Almost no other motif is as exploited in the film as that of the twins and the doubles. Especially with horror films or thrillers such as ‘I see, I see’ or of course ‘Shining’ there is a lot to play with perception and identity.
Considered by many to be the master of body horror, David Cronenberg is known for his scenes of disgust and his grotesque productions of distortion, including in the classics “The Fly” and “Naked Lunch.” In 1988 he created his own interpretation of the Double Lottchen with “The Unseparables”. You can see the award-winning psychological horror drama on Sunday evening, March 24 at 10:40 PM on Tele 5.
And it’s worth participating! Because the film, which now enjoys cult status for many, is currently not available to stream in Germany and is also difficult to get on Blu-ray – A special edition is available used for only 200 euros. You can get the Collector’s Edition on Amazon a little cheaper, but it’s the US version and doesn’t have a German soundtrack.
Symbiosis to the bitter end
Cronenberg’s original, actually called “Dead Ringers” (significantly synonymous with “Doppelgänger”), was so rich in content that it was also published last year Amazon Prime series* was reissued. Here twin brothers became twin sisters, embodied in a double role by Rachel Weisz.
The reboot remains very close in many ways to the original, with Jeremy Irons playing twin brothers Elliot and Beverly Mantle. While Elliot is outgoing and charismatic, Beverly is shy and reserved. The two have shared everything since they were young: a bed, a practice, and occasionally their wives. When actress Claire Ebene (Geneviève Bujold) comes into her life and Beverly develops feelings for her, Their relationship falls out of balance – a balance that Elliot wants to maintain at all costs…
The symbiotic spiral of dependency, power and madness spirals further into the abyss. However, anyone who expects many scary moments here will unfortunately be somewhat disappointed. Although ‘The Inseparables’ is often classified as body horror, there are only a few explicit scenes in it – including a dream scene that is quite disgusting.
Horror in the nuances
The horror that always resonates here is much more subtle and deeper and therefore works wonderfully without major shock effects. It is deeply human and psychological in nature and is found in the abyss of man himself. In terms of staging, the film is no less worthwhile – for example when red runs through the images or strange gynecological devices are shown in a disturbing way.
Not to mention that Jeremy Irons is making a fool of himself. It’s an almost painful pleasure to watch him portray his increasing psychological decline. And perhaps that is the true body horror on display here: the actor’s body harboring two very different identities and delivering its macabre performance until the bittersweet staged ending.