November 'Nick's Pix:' BODY DOUBLE & Book Launch!!
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Okay, buckle up, people. This is going to be a very special night.
On Wednesday, November 12th at 7:00 p.m., I’m hosting another Brian De Palma masterpiece at the Lake Theater in Oak Park.
And we’re going full-blown bonkers with his gloriously insane 1984 sex thriller masterpiece: Body Double.
But wait, there’s more. This screening is also doubling as an official launch party for my new book, 40 Years, 40 Films from Eckhartz Press.
Yep, the book I’ve been working on, which consists of 40 essays covering my favorite film from every year since I became a professional critic in 1985. I’ll be selling and signing copies at the event. Movies, mayhem, and memoirs. What more could you ask for?
So... What the Hell is Body Double?
If you’ve never seen it, Body Double is Brian De Palma’s wild, unapologetic, sexy, bloody, stylish, insane, absolutely over-the-top middle finger to all the critics who accused him of ripping off Hitchcock.
In it, he went full De Palma and basically made Vertigo and Rear Window smashed together, added a deep dive into the ‘80s porn scene, included an erotic drill murder, a wild music video with Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and then drenched it all in sleaze, neon, and satire.
It’s part mystery, part noir, part horror, part porno, and 100% De Palma.
The plot? Sure. Jake Scully (played by the woefully underrated Craig Wasson) is a struggling actor with claustrophobia and some serious life issues.
After losing his job and getting cheated on, he house-sits a weird modern house in the Hollywood Hills with a telescope pointed straight into the window of a woman who dances erotically every night.
Naturally, he starts watching.
Naturally, things go south.
Naturally, there’s a murder. With a power drill.
And then... porn.
Melanie Griffith shows up as Holly Body, the porn star with attitude, charm, and some of the best comic timing of the ‘80s.
What follows is a twisted journey through voyeurism, deception, obsession, murder, and the absolute artificiality of Hollywood and filmmaking itself.
And did I mention Frankie Goes to Hollywood sings Relax during a literal orgy scene? Because they do. On camera. In a porn movie. Inside a thriller. Inside another movie.
It’s a fever dream, and I love every second of it.
The Most De Palma Movie That Ever De Palma’d
Listen, I love Brian De Palma. He’s one of my favorite filmmakers of all time, and Body Double might be the most quintessentially De Palma thing he ever made.
It’s got it all:
Long, elegant camera moves
Split screens
Meta layers of “movie inside a movie”
Sleazy kills and Hitchcock homages
Rear projection and fake sets
Voyeurism, exhibitionism, paranoia
Porn, satire, murder, Frankie Goes to Hollywood
This movie is De Palma saying, “Yeah, I’m ripping off Hitchcock. Wanna make something of it?” And the result is one of the craziest, most entertaining, most fearless thrillers of the 1980s. The film bombed when it came out. Critics hated it. But over time, it’s become a cult classic, and for good reason.
It’s nuts. It’s nasty. It’s brilliant. And you’ve never seen anything like it.
Melanie Griffith, Craig Wasson & the Dream Cast
This was Melanie Griffith’s breakout performance, a few years before Working Girl. She’s funny, sharp, sexy, self-aware, and totally owns the screen. She earned a Golden Globe nomination and helped redefine what “the sex symbol with brains” could look like in a post-modern thriller. She’s got charm and control.
Craig Wasson? Man, this guy should’ve been bigger. He’s fantastic, he's the perfect anxious everyman dragged into a world he doesn’t understand. De Palma loves guys like that. And Gregg Henry? A total scene-stealing villain with some of the most bone-chilling moments in the movie. The casting is weirdly perfect all the way through.
The Music, the Vibe, the Style
Pino Donaggio’s score is luscious. Operatic. Over-the-top. Totally in on the joke. There’s a dreamlike quality to this film, it's almost like watching a sleazy comic book brought to life. And when “Relax" kicks in? You’re in another universe.
The whole film is about artifice: masks, doubles, fantasies, fake identities, and fake sets. It’s a movie about moviemaking, about pretending, about watching. It’s one big wink at the audience. It dares you to take it seriously, even while it pokes fun at itself. It’s satire and sincerity mixed with blood, boobs, and brilliance.
BONUS! Book Launch: 40 Years, 40 Films
Here’s the other huge reason you should come: I’ll have copies of my brand-new book, 40 Years, 40 Films — hot off the presses.
It’s part film memoir, part critic’s notebook, part love letter to cinema. It’s got essays on my favorite movie of each year from 1985 to 2024. That’s 40 movies, 40 years, all written in my voice.
Plus:
Personal stories from 4 decades of reviewing movies
An intro by the late, great Tony Fitzpatrick
A foreword by Don Coscarelli, director of Phantasm
And yes, I’ll be signing copies at the screening
So you’re not just watching a movie....you're coming to a book launch party! And you’re walking away with a great thriller AND (hopefully) a signed copy of a book I’m incredibly proud of.
EVENT DETAILS
🗓️ Wednesday, November 12th at 7:00 p.m.
📍 Classic Cinemas Lake Theater, Oak Park
🎬 MOVIE: Body Double (in stunning restoration!)
📚 BONUS: Book signing for 40 Years, 40 Films
🎁 PLUS: Behind-the-scenes stories, trivia, prizes, T-shirts, giveaways & more
Final Thoughts
Listen, if you love De Palma, you need to see Body Double on the big screen.
If you’ve never seen it, you’re in for one of the wildest, most visually stunning, most absolutely unhinged thrillers of all time. It’s sexy, scary, funny, brilliant, and totally unforgettable.
It’s one of my favorite movies of the ’80s. It’s peak De Palma. And I’m so excited to share it with you, especially at this moment, when I also get to celebrate my book release. This is going to be one of the most memorable Nick’s Pix screenings ever.
So grab your ticket. Bring a friend. Come get a book signed. And let’s fall into this twisted, sleazy, cinematic rabbit hole together.
I’ll see you Wednesday, November 12th at 7 p.m. at the Lake Theater.
Relax. Don’t do it. Just come see Body Double.
Join Me at The Lake Theater – November 12th
Date: Wednesday, November 12th
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Lake Theater, Oak Park
Tickets: Get them NOW!
I can't wait to see you there!
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