and Hollywood wannabes.

Trailer

Questions from the Vault

What is Body Double about? +

Body Double follows unemployed actor Jake Scully as he becomes embroiled in a voyeuristic murder mystery after house-sitting in the Hollywood Hills and witnessing his neighbor's murder, leading him into the adult entertainment industry.

Who directed Body Double? +

Body Double was directed by Brian De Palma.

How long is Body Double? +

Body Double has a runtime of 114 minutes.

What genre is Body Double? +

Body Double is a crime, mystery, and thriller film.

When was Body Double released? +

Body Double was released in 1984.

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