Brow Beat

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Seconds by Faking Your Own Death (or Just Watch the Movie)

Fifty years ago Wednesday, Seconds opened at three theaters in New York, did very little business there (or anywhere) and disappeared off the face of the Earth. Paramount didn’t release it on home video until 1997 (VHS and Laserdisc), and it didn’t get a good home video release until the Criterion Collection’s 2013 Blu-ray. As its director John Frankenheimer put it, “It’s the only picture that’s gone from failure to classic without having success.” But a half-century later, there’s no better way to kick off your October than watching Frankenheimer’s gorgeous, horrifying film about the worst midlife crisis ever. Assuming, of course, you’re not yet ready to salute the 50th anniversary of Seconds by following the example of its protagonist, faking your own death and setting sail for a new face and new life on a different coast. (If you are ready, here’s Slate’s guide to companies that can help.)

All right, now that the bulk of the audience has closed this tab to start their new lives, let’s talk movies! There are a lot of wonderful things about Seconds, but start at the beginning: Saul Bass’ titles and Jerry Goldsmith’s Carnival of Souls–esque organ score make for one of the most ghastly opening sequences ever:

Jonathan Swift rarely managed body horror that pure. Then there’s James Wong Howe’s amazing cinematography, filled with Steadicam-style shots made 10 years before the Steadicam was invented. There are the great locations in New York and California (Grand Central Station and Frankenheimer’s home in Malibu make appearances), and killer performances from Rock Hudson, John Randolph, and especially Will Geer. Slate’s Dana Stevens went deep on the film’s strengths for its Blu-ray release (aptly headlined “Seconds. Oh My God, Seconds.”), but if you haven’t seen it, the less you know, the better. No spoilers here, but its greatest triumph is undoubtedly the ending, which is so horrifying it’s nearly unwatchable. Seconds is a film that will set you ill at ease in a very fundamental way. And at 50 years old, it somehow doesn’t look a day over 25.