Dead Ringers
Two bodies. Two minds. One soul.
1988 | 115m | English
Popularity: 4 (history)
| Director: | David Cronenberg |
|---|---|
| Writer: | David Cronenberg, Jack Geasland, Bari Wood, Norman Snider |
| Staring: |
| Elliot, a successful gynecologist, works at the same practice as his identical twin, Beverly. Elliot is attracted to many of his patients and has affairs with them. When he inevitably loses interest, he will give the woman over to Beverly, the meeker of the two, without the woman knowing the difference. Beverly falls hard for one of the patients, Claire, but when she inadvertently deceives him, he slips into a state of madness. | |
| Release Date: | Sep 23, 1988 |
|---|---|
| Director: | David Cronenberg |
| Writer: | David Cronenberg, Jack Geasland, Bari Wood, Norman Snider |
| Genres: | Horror, Thriller |
| Keywords | nurse, based on novel or book, bondage, obsession, toronto, canada, sadism, sadomasochism, twin brother, murder, prostitution, drugs, twins, receptionist, extramarital affair, medical profession, gynecologist, voyeurism, identical twin, body horror, romantic |
| Production Companies | Téléfilm Canada, Morgan Creek Entertainment, Mantle Clinic II |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $8,038,508
Budget: $13,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 03, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Jeremy Irons | Beverly Mantle / Elliot Mantle |
| Geneviève Bujold | Claire Niveau |
| Heidi von Palleske | Cary |
| Barbara Gordon | Danuta |
| Shirley Douglas | Laura |
| Stephen Lack | Wolleck / Anders Wolleck |
| Nick Nichols | Leo |
| Lynne Cormack | Arlene |
| Damir Andrei | Birchall |
| Miriam Newhouse | Mrs. Bookman |
| David Hughes | Superintendent |
| Richard W. Farrell | Dean of Medicine |
| Warren Davis | Anatomy Class Supervisor |
| Marsha Moreau | Raffaella |
| Denis Akiyama | Pharmacist |
| Dee McCafferty | Surgeon |
| Jane Luk | Lecture-Hall Nurse |
| Jill Hennessy | Mimsy |
| David Cronenberg | Obstetrician (uncredited) |
| Bob Bainborough | Mr. Glaser |
| Jacqueline Hennessy | Escort Twin |
| Jonathan Haley | Beverly Age 9 |
| Nicholas Haley | Elliot Age 9 |
| Susan Markle | Operating Room Nurse |
| Murray Cruchley | Assisting Surgeon |
| Tita Trevisan | Furniture Salesman |
| David Walden | Director |
| Liliane Stillwell | Wardrobe Person |
| Denise McLeod | Art Gallery Lady |
| Nicholas Rice | MC |
| Joe Matheson | Sean / Waiter |
| Hadley Kay | Delivery Boy |
| Cynthia Eastman | Sobbing Woman |
| Nora Colpman | Mrs. Randell |
| Rena Polley | Soap Opera Character |
| Madeleine Atkinson | Soap Opera Character |
| John Bayliss | Performance Double |
| Graham Evans | Picture Double |
| Alan Gough | Director (uncredited) |
| Jordan-Patrick Marcantonio | Twin Boy (uncredited) |
| Julian-Peter Marcantonio | (uncredited) |
| Greg Van Riel | Man in Reception (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| David Cronenberg | Writer, Director |
| Denise Cronenberg | Costume Design |
| Dug Rotstein | Script Supervisor |
| Attila Dory | Still Photographer |
| David Evans | Sound Editor |
| Ivan Lynch | Hair Designer |
| Don White | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Barbara Szablowski | Assistant Makeup Artist |
| Jack Geasland | Novel |
| Bari Wood | Novel |
| Ronald Sanders | Editor |
| Carol Spier | Production Design |
| Bryan Day | Sound Mixer |
| Wayne Griffin | Sound Editor |
| Shonagh Jabour | Makeup Artist |
| Alicia Keywan | Art Direction |
| John Board | First Assistant Director |
| Norman Snider | Writer |
| Elinor Rose Galbraith | Set Decoration |
| Deirdre Bowen | Casting |
| James McAteer | Art Direction |
| Richard Spiegelman | Transportation Coordinator |
| Richard Cadger | Sound Editor |
| Eva Coudouloux | Makeup Artist |
| David Giammarco | Sound Editor |
| Maxine Rennes-Gunderson | Assistant Hairstylist |
| Izidore K. Musallam | Second Assistant Director |
| Howard Shore | Original Music Composer |
| Peter Suschitzky | Director of Photography |
| Andy Nelson | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Terry Burke | Foley Artist |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| David Cronenberg | Producer |
| Carol Baum | Executive Producer |
| John Board | Associate Producer |
| Sylvio Tabet | Executive Producer |
| Marc Boyman | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 21 | 35 | 12 |
| 2024 | 5 | 23 | 37 | 14 |
| 2024 | 6 | 20 | 29 | 11 |
| 2024 | 7 | 20 | 30 | 12 |
| 2024 | 8 | 13 | 20 | 8 |
| 2024 | 9 | 12 | 22 | 8 |
| 2024 | 10 | 13 | 22 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 7 |
| 2024 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 8 |
| 2025 | 1 | 13 | 23 | 8 |
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 19 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 12 | 905 | 955 |
I've often thought that there should be beauty contests for the insides of bodies. Dead Ringers is directed by David Cronenberg who also co-adapts the screenplay with Norman Snider from the book "Twins" written by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland. It stars Jeremy Irons and Genevieve Bujold. Music is b ... y Howard Shore and cinematography by Peter Suschitzky. Identical twin gynaecologists Beverly and Elliott Mantle (Irons) run a high end fertility clinic in the city. Both in tune with each in spite of being different personalities, their world starts to fold inwards when Beverly falls in love with drug dependent actress Claire Niveau (Bujold). Inspired by the real life story of gynaecologist twins Cyril and Steve Marcus (who were both found dead from suicide brought about by drug addiction), Dead Ringers is an amalgamation of unsettling horror and icy cold playfulness; in other words a perfect canvas for auteur Cronenberg to paint some of his peccadilloes. Cronenberg doesn't need to be gory, gimmicky or schlocky, he instead utilises the characters on the page to spin a clinical character study. Themes pulsing throughout involve individuality, identity, misogyny, narcissism, eroticism and addiction, all played out in the mystical world of surgery and in-human metaphysics. The tempo never rises above a steady heart beat, rumbling along ominously, until we enter the home straight and the director delivers a devastating yet deeply moving conclusion. Backed by a stunning dual performance from Irons, and a ballsy one from Bujold, Dead Ringers is a film of genuine greatness and a piece of work that's alive with smart ideas. 8.5/10
Sheer brilliance. Deep down, EVERYONE has a love/hate thing about identical twins. On the one side, they wish they had that kind of communion with someone, that sort of magical intimacy they share, having someone basically the exact same as themselves...yet that same one-of-a-kind companionship is s ... cary as hell. I haven't seen, from my fellow Canadian, either 'Scanners' (1981) or 'Naked Lunch' (1991), so I can't honestly say whether or not my assertion can be thus extended, but I dare ANYONE to find in horror a finer run than Cronenberg had, in 'Videodrome', 'The Dead Zone', 'The Fly'...and this, 'Dead Ringers'.
David Cronenberg reveals himself to be a total pseud. "Our identities blur together. We are one soul." Give me a break ...