A sound technician accidentally records evidence of a political assassination while working on a low-budget horror film. As he delves deeper into the mystery, he becomes entangled in a deadly conspiracy. With its stylistic flourishes and a gritty portrayal of early-1980s Philadelphia, De Palma’s Hitchcockian take on Antonioni’s Blow Up is both a paranoid thriller reflective of its political era and a devilish meditation on the art of filmmaking.

Reviews

‘A horror movie, a paranoid political drama and a serial killer flick all at once.’
★★★★★
Kevin Maher, The Times

‘A movie which continues [De Palma] practice of making cross-references to other movies, other directors, and actual historical events, and which nevertheless is his best and most original work.’
★★★★
Roger Ebert