Sisters

Movie Information

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.
Score:

Genre: Horror Thriller
Director: Brian De Palma
Starring: Margot Kidder, Jennifer Salt, Charles Durning, Bill Finley, Lisle Wilson, Barnard Hughes
Rated: R

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen Sisters Thursday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. in Theater Six at The Carolina Asheville, hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Scott Douglas.

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About Ken Hanke
Head film critic for Mountain Xpress from December 2000 until his death in June 2016. Author of books "Ken Russell's Films," "Charlie Chan at the Movies," "A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series," "Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker."

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