Body Double” is an absorbing neo-noir film where an aspiring actor witnesses the murder of a woman from the window of a luxurious spaceship-like apartment. However, he goes on to realize that he is a pawn in a much larger sinister plot. The movie is a homage to Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’. It explores De Palma’s signature themes of voyeurism, look-alikes, blurring of reality and illusion, and includes a long take, as the protagonist stalks a woman across 1980s Los Angeles. It also includes a ‘Frenzy’-style murder, indicating another homage to Hitchcock.

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“Sisters” is a chilling De Palma horror thriller about Siamese twins. It incorporates numerous De Palma signature themes like voyeurism, stalking, and blurring reality with illusion. It also includes homages to Hitchcock movies, ‘Rear Window’ and ‘Notorious’.

John Lithgow stars in this thriller as a psychotic husband gone rogue when he finds out his wife is being unfaithful. The themes presented in this noir film include split personality, voyeurism, and blurring the line between reality and illusion. It is a tribute to ‘Psycho’ and also includes Easter eggs referring to De Palma’s own movies, ‘The Untouchables’ and ‘Dressed to Kill’. This movie is a hidden gem!

‘Dressed to Kill’ is perhaps De Palma’s most famous slasher film and a tribute to ‘Psycho’. However, I believe it goes beyond being merely a tribute and follows a similar template to ‘Psycho’. For a detailed explanation, please refer to my review of the movie. The movie showcases outstanding performances from Angie Dickinson and Michael Caine

“Passion” is De Palma’s remake of the French film “Love Crimes”. However, there are significant changes to the plot, especially its ending, to make it a De Palma movie. The plot of the movie tells the tale of two women in a power struggle that leads to murder. There is also his signature long take where an opera and a murder happen simultaneously.

“Obsession” is De Palma’s tribute to Hitchcock’s “Vertigo.” Similar to the plot of “Vertigo,” a man who has lost his wife meets her doppelganger while on a trip to Florence. Once again, we see the theme of ‘look-alikes’, a staple in many De Palma movies.

While ‘Blow Out’ did not work its magic at the box office or for Travolta’s career at the time, it has been garnering accolades from contemporary critics. ‘Blow Out’ is a suspenseful thriller about a sound engineer who suspects that he has recorded a murder in a public park at night. Themes of voyeurism, obsession, and the blurring of illusion and reality appear prominently in this noir mystery thriller.