John’s Horror Corner: Doppelganger (1993), this hidden gem is a truly bizarre thriller starring Drew Barrymore and her inner monster.

MY CALL: Yeah, this gives the first impression of a raunchy sexy thriller. But it is not! I mean, it’s not “not a sexy-ish movie.” But this is a solid, weird as hell horror movie that is really worth your time if you seek 80s and 90s oddities. MOVIES LIKE Doppelganger: While completely dissimilar movies, I’d pair this with the original Hellraiser (1987), which was in many ways a sexy chamber thriller (while also still quite grotesque and supernatural) which didn’t rely on nudity.

This stylish film opens with scenes of hot and heavy clothed erotica and bloody stabbing murder. I thought this film would be scandalously raunchy based on the opening sequence. But truth be told, the nudity in this film is rather limited despite several scenes involving or implying sex. Writer and director Avi Nesher (Ritual, She) does well keeping this film within his target thriller-horror genre. So, any references online one finds calling this an “erotic thriller” I would call a bit misleading.

Writer Patrick (George Newbern; Father of the Bride I-II) takes on a young and mysterious roommate Holly (Drew Barrymore; Cat’s Eye, Firestarter, Poison Ivy, Scream, Smile 2), who has just moved from New York to Los Angeles and apparently was followed by her lookalike stalker.

Having lost her parents, she is surrounded by a sultry kind of weirdness. Holly visits her old family estate which seems to be occupied by her lookalike, there’s a blood-soaked shower scene, Holly’s family lawyer is weirdly affectionate, there is a wild stormy kitchen sex scene, some sultry 90s party dancing, and a loony finale. There’s also an early cameo by Danny Trejo (From Dusk Till Dawn).

Somewhat early in the movie, Holly explains to Patrick that he slept with her very dangerous doppelganger (in his apartment), not with her—which makes her sound insane. To be clear, there is no discussion of how this doppelganger got into their place, or how or why she is dangerous. Seems like something a roommate might ask… eh, 90s writing. And then there is the mystery around how Holly’s parents were murdered, some weird history with her catatonic brother, we find Holly literally crucified on her bedroom wall, aaaaand a random law enforcement agent shows up out of nowhere and tells Patrick that Holly has multiple personalities. This movie packs a lot of bizarre scenes and revelations in its running time.

Eventually, Patrick tracks down Holly’s doppelganger, which has a collection of disguises. The wild finale delivers full-tilt nonsense in the form of supernatural forces and grotesquely gory monster effects. It’s so bizarre, yet weirdly very satisfying.

This isn’t a great “film”, but it’s pretty damn entertaining! It’s actually really ambitiously made and so much better than I expected. I really enjoyed this oddly cut hidden gem.