Blending together the elements of horror & mystery in a seamless manner, cleverly using its available resources to provide a sense of dread & uncertainty, and efficiently sustaining its tense atmosphere from start to finish, Diabolique (also known as Les Diaboliques) is one of the finest examples of its genre(s) that simply refuses to age despite being nearly 60 years old.

The story concerns the wife of a cruel headmaster who, along with the help of her husband's mistress, devises a plan to murder him, and after careful arrangement manages to successfully execute it without leaving behind any traces. However, things are ultimately set in motion when the body mysteriously disappears from site after which a number of strange occurrences ensue.

Ingeniously…

The cold sweat, the uncontrollable trembling, the heavy breathing, the pressure on the chest, the burdensome weight felt by the knees, the inability to move, the faintness of the voice, the paralyzed mind. It’s fear, taking over. The artistry with which Henri-Georges Clouzot produces fear, sustains it and shows its crushing effects in Les Diaboliques elevate not only the film but the horror genre altogether. It is one of those rare occasions when the destabilizing nature of uncertainty, the sheer sense of dread and the spine-chilling force of fear are not taken for granted, but skillfully and vividly conveyed. Les Diaboliques is a film so effectively shrouded in mystery and delusion that it becomes a psychological assault of mind-boggling conviction.…

Wow.

I finished this film just moments ago, and I immediately want to go tell the world what I just saw. But I cant. Because at the end, a little message scrolled past that told me not to ruin the surprise. Diabolique is very interesting in the fact that a movie released in 1955, 58 years ago, is still making its audiences keep quiet about the ending. I have to thank the fans of the movie who didnt spoil this for me, and I will become one of those people who will carry the secret of this film to my grave.

Well, thats a little extreme, but I feel its justified in this context. The twist is simple, but planned…

Film #1 of 33 in my Hoop-Tober 2017 challenge

This classic French horror thriller has been on my "To Do" list for a very long time. It fulfills not only the requirement of "six countries" for this year's challenge, but also those for "six decades" and "six films before 1970" -- a triple threat if ever there was one. I noticed that a lot of participants have this on their Hoop-tober lists, so I'm looking forward to many interesting reviews.

Directed by "the French Hitchcock," Henri-Georges Clouzot, the film was adapted from the 1951 mystery novel "Celle qui n'était plus" by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. The primary action takes place at a second-rate boys' boarding school outside Paris, with…

“A man who runs after his wife is ridiculous enough”

The noir-mood is strong with this one, thanks to some heavy, grounded acting and a creeping feeling lasting throughout the film. Best of all is the relationships that makes it worth investing in, Paul Meurisse is a believable pig and the film really devotes time to build up the sisterhood between his wife and mistress (Véra Clouzot and Simone Signoret). Furthermore, the abusive behaviour of Meurisse’s character is treated seriously, making this a horrifying story with some understanding of the motives.

With all this, Les Diaboliques (Diabolique) could’ve been over halfway through, but in a mood reminding of Crime and Punishment, the film explores the paranoia of the main characters…