Les Diabolique (1955)

Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot

Writers: Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac, Henri-Geroges Clouzot, Jeronimi, Rene Masson, Frederic Grendel

Composer: Georges Van Parys

Starring: Simone Signoret, Vera Clouzot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel, Jean Brochard, Therese Dorny, Michel Serrault, Georges Chamarat, Robert Dalban, Camille Guerini, Jacques Hilling, Jean Lefebvre

More info: IMDb

Tagline: See it, be amazed at it, but... BE QUIET ABOUT IT!

Plot: The wife of a cruel headmaster and his mistress conspire to kill him, but after the murder is committed, his body disappears, and strange events begin to plague the two women.

My rating: 8.5/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.


I've now seen this three times.  The first time I was blown away but I'm finding that it's diminishing with each viewing for some reason.  Sure, the ending is fantastic but it feels like there's something else.  It's a great looking picture and I really dig the performances and the atmosphere Clouzot created.  I'm thinking it's knowing how it's going to play out that does it and then there's Clouzot's parting shot with the kid.  Nice!  It's a great story filled with suspense and the three leads are fantastic in their roles, each as different as the other.  I really dig this film despite the slightly diminishing returns I'm getting.  The IMDb trivia says that Clouzot bought the rights to the novel just hours before Alfred Hitchcock.  This is one case where Hitch's film might not have been as good as this one and I'm OK with that.