Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1013. Diabolique (1955)

    1013. Diabolique (1955)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on July 4, 2015 110-119 mins, 1955, 6 - 7.9, Crime, Drama, France, Horror, Jul 15, Movies Of 2015, Review, Thriller
    7.9 Unpredictable
    • Acting 7.9
    • Directing 7.8
    • Story 8.0
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse

    Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot

    Running Time: 115 mins


    Diabolique is a French film about two women, unhappy in their relationship with a controlling and abusive man, who set out to murder him, with unexpectedly terrifying consequences coming about as a result of their plans.

    Well, this is quite an eerie and unsettling thriller with strong tension present throughout, interesting characters, some pretty scary scenes by 1950s standards, and a stunningly unpredictable climax that will have you on the edge of your seat.

    This film is credited as being one of the major influences for the book and film of Psycho, and by watching this, you can easily see where a lot of the ideas and techniques for Hitchcock’s horror classic came from.

    One of the most evident similarities is the presence of tension in the story from start to finish. Here, the two main characters are constantly on edge about everything, and it genuinely seems like their whole worlds are about to fall apart at every moment, making this a very exciting thriller throughout, not just a slow-burn story with a strong climax, and that’s a feat that’s pretty difficult to accomplish effectively, which is why Psycho is also so heralded as a landmark in the thriller genre.

    What’s more is that our main characters are brilliantly interesting. They’re not just angry women who want to get back at their horrible partner with little reasoning behind it, they’ve got a long story together that makes their thirst to murder this man all the more convincing.

    However, these two women still aren’t particularly strong characters. There is a contrast between Simone Signoret’s more held-together character and Véra Clouzot’s more angsty and weak persona, but on the whole, it never seems as if the duo’s plans are entirely foolproof due to the threat of being found out on numerous occasions, heightening the tension even more.

    Also, for a film released in 1955, this is pretty graphic, with some scary scenes that will still shock audiences from today. Of course, it’s nothing gory, but it’s graphic in a similar sense to Psycho, where the director takes liberties with production codes (although in France, they were a lot more lenient than the US back then) to create a bigger shock value, and it really works in making a scarier, and therefore more intense thriller.

    Finally, the climax to this film is excellent. Although it’s still exciting throughout, the story finishes on a shockingly unpredictable note, and one that is definitely worth sitting through two hours to reach.

    Overall, this gets a 7.9, due to its excellent tension throughout, interesting but not infallible protagonists, effective shock value and stunning finale, making this a properly exciting watch.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.5
    Review
    July 23, 20160

    1427. A Matter Of Life And Death (1946)

    8.1
    Review
    May 25, 20170

    1767. A Silent Voice (聲の形) (2016)

    8.2
    Review
    May 13, 20170

    1755. Confessions (告白) (2010)

    8.9
    Review
    September 21, 20130

    291. Run Lola Run (1998)

    8.8
    Review
    December 3, 20170

    1971. Darkest Hour (2017)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.