Review of Sisters (1973) by Michael C — 04 Jan 2010

A very unorthodox and original idea for a horror story, with a strong flair for Hitchcock mixed in. The aforementioned Hitchcockian elements are actually one of the few objections I have with the film, besides the fact that the film is slightly dated at this point.

DePalma has openly spoke of his adoration for Hitchcock, and I would say 60% of his films have elements of Hitchcock in them; that is all good and fine since Hitchcock was one of the masters of film. But I feel DePalma loses a bit of footing by adding SO many of these elements by adopting those stylistic elements far too much.

Much of the best moments in the film aren't they elements from the Master of Suspense, but ones that are vintage DePalma: excellent use of split screen (which DePalma is undoubtedly the king of), unconventional and original horror stories and execution, well-developed, strong female characters in these types of films, and shades of black humor straight from the gallows.

I found this film to be one criminally underwatched by the casual horror fan, as it is a story I've never really seen in horror before, and while the "joined sisters" plot was a little shlocky, DePalma's direction is confident enough and the two female leads strong enough to make the premise work.