Dead Ringers (1988)
86%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: 20 wins & 14 nominations
Dead Ringers serves up a double dose of Jeremy Irons in service of a devilishly unsettling concept and commandingly creepy work from director David Cronenberg
Dead Ringers” is a twisted tale of twin gynecologists who share everything, including women. Director David Cronenberg manages to make the gore feel muted, but that doesn’t mean this movie is for the faint of heart. Jeremy Irons delivers a fantastic dual performance, but watching it might make you feel like you need a critical operation. It’s definitely not a date movie, unless you’re into effed up horror flicks. Overall, “Dead Ringers” is a creepy classic that will keep you squirming in your seat.
Production Company(ies)
X-Filme Creative Pool Westdeutscher Rundfunk ARTE
Distributor
Criterion Collection, Image Entertainment Inc., Media Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Bell Trinity Square – 483 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1988
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 55m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:Canada
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 23, 1988 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 28, 2004
Genre(s)
Horror/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Jeremy Irons, Geneviève Bujold, Heidi von Palleske, Barbara Gordon, Shirley Douglas, Stephen Lack, Anders Wolleck, directed by David Cronenberg, written by David Cronenberg, Norman Snider, horror, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Variety Staff, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Nigel Floyd, Janet Maslin, Desson Thomson, Rita Kempley, Trace Thurman, Tom Meek, Cole Smithey, Hilary Mantel, Jeff Simon, MPAA rating R, gynecologist, identical twins, affairs, madness, psychological drama, fear of physical and mental disintegration, mortality, power struggle between the sexes, visceral disgust, medical mischief, body-related horrific fantasy, homoerotic, twins possess one soul, seduction, deception, drug problems, anxiety, deep depression, emotional vulnerability, devilishly unsettling concept, commandingly creepy work, double dose of Jeremy Irons, Criterion Collection, Image Entertainment Inc., Media Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox
Worldwide gross: $8,038,508
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $20,582,128
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,701
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,244,507
US/Canada gross: $8,038,508
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $20,582,128
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,403
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,012,180
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $7,712,510
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,025
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $13,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $33,285,737
Production budget ranking: 1,097
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $17,924,369
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$30,627,978
ROI to date (est.): -60%
ROI ranking: 1,741
Geneviève Bujold – Claire Niveau
Heidi von Palleske – Cary
Barbara Gordon – Danuta
Shirley Douglas – Laura
Stephen Lack – Anders Wolleck
Director(s)
David Cronenberg
Writer(s)
David Cronenberg, Norman Snider
Producer(s)
David Cronenberg, Marc Boyman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
20 wins & 14 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (42) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (7)
Director David Cronenberg handles his usual fondness for gore in muted style.
September 24, 2007
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
People like myself who find the character played by [Genevieve] Bujold (in one of her best performances) more interesting than either of the twins are bound to feel rather frustrated by the end.
September 24, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
An intense psychological drama which confronts [Cronenberg’s] familiar preoccupations — fear of physical and mental disintegration, mortality, the power struggle between the sexes — without the paradoxical protection of visceral disgust.
January 26, 2006
Nigel Floyd
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Cronenberg, who has begun to emerge as a master of body-related horrific fantasy, clearly understands that a small amount of medical mischief can be more unnerving than conventional grisliness.
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 4/5
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Watching Ringers is not unlike watching a critical operation — unnerving but also enthralling.
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Really sordid stuff that becomes ridiculous, painful, unbelievable and tedious.
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Minor pacing issues aside, Dead Ringers boasts a fantastic dual lead performance from Jeremy Irons.
December 29, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
Trace Thurman
Horror Queers Podcast
A creepy classic…
August 28, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day
“Dead Ringers” is by no means a date movie. This is one effed up little horror flick.
June 11, 2020 | Rating: B+
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
[Irons’] performance no doubt exhausted the actor more than it impresses the audience.
August 30, 2018
Hilary Mantel
The Spectator
Irons’ performance as the tormented twins is a tour de force. So is Cronenberg’s complex camera work.
April 30, 2018
Jeff Simon
Buffalo News
Dead Ringers may be a beautifully structured and well-acted movie, but it certainly’s isn’t an easy film to watch. Still, if you like horror movies, this one will keep you on the edge of your seat, albeit squirming every minute.
December 9, 2017
Cathy Burke
United Press International…
Plot
The Mantle brothers are both doctors – both gynecologists – and identical twins. Mentally however, one of them is more confident than the other, and always manages to seduce the women he meets. When he’s tired of his current partner, she is passed on to the other brother – without her knowing. Everything runs smoothly, until an actress visits their clinic, and the shy brother is the first to fall in love. Will they be able to ‘share’ her ?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Jeremy Irons delivers a “tour de force” performance as the tormented twins in Dead Ringers.
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