Quentin Tarantino Praises This ‘70s Chiller Streaming on Max as a Violent “Hitchcock homage”
I am a big fan of Quentin Tarantino’s cinematic output. So, naturally, I am all ears when the auteur director makes a recommendation. I’m pleased to say that his book, Cinema Speculation, is full of them. Among the suggestions is a pick from Brian De Palma, one of my favorite creators. Not surprisingly, Tarantino has nothing but praise for Sisters, De Palma’s depraved tale of conjoined twins.
The setup is as follows:
Inquisitive journalist Grace Collier is horrified when she witnesses her neighbor, fashion model Danielle Breton, violently murder a man. Panicking, she calls the police. But when the detective arrives at the scene and finds nothing amiss, Grace is forced to take matters into her own hands. Her first move is to recruit private investigator Joseph Larch, who helps her uncover a secret about Danielle’s past, which has them both seeing double.
“Sisters established the method of Hitchcock homage that the director would later become known for. Which was to take the story points or structural elements from Hitchcock’s most famous thrillers and—even more than Polanski or Argento—commit to full-blown cinematic set pieces that invoked the master—except these suspense set pieces usually led to more violent and gorier outcomes than they did in the Hitchcock fifties.”
Quentin Tarantino
READ ALSO: See What Rob Zombie Had to Say About Sisters in This TCM Underground Intro
I think Sisters remains somewhat underrated in comparison to the director’s more celebrated output. But that has nothing to do with the quality of the film. Sisters subverts expectations early and often. It features an impressive cast of characters, and the tension-building is second to none. But don’t take my word for it; check out the flick on Max and decide for yourself.
The picture stars Margot Kidder, Jennifer Salt, and Charles Durning. De Palma directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Louisa Rose.
Stay tuned to the site for more recommendations from the masters as we learn them. And be sure to follow @DreadCentral on Twitter so you never miss an update.
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