Here are the 12 most voyeuristic films we've ever encountered. They enjoy observing others — and being observed.

      But First: What Is Voyeurism?

      Elisha Cuthbert in The Girl Next Door. Twentieth Century Fox. – Credit: C/O

      The term refers to deriving pleasure from watching others, or finding enjoyment in witnessing their suffering or distress.

      Some characters in this collection embody the first aspect, while others represent the second.

      What captivates so many filmmakers about this theme? Perhaps it's because watching a movie resembles peering through a window into someone else's existence.

      Rear Window (1954)

      Paramount Pictures – Credit: C/O

      Still regarded as the quintessential voyeuristic film, Rear Window is often cited by other movies for its intelligent exploration of whether cinema itself is a form of voyeurism.

      In this Alfred Hitchcock thriller, Jimmy Stewart portrays L.B. Jeffries, an adventurous photojournalist sidelined by a leg cast and confined at home. He spends his time observing his neighbors through their apartment windows, while taking his wonderful girlfriend, Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly, pictured above), for granted.

      Rear Window revolves around crime, certainly, but also examines a bachelor’s anxieties about commitment. The array of people L.B. observes each symbolize different life paths: Miss Torso represents the attractive yet troubled single, Miss Lonelyhearts is unable to find a suitable partner, and The Salesman… well, he’s the most enigmatic of the group.

      Peeping Tom (1960)

      Credit: C/O

      When people discuss voyeuristic films, this is often the second title mentioned after Rear Window.

      Directed by Michael Powell, this British horror-thriller — newly added to the Criterion Collection — follows the unsettling Mark Lewis (Carl Boehm, pictured), a seemingly shy man who secretly films and murders women.

      “The movies transform us into voyeurs,” critic Roger Ebert remarked in his review. “We sit in the darkness, observing the lives of others. It is the deal that cinema makes with us, although most films are too polite to acknowledge it.”

      Martin Scorsese has noted that this film, along with Federico Fellini’s 8½, articulates “everything that can be said about filmmaking, regarding the interplay of objectivity and subjectivity, and the ambiguity between the two.”

      “8½ captures filmmaking's allure and joy, whereas Peeping Tom depicts its more aggressive side, illustrating how the camera intrudes,” Scorsese commented. “By studying these films, you can learn a great deal about those who create cinema or at least those who express themselves through it.”

      Body Double (1984)

      Columbia Pictures – Credit: C/O

      This distinctly ’80s interpretation of voyeuristic cinema, this Brian De Palma cult classic nods to both Hitchcock's Rear Window and Vertigo.

      When struggling actor Jake Scully (Craig Wasson, pictured) gets the opportunity to housesit a luxurious home in the Hollywood Hills, he discovers a disturbing perk: he can watch a neighbor undress through a telescope each night.

      However, a violent incident prompts Scully to reassess everything, leading him into L.A.’s adult underworld where he meets actress Holly Body, portrayed by the captivating Melanie Griffith.

      Fright Night (1985)

      Credit: C/O

      This iconic ’80s horror film by Tom Holland (not the Spider-Man actor, who wasn’t yet born) stars William Ragsdale as Charley Brewster, a teen obsessed with a TV horror series who becomes convinced that his charming new neighbor (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire.

      He recruits the host of his favorite show, a former vampire hunter named Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall), for help. Charley’s instincts prove to be quite sharp.

      This film is an enjoyable watch, not only for its clever supernatural twist on Rear Window but also for its impressive practical effects, led by Richard Edlund, who had just gained recognition for his work on Ghostbusters.

      The Burbs (1989)

      Universal Pictures – Credit: C/O

      The premise of The Burbs resembles that of Fright Night but leans more towards dark comedy.

      Directed by Joe Dante, who helmed Gremlins, the film features Tom Hanks (above) as Ray Peterson, a suburbanite who starts to suspect that his new neighbors, the Klopeks, are engaged in ritualistic murders. His wife Carol (Carrie Fischer) is skeptical.

      As Ray grows increasingly convinced that he’s uncovered something sinister, tensions rise with those around him who think he’s losing his grip.

      The Lives of Others (2006)

      Buena Vista International – Credit: C/O

      Winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, this poignant work from director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck revisits the grim era of the Stasi in East Germany, when citizens were encouraged to report on each other's disloyalty.

      It centers