Body Double

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Body Double

R,

1984,

1h 49m,

Mystery & Thriller

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Watchlist

79%

42 Reviews

Tomatometer

65%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

42 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

After losing an acting role and his girlfriend, Jake Scully (Craig Wasson) 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 (Deborah Shelton) 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 (Melanie Griffith) as his guide.

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Critics Consensus

Exemplifying Brian De Palma's filmmaking bravura and polarizing taste, Body Double is a salacious love letter to moviemaking.

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Catharine Rambeau

Detroit Free Press

Dec 8, 2025

4/10

Brian De Palma's much-heralded film is much ado about not very much, a good idea that opens strong and goes wrong within minutes.

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Christy Lemire

ChristyLemire.com

Jun 18, 2018

3/4

It's an expertly crafted B-movie, a brisk and twisty mixture of the slick and sleazy, the glossy and grungy.

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Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

Jan 4, 2018

... "Body Double" finds Brian De Palma at the zenith of his cinematic virtuosity.

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Ray Pride

Newcity

Jul 16, 2026

7/10

Memorably sleek yet joyously tacky provocation... a cartoon of the world of Los Angeles porn in 1984 and his fantasies of driller-killer double-crosses.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 19, 2025

3.5/4

Brian De Palma’s most underrated film continues to deliver with its orgy of vicarious thrills, visceral pleasures, and comic riffs.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

May 4, 2025

3/5

…was considered to be a misfire, and despite the commercial nature of the film and music, didn’t catch a wave of interest despite the racy content. But it’s one of De Palma’s more interesting failures, with striking stagings and lots of visual interest.

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Rey W

Aug 21, 2018

depalma's plot resembles hitchcock's. and that is very good.

Leia P

Jul 30, 2018

Brian De Palma has mentioned his affinity towards Alfred Hitchcock and Body Double could be his most direct homage to the master of suspense. Body Double would easily be a Hitchcock movie set in the 80s- from femme fatales to whodunnits to the noir atmosphere this is a film without any pretense. An out of work actor comes to stay at a lofty place owned by a newly acquainted friend. He sees a woman on the other side of the road, in a room changing. He starts spying on her and one thing leads to another. Craig Wasson(who oddly resembles Bill Maher) plays the main lead and the house he stays in- which I learnt is called the Chemosphere(yes, an actual location) is out of this world.

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Rey M

Jul 21, 2018

A perfectly-good R-rated love letter to Alfred Hitchcock... which is nearly ruined by the last scene, which has the credits playing over it for some reason.

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Harry W

Jul 4, 2018

Brian De Palma has mentioned his affinity towards Alfred Hitchcock and Body Double could be his most direct homage to the master of suspense. Body Double would easily be a Hitchcock movie set in the 80s- from femme fatales to whodunnits to the noir atmosphere this is a film without any pretense. An out of work actor comes to stay at a lofty place owned by a newly acquainted friend. He sees a woman on the other side of the road, in a room changing. He starts spying on her and one thing leads to another. Craig Wasson(who oddly resembles Bill Maher) plays the main lead and the house he stays in- which I learnt is called the Chemosphere(yes, an actual location) is out of this world. (Great De Palma noir, not to be missed).

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Han L

Nov 3, 2017

Great Hitchcockian tribute from the 80's. The circular LA house!

Poe W

Sep 2, 2017

An instantly captivating homage to Hitchcock's Rear Window and Vertigo follows a clueless aspiring actor who house sits for an acquaintance and becomes embroiled in a murder plot after he secretly peeps on the victim and notices some strange going-ons. Craig Wasson may not be a James Stewart; but he manages to make us laugh when we need to and make us feel his tension when it is called for. Melanie Griffith is both hilarious and touching as the naive but street-savvy porn star Holly Day. Brian DePalma proves he can do a great picture with plenty of twists and turns along the way.

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Brian De Palma

Director

Craig Wasson

Jake Scully

Melanie Griffith

Holly Body

Gregg Henry

Sam Bouchard

Deborah Shelton

Gloria Revelle

Guy Boyd

Det. Jim McLean

Body Double: Official Clip - Relax, P*rno Scene

1:53

Now Playing

Body Double: Official Clip - Porn Star vs. Hollywood Actress

1:41

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Body Double: Official Clip - Who's The Creepy Stalker?

2:59

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Body Double: Official Clip - Buried Alive

4:42

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Body Double: Official Clip - Spying on the Sexy Neighbor

1:51

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Body Double: Official Clip - How to Flirt With a Porn Star

2:59

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Body Double: Official Clip - Wild Make-Out Sesh

3:17

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Body Double: Official Clip - Purse Thief Chase

2:51

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Body Double: Official Clip - Bloody Power Drill Kill

2:36

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Body Double: Official Clip - Brutal Open Grave Fight

1:49

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Synopsis

After losing an acting role and his girlfriend, Jake Scully (Craig Wasson) 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 (Deborah Shelton) 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 (Melanie Griffith) as his guide.

Director: Brian De Palma
Producer: Brian De Palma
Screenwriter: Robert J. Avrech, Brian De Palma
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Delphi II, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 26, 1984, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 3, 2010
Runtime: 1h 49m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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