David Cronenberg may be a master of visceral, corporal horror, but with Dead Ringers, he demonstrated an equal mastery over the subliminal. The 1988 film follows Beverly and Elliot Mantle, identical twins who share an affinity for female reproductive anatomy. The Mantles have dedicated their lives to studying women, treating their infertility, and exploring their pleasure and pain — but Dead Ringers isn’t really about any of that. Cronenberg keeps the focus of the film completely on Beverly and Elliot, on their precarious equilibrium, and their freaky Frankenstein games. The twins may be steeped in a world full of women, but there’s not much room for women’s voices in the grand scheme. At best, women are but fascinating sexual mutants to the Mantles. At worst, they’re dolls to experiment on. Either way, they’re a means to an end, so that’s the role they must play in the film.
