Private Parts (1972) ***1/2

Up until its finale, when the film takes a turn for the director's more familiar camp territory, Paul Bartel's 1972 feature debut, Private Parts, has a lot in common with the giallo, Psycho (1960), Peeping Tom (1960) (review), and Sisters (review), released the same year. While there is silly humor sprinkled throughout, there are some genuinely dark and disturbing scenes that I wasn't expecting in a Bartel film. The three leads are all really well cast in their respective roles and give strong performances. PP never quite satisfactorily develops its characters or fully explores its themes of gender, obsession, and psychosexual desires but it's still a very good film. It would have been really interesting to see Bartel make more movies in this vein and—as much as I love his signature campy style—it's a shame he never did.

Paul Bartel Feature Films Ranked