It's hard to see why the Brits were so shocked over this that it ruined the career of its filmmakers in the 1960s at a time when cheaper, more violent exploitation films were overflowing the market.
Nor is the comparison to PSYCHO a valid one. Hitchcock filled his story with intentional humor so that it became not just a horror film but a black comedy as well with psychological overtones. PEEPING TOM plays it straight all the way through, effectively showing how a tormented childhood turned an innocent boy into a killer who wants to see the fear on his victim's faces.
I watched it with interest but with a certain detachment, never becoming completely involved in the story. For one thing, some of the incidents don't ring true at all. The girl who tries to befriend the anti-hero (Anna Massey) seems clueless to the fact that his stuttering creepiness might be masking a very troubled individual. Her casual attitude toward him becomes unconvincing after he continues to exhibit his odd behavior in various social situations. With credibility lost, the picture is merely an exercise in watching someone self-destruct because of his tormented past.
The acting leaves something to be desired. Carl Boehm with his slight German accent tends to overact when more subtle restraint would have made his role more credible. A more attractive female co-star would have helped (someone like Hitch used in PSYCHO--Janet Leigh), but Anna Massey is a drab, chinless looking little creature with her sad eyes and pursed lips. And the woman who might have made a more attractive co-star, Moira Shearer, is given short shrift with an underwritten role and a brief appearance as a wannabe dancer/actress, although she gets star billing.
Still, as a study of a troubled man, PEEPING TOM does have its compensations--excellent color photography and interesting use of a jazz music background. But none of adds up to a thriller in the same class as PSYCHO. It never fulfills its high potential.
Nor is the comparison to PSYCHO a valid one. Hitchcock filled his story with intentional humor so that it became not just a horror film but a black comedy as well with psychological overtones. PEEPING TOM plays it straight all the way through, effectively showing how a tormented childhood turned an innocent boy into a killer who wants to see the fear on his victim's faces.
I watched it with interest but with a certain detachment, never becoming completely involved in the story. For one thing, some of the incidents don't ring true at all. The girl who tries to befriend the anti-hero (Anna Massey) seems clueless to the fact that his stuttering creepiness might be masking a very troubled individual. Her casual attitude toward him becomes unconvincing after he continues to exhibit his odd behavior in various social situations. With credibility lost, the picture is merely an exercise in watching someone self-destruct because of his tormented past.
The acting leaves something to be desired. Carl Boehm with his slight German accent tends to overact when more subtle restraint would have made his role more credible. A more attractive female co-star would have helped (someone like Hitch used in PSYCHO--Janet Leigh), but Anna Massey is a drab, chinless looking little creature with her sad eyes and pursed lips. And the woman who might have made a more attractive co-star, Moira Shearer, is given short shrift with an underwritten role and a brief appearance as a wannabe dancer/actress, although she gets star billing.
Still, as a study of a troubled man, PEEPING TOM does have its compensations--excellent color photography and interesting use of a jazz music background. But none of adds up to a thriller in the same class as PSYCHO. It never fulfills its high potential.