America in the 1960s was a time of panic, dysfunction, distrust, and upheaval. These sentiments were reflected on the big screen, creating a general feeling of creative rebellion that laid the groundwork for the New Hollywood movement. While epic biopics and musicals were still the status quo at the studio level, low-level genre filmmaking, in the form of horror, thrillers, and other exploitation films, channeled the unbridled rage of its decade, including The Manchurian Candidate, Shock Corridor, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, and Targets. Within this spiritual subgenre of "Hollywood Crack-Up," courtesy of a former program by the Criterion Channel, the film that was perhaps the most grisly, blunt, and profound was Seconds, John Frankenheimer's 1966 psychological horror-thriller that has only grown in estimation over time. Considering its themes of unhealthy desires and beauty standards, it's safe to say that this movie has never felt more relevant than today.
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