Talkin’ Film Club: Movie Double Bills

Letter to Sight & Sound Magazine (Published in the October 2023 issue)

Double Impact

I recently watched The Wicker Man and Don’t Look Now with my 16-year-old son in preparation for a podcast episode marking the 50th anniversary of each film’s release. Significantly, this release was as a double feature in the UK, with The Wicker Man relegated to supporting picture to the higher profile Don’t Look Now. Unlike most ‘B’ movies, The Wicker Man is an equal to Nic Roeg’s film and ultimately rose above the trappings of its supporting feature beginnings.

In an attempt to recapture what audiences experienced in 1973 my son and I watched the two films back-to-back and with a short intermission in between. And whilst it was fascinating to witness my son’s first reactions to both classic horror movies, the most significant part of our evening was the all-encompassing effect of the double bill itself, moving as we did from one deeply affecting film to another. The immediate transition from the shock of The Wicker Man’s ending to the harrowing intensity of Don’t Look Now’s start meant that we cut short the need to process Robin Hardy’s folk horror before diving straight into Roeg’s grief-stricken masterwork. Whether our appreciation of Don’t Look Now was marred by the power of The Wicker Man, and whether a 1973 audience felt the same, is a continuing discussion point between us.

Whilst the concept of the double bill (or indeed the movie marathon) is no longer common practice outside of repertory cinemas, the current Barbenheimer phenomenon is as close to an initial-release double feature experience as you can get this side of the 1980s (although Barbenheimer is a double bill of choice, rather than programming). And just as our ‘70s horror double proved, watching Barbie and Oppenheimer back-to-back is not without its complications as the viewer navigates through two very different yet equally thought-provoking movies (no matter which way round you watch them). Does the viewing of the first film diminish the impact on the second when watched in close succession?

Of course, the most refreshing consequence of Barbenheimer is that it’s led to packed-out cinemas as people choose to see these original movies above the merry-go-round of Marvel, reboots and sequels. Whether the success of both films is a public reaction against the norm remains to be seen.

Unless someone manages to create Barbenheimer 2 (and I’m sure they’ll try), the first-run double bill will remain a thing of the past. As for The Wicker Man and Don’t Look Now? If only my son had seen them at the cinema.

Dan 20.08.23