Diabolique (1955)

Director:  H.G. Clouzot
Starring:  Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel

Haven't reviewed a film in a while, have I?  Well, since it's Halloween, TCM has a great lineup of horror films, and I'm going to review a great one that I saw in my high school French class, DIABOLIQUE.

PLOT:  The film takes place in a French boarding school run by Michel Delassalle (Paul Meurisse).  However, his wife Christina (Véra Clouzot) pays fore everything.  She is frail and sickly.  One night after dinner, Michel physically abuses her.

Christina devises a plan with Nicole Horner (who is also abused by Michel, played by Simone Signoret) to kill Michel.  She and Nicole go to Nicole's apartment and lure Michel to her place.  When he gets there, he begs for Christina to take him back and she refuses.  While he's asleep, they drown him in the bathtub.

Back at school, the ladies dump Miguel's body into the school swimming pool.  When the pool is drained, Michel's body is nowhere to be found.  Scared, the women decide to flee, unaware of where the body is.

One night, Christina is awakened by the private investigator, who says he found Miguel.  Christina confesses she killed him and threw him in the pool with Nicole.  That same night, she sees someone moving throughout the building.  She goes to investigate and is followed by a man.  She follows him and enters a room where Michel's name has been typed on a typewriter repeatedly.  Entering the bathroom, she discovers her husband's corpse in the bathtub.  It begins to rise and we see the infamous eyeball scene.  Michel then murders Christina and we see that it was all a plot by Michel and Nicole to murder Christina. 

At the end, a little boy who breaks a window claims that Christina gave him a slingshot, despite her being dead.

REVIEW:  I'm still surprised that swearing was allowed in foreign films, but I try to remember that foreign films didn't have the Hayes code restricting them.  Anyway, this is a masterfully done film using two strong, powerful, unafraid female leads (until the end, at least).  The climax is well done too.  5 out of 5 stars. 

Trailer: