Sinners, Sinning, and Sin - Diabolique Review

Caroline Lannes

“Diabolique,” a noir film directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, is a “Thelma & Louise” meets “American Psycho” thriller set in 1950s France. It stars Vera Clouzot, a frequent collaborator of Henry-Georges Clouzot as his wife and muse at the time, and Simone Signoret. While the women lead the film, the plot is centered around a man: headmaster Michel Delassalle.

Delassalle is a cruel and abusive headmaster and husband to Christina, played by Clouzot, who has a mistress named Nicole, played by Signoret. It’s clear the relationships between the three characters were messy before the events of the film, as all three of them work at the school together. The film sets up the womens’ relationship with Delassalle in the first scene by revealing the intensity of his abuse and the power he has over the whole school. Interestingly enough, the two women actually appear to be friends, and unite and bond over their trauma from his abuse. This bond is what sets the film in motion when Nicole decides to murder Delassalle and enlist Christina for help.

At first, Christina was incredibly hesitant, and she cites her religion and fear of Hell as a reason not to go through withthe murder. I initially thought religion would be a more prevalent theme in the film based on Christina’s background, however it was merely used as a plot device which was honestly disappointing. I think religious horror is one of the most interesting types of horror so I wish it was an added element in the film outside of  Christina’s guilty conscience once the two women come to grips with what they want to do with Delassalle

This film can be boiled down to one element: suspense. The audience is constantly in the dark on what is about to occur. This is accentuated by the use of jagged shadow; the black and white format helps exaggerate shadows as there is no color to focus on. Additionally, the director relies on the audience’s imagination to conjure up fear. For instance, scary sequences often occur offscreen or the action is veiled by something, and it is up to the audience to interpret what is happening.  This experience is aided by the score, which creates the eerie environment to go along with the scene, since not much is happening on screen. While I did love this tactic of constant suspense, at some points the film did lose my interest. With such a simplistic plot the film needs to have a bit more oomph in order to captivate the audience for the full two hour runtime. 

The ending almost made up for the plot lulls. Almost. It was still a great ending nevertheless and the acting was remarkable. I noticed that there is a 1996 remake, and I think that’s completely unnecessary. The film is a good time capsule capturing the difficulty of leaving abusive marriages back in the 50s, and it still resonates today. While I did not fully love this film, Hitchcock fans would adore it. It can be watched on HBO Max or the Criterion Channel.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Caroline Lannes — October 19th, 2021