Editorials
The Self-Aware Meta Commentary in Brian De Palma’s ‘Body Double’ [Sex Crimes]
Considering how long I’ve been writing this editorial series, it’s wild that this is the first entry tackling Brian De Palma. While there’s a history of contentious reactions to his works (primarily from feminists in the 70s and 80s who accused him of misogyny for his often brutal treatment of female characters), aside from Adrian Lyne, De Palma is easily one of the most significant directors to work on mainstream Erotic Thrillers.
Body Double is a solid entry in his filmography. It is also incredibly representative of his filmmaking interests in that it focuses on doubles, deep focus/split screens, Hitchcockian themes of obsession, sex and voyeurism, and, finally, a mystery murder that is more complicated than it initially appears.
For first time viewers, it might be surprising to learn that star Melanie Griffith does not appear until well past the one hour mark, after her doppelgänger, Gloria Revelle (Deborah Shelton), has been brutally murdered. In this way the film is loosely split in two: before Holly and after.
In the first half, claustrophobic actor Jake Scully (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors’ Craig Wasson) discovers that his girlfriend is cheating on him and moves into the gold standard of Hollywood bachelor pads, courtesy of acquaintance Sam Bouchard (Gregg Henry). The swanky set-up includes a rotating bed, aquarium, well-stocked bar, and – naturally – a telescope to capitalize on the expansive view.
Before his departure, Sam ensures that Jake takes note of one specific sight: a stunning brunette who performs a daily striptease in front of her wide-open windows. But when Jake notes that Gloria is being observed by an “Indian” man (ah, the problematic 80s), he embarks on a voyeuristic odyssey to protect her.
Body Double is famous for several key sequences. First there is Jake’s attempt to tail Gloria when she leaves her house to go to the mall and buy lingerie. It’s a long, drawn-out affair involving migrant tree-cutters, underground parking attendants, and a store employee who is not nearly concerned enough about the dual peeping toms observing her clientele.
De Palma and cinematographer Stephen H. Burum shoot the mall sequence in long or extreme long shots. Considering how innocuous most of this drama is, as characters spy on each other, the direction and editing (courtesy of Gerald B. Greenberg and Bill Pankow) do a masterful job of elevating the cat and mouse affair. All of the running up and down escalators is the visual double of another stair-dominated sequence later in the film when Jake tracks Gloria to an isolated beach house built into the side of a hill.
The other notable sequence is, of course, Gloria’s murder. As Jake watches through the telescope, the woman is attacked in her apartment. As he sprints through the Hollywood Hills, Gloria is first strangled with her telephone cord, then brutally penetrated (offscreen) by a massive phallic drill that literally cuts through the ceiling to leak blood.
It’s a virtuoso sequence: the murder is incredibly tense despite its somewhat inevitable conclusion, as well as its slasher-esque sexualized violence. And while Gloria’s death is brutal and unrelenting, it confirms Jake’s responsibility in the proceedings: as the police note, had he simply owned up to his fetishistic voyeurism earlier, Gloria might still be alive.
While it’s easy to dismiss the detective because he is so smug, he’s not wrong. Jake then basically doubles down on the wrong idea for the last act of the film, when he takes it upon himself to “solve” the case and track down Gloria’s body double.
Enter porn star Holly Body.
It’s an understatement to say that Griffith is pretty fantastic in the role. She brings a spunky feistiness that energizes the film following Gloria’s murder (be prepared to lament her limited screen time). It doesn’t hurt that her introduction coincides with a stylistically fun sequence as De Palma briefly immerses audiences (without warning) in a porn narrative as Jake goes undercover. The film-within-a-film is a completely different movie (by design), but it is so fun, breezy, and, yes, sexy that one wonders if, like Wes Craven, De Palma could have made a career shooting porn.
The introduction of Holly naturally plays into the mysterious (not quite femme fatale) aura of the character. Naturally she becomes Jake’s new obsession, though Body Double fails to flesh her out or give her agency. In this way, Gloria and Holly represent the dual sides of Jake’s obsession with the Madonna (Gloria)/whore (Holly) complex.
While underdeveloped female characters would normally be lamentable, in Body Double it makes sense. The narrative is all about Jake’s ill-advised desire to “play” the hero – a role that effectively contributes to Gloria’s death and nearly gets Holly killed in the climax. It’s pretty self-aware of DePalma and co-writer Robert J. Avrech to play on the former’s reputation for mistreating female characters by making the whole film about the male lead’s insecurities and inefficiencies.
As we’ve discussed in previous entries, Erotic Thrillers owe a great deal to Film Noir, which – thanks to the Hays Code – tended to end by reinforcing a morally black and white view of the world. Body Double refuses this script: not only does Holly disapprove of being forced into Jake’s crusade and nearly being buried alive, but the pair don’t wind up together. And while the end of the film confirms that Jake has overcome his claustrophobia and returned to work, the final scene plays like it is gently mocking Jake’s B-movie role as a pervy vampire who is still working with body doubles.
In this way, Body Double works both as a great Erotic Thriller, and as self-aware meta commentary by De Palma about the subgenre and his own reputation within it. That’s pretty clever.
Sex Crimes is a column that explores the legacy of erotic thrillers, from issues of marital infidelity to inappropriate underage affairs to sexualized crimes. In this subgenre, sex and violence are inexplicably intertwined as the dangers of intercourse take on a whole new meaning.
A new month means a new guide as titles are added (and dropped) from streaming services. Let’s unpack the most exciting titles that are available to watch on Tubi in July 2026.
