Sisters

In Brief: Sisters (1973) is by no means the first Brian De Palma film, though it might fairly be called the first De Palma film as we know them. The theme is, in part, voyeurism — so we're right at home from the onset. The tone is set as much by Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (1960) as it is by Hitchcock, which is a pretty heady mix. The most surprising thing about the film, however, is not that it looks forward to future De Palma (he really lays on the split-screen), but that it has a distinct air of David-Cronenberg-to-come about it. The story concerns a young French Canadian actress (Margot Kidder), who was separated from her conjoined twin. Living in New York City (well, Staten Island), she is trying to start a new life away from her past and her creepy ex-husband (Bill — later William — Finney of Phantom of the Paradise fame). The problem is that she has mental issues and also (maybe) has an even more unbalanced and murderous twin. The situation becomes more dire when a local reporter (Jennifer Salt) happens to see the murderous twin in action from the window of her apartment.