Dead Ringers was a dark and bizarre masterpiece from 1988, fictionalizing the remarkable story of twin gynecologists who died together. Many people refer to it as a horror film, which is somewhat suspicious. Yes, it's directed by David Cronenberg, the body horror auteur behind The Fly and Videodrome, and yes, it has his trademark sense of dread and pained ennui.
And yet, there are none of the three heavy hallmarks of horror — murder, monsters, or mayhem. Ultimately, one imagines that the mere fact Dead Ringers was so intensely focused on gynecology, vaginas, and birthing is why it "scared" so many viewers.
35 years later, it will be curious to see what people think of the new Prime Video miniseries adaptation of the film, also titled Dead Ringers. Especially since it doubles down on those decidedly female elements which spooked so many viewers of Cronenberg's classic. This time around, the twins (Elliott and Beverly Mantle) are portrayed by women, and the gynecology is even more explicit and pronounced.
Indeed, this series may be the ultimate nightmare of patriarchy, a true horror show for many viewers. Regardless of gender and ideology, however, it's exquisite. It's a dark, arguably nihilistic look at two brilliant doctors whose lives were connected at birth, and when something threatens that connection, tragedy and chaos ensues. Dead Ringers may be decidedly niche and a bit too mysterious for its own good, but it's a deliciously disturbing, dark treat for anyone who's interested.
Dead Ringers from Life to Screen to Prime Video
Dead Ringers is very loosely based on the true story of twin gynecologists and drug addicts whose lives were mysterious, sad, and gruesome. In Cronenberg's film, which utilized revolutionary split-screen technology, Jeremy Irons' performances delivered a sophisticated and disturbing look at obsession, co-dependence, and addiction that mostly adhered to (though dramatized) the true story. The new Prime Video series, led by the fascinating Alice Birch, does away with much of the original story, and instead imagines a real phantasmagoria of pain and misery.
Dead Ringers does still continue the bold red color pattern of the original show, and similarly utilizes a brilliant dual performance from a great actor — Rachel Weisz. Weisz is phenomenal in every conceivable way. Her work as Elliott and Beverly is likely the best leading television performance(s) in years.
Creating two entirely distinct individuals, Weisz masters both the similarities and differences between the aggressive and pompous Elliott and the more professional and demure Beverly. Even when one of her characters is pretending to play the other character, she is completely masterful.
A Disturbing Pair of Twin Sisters
That's fortunate, because the relationship between the two Mantle sisters is the most important component of Dead RIngers. The way they depend upon each other, understand each other, and oppress each other is the focal point of both the plot and the more disturbing themes of the series. They live together, they do drugs together, they pretend to be each other, and they swap sexual partners; Elliott keeps trying to impregnate her sister with experimental embryos, while Beverly has miscarriage after miscarriage.
However, once Beverly falls in love with someone (Britne Oldford as Genevieve, taking on Geneviève Bujold's role in the film), her co-dependent relationship with Elliott begins to fracture. Like a machine or a symbiotic organism, once an external body is introduced to their arrangement, everything falls apart. This has a rippling effect outward, as the two women are in charge of a burgeoning medical facility devoted to obstetrics and gynecology. Everything and everyone in their orbit is darkly affected.
The Nihilism of Dead Ringers
For the most part, Dead Ringers makes great use of its runtime as a miniseries. Three times longer than the original film, Dead Ringers takes its time exploring each character and their world. We get a depressing view into the lives of these women, their family, their relationships, and their patients, and the show relishes the time it can spend on morbid, possibly nihilistic themes.
While some people view childbirth as miraculous, Dead Ringers explores it as a mess of meat; there's a coldness to its biological perspective, exposing actual labor as a blood-soaked nightmare while adding a kind of cosmic pessimism to the unending 'matryoshka doll' cycle of birth.
Nobody is happy in Dead Ringers, and whenever they come close to that emotion, it spells doom for others. Life is an unending succession of tiny apocalypses and miniature miseries in the series, and the continue birth of the human species is placed on a bleak, hostile context. In short, Dead Ringers speaks the language of misanthropy, and can undoubtedly connect with the many people who hate the world.
Subpar Subplots Don't Stop Dead Ringers
Whenever Dead Ringers drifts from the Mantle twins, however, things begin to either lose steam or become so enigmatic that they're not worth investing in. Various subplots and side characters may flesh out the series into six hours, but at times, Dead Ringers is way too mysterious for its own good. When the show pivots to the admittedly mesmerizing Poppy Liu as Greta, a kind of assistant and maid to the Mantles, it seems unable to solidify her purpose for hours. The same can be said with multiple supporting characters, who are all expertly played, but woefully wasted.
Additionally, the dialogue sometimes suffers from what could be called 'the Seth Rogen issue' — the insertion of a ridiculously superfluous amount of profanity which makes the dialogue feel forced and awkward. We're all adults, and nobody cares if anyone says the F-word, but it becomes a kind of conversational crutch and weak spot in the series' dialogue.
Fortunately, those are mostly small details in a show that is expertly held together by good directors (by Sean Durkin, Karyn Kusama, Lauren Wolkstein, and Karena Evans). There's an extremely unique and brooding tone to the show, one which will have audiences rooting against the human condition and possibly hating life itself. Yes, it's a dark, morbid, and mesmerizing series about warped but brilliant minds in a warped but beautiful world. It's an intense, aesthetically rich, and hypnotic experience, if you can take it. It may not be horror, but it's horrifying in its own beautiful way.
Dead Ringers is produced by Amazon Studios, Annapurna Television, and Morgan Creek Entertainment, and will be available to stream on Prime Video beginning April 21.