Review of Sisters (1973) by Khan S — 30 Dec 2012

Written and directed by Brian De Palma, who at the time had just come off Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972), which he'd had been removed from. He went for something he'd been working on for a while, and he found backing from producer Edward R.

Pressman, who had just produced Terrence Malick's Badlands (1973). This would help get De Palma the films he wanted to make made, and this is a creepy chiller. In Staten Island, New York. French Canadian model Danielle Breton (Margot Kidder) is working on a TV show, and she falls for co-star Philip Woode (Lisle Wilson), she takes him back to her place, but she's tormented by her twin sister Dominique, who is never seen.

Danielle and Dominique were siamese twins, who were separated a year before, but when Dominique seemingly murders Philip, it's witnessed by neighbour Grace Collier (Jennifer Salt), who is an investigative journalist.

She tries convincing the police of what she saw, but they don't believe her, so she hires private investigator Joseph Larch (Charles Durning) to investigate further. It's a creepy film, but the big plot reveal comes in a bit too soon, and maybe could have waited until the end.

Kidder is creepily effective, and it has some clever camerawork (with split screen) and a breathtaking, eerie score by Bernard Herrmann, which gives it that Hitchcockian edge.