This film ruined Michael Powell's career, a career that even Martin Scorsese admired.  It is a bit subversive and perverse, the story about a truly disturbed man who films women at the moment of their death, and worships the films and his camera in ways that are totally unnatural.  I think the history behind the film is that people were incredibly uncomfortable when they were called out to being just like the killer in the film, enjoying themselves as they are shown fear and death through a video camera, but I see the film just as a dark, interesting work.  I didn't quite feel the sort of sociological impact this film is said to have had, historically.  But I did enjoy it.