Criterion has revealed Michael Powell’s controversial proto-slasher Peeping Tom is getting a new 4K UHD release following Studiocanal’s own 4K release of the film last month.
The movie, released just before Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, was a controversial subject thanks partly to its depiction of the sex work industry and the fact it focused on a serial killer, something unprecedented at the time. Critics were revolted by it, and director Michael Powell (who was most famous for A Matter of Life and Death, Black Narcissus, and The Red Shoes) never made a film in the UK again.
Loner Mark Lewis (Carl Böehm) works at a film studio during the day and, at night, takes racy photographs of women. Also, he’s making a documentary on fear, which involves recording victims’ reactions as he murders them. He befriends Helen (Anna Massey), the daughter of the family living in the apartment below his, and he tells her vaguely about the movie he is making. However, this subterfuge can only last so long, and a horrible outcome is almost certainly assured.
Peeping Tom Criterion 4K Features
The Peeping Tom Criterion 4K release date is May 14, 2024. it’s also available on Blu-ray and the film is currently available on the Criterion Channel.
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Two audio commentaries, one featuring film scholar Laura Mulvey and one featuring film historian Ian Christie
- Introduction by filmmaker Martin Scorsese
- Interview with editor Thelma Schoonmaker
- Documentary about the film’s history, featuring interviews with Schoonmaker, Scorsese, and actor Carl Boehm
- Documentary about screenwriter Leo Marks
- Program on the film’s restoration
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by author Megan Abbott
New cover by Eric Skillman