New to Tubi July Horror Films
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
- Premise: Searching for a cure to Alzheimer’s disease, a group of scientists on an isolated research facility become the prey as a trio of intelligent sharks fight back.
- Why Watch It? Let’s be frank: Director Renny Harlin has made some absolute dogs in the last few years (the less said about The Strangers trilogy the better, though this year’s Deep Water was actually ok). Deep Blue Sea remains one of the Finnish director’s best contemporary efforts, though. Between the great cast (Samuel L. Jackson, Saffron Burrows, Stellan Skarsgård, Michael Rapaport, LL Cool J, Thomas Jane, and Jane’s sleeveless wetsuit), the ridiculous premise, and that damn/dumb song (“My hat is like a shark’s fin”), you basically can’t go wrong with Deep Blue Sea. It’s one of two great shark films gliding onto Tubi this month, so why not stay out of the water and watch this instead?
- Streaming: July 1
Exorcist II: Heretic (1977)
- Premise: Reagan (Linda Blair), a girl once possessed by a demon, finds that it still lurks within her. Meanwhile, Father Lamont (Richard Burton) investigates the death of the priest who performed her exorcism.
- Why Watch It? August sees the release of documentary Boorman and the Devil, which is about the troubled production of this sequel. The notoriety surrounding Heretic has undoubtedly kept plenty of horror fans away from the sequel, but this truly is a “seeing is believing” kind of film. Real talk: it’s undeniably a disaster, but the John Boorman film has also become a minor cult film. Don’t you want to see it to make up your own mind?
- Streaming: July 1
Hostel: Part III (2011)
- Premise: Four men attending a bachelor party in Las Vegas fall prey to the Elite Hunting Club, who are hosting a gruesome game show of torture.
- Why Watch It? What does Hostel look like without Eli Roth? Part III kinda answers the question. Technically Roth is still a writer, but he hands over the directorial reins to Scott Spiegel (best known for acting in Evil Dead films). The result is a film with a terrible pedigree; it’s also the first (and last) entry to skip theatres before the franchise was permanently shelved (until that TV show with Paul Giamatti shows up?). For some horror fans, however, there’s something exciting about a bad low-budget sequel. Just bear in mind that the Hostel: Part III‘s biggest star is Kip Pardue…so adjust your expectations accordingly before hitting play.
- Streaming: July 1
Insidious 1-3 (2010/2013/2015)
- Premise: A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.
- Why Watch It? It’s hard to believe that the sixth (!) Insidious movie is coming out in a month and a half, but James Wan and Leigh Whannell‘s other horror franchise has been steadily chugging along for sixteen years. It’s a shame that Tubi doesn’t have all five films available to watch, but in terms of quality, you can do far worse than the original trio. The first film is iconic, and the second is basically an extended coda (with some admittedly problematic stuff going on). I’ll go to bat for Whannell’s 2015 directorial debut, though: there’s a few banger sequences in that film that people slept on.
- Streaming: July 1
Man Finds Tape (2025)
- Premise: After finding mysterious video clips, siblings investigate the strange recordings and uncover a disturbing secret spreading through their Texas town.
- Why Watch It? Writer/directors Paul Gandersman and Peter S. Hall‘s well-received found footage film did an extensive tour of the festival circuit, so now is a great time to check out one of the most contemporary titles debuting on Tubi this month. Surely a title that hails from producers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Spring and The Endless) is worth a free look?
- Streaming: July 2
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
- Premise: A depressed musician Adam (Tom Hiddleston) reunites with his lover Eve (Tilda Swinton). However, their romance, which has already endured several centuries, is disrupted by the arrival of her uncontrollable younger sister Ava (Mia Wasikowska).
- Why Watch It? This beautiful, melancholy vampire film is courtesy of writer/director Jim Jarmusch, who doesn’t often dabble in genre fare. As always, some will quibble if this artsy drama qualifies as horror, but the existential ennui of an eternal life certainly qualifies (bonus: there’s also something inherently sexy about watching Hiddleston and Swinton just lay about). Plus: if Leviticus has you hankering for more Wasikowska, this is an under the radar pick.
- Streaming: July 1
The Shallows (2016)
- Premise:A mere 200 yards from shore, surfer Nancy (Blake Lively) is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills.
- Why Watch It? What better time to watch a shark movie than July? The temperatures are soaring and the idea of escaping into the water is so tantalizing. This tight, contained thriller features a great performance by Lively (and that damn seagull!), but it’s the direction from genre fave Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan; the House of Wax remake) that keeps the movie clicking along like clockwork. At 86 minutes, this is a perfect summer flick.
- Streaming: July 1
Vacancy (2007)
- Premise: Stranded in an isolated motel, a couple (Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale) become the unsuspecting subjects of a snuff film.
- Why Watch It? I’m not going to pretend that this Nimród Antal-directed home invasion film is high art, but it is a good time. You’ll likely wish there were deeper characterizations for Wilson and Beckinsale’s David and Amy in Mark L. Smith‘s screenplay, but this mid-aughts thriller is tense, exciting, and just the right amount of grimy. Plus: another short runtime, clocking in at an expeditious 85 minutes!
- Streaming: July 1
July Tubi Originals
The One Next Door (2026)
- Premise: When a mysterious stranger moves in next door to Robert and Tabitha, boundaries are tested, loyalty is questioned, and danger comes for all.
- Streaming: July 10
I Know Where You Live (2026)
- Premise: Sarah thinks she’s found “the one” until his flaws emerge. When she pulls away, chilling threats suggest he’s watching her from inside her own home.
- Streaming: July 24
What’s your favorite from the list above? Will you check out the new Original? Sound off in the comments below
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