Diabolique (1996)

Director:

Jeremiah S. Chechik

Writers (WGA):

Pierre Boileau (novel) and
Thomas Narcejac (novel) ...

Release Date:

22 March 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller | Mystery

Tagline:

Two women. One man. The combination can be murder.

Plot:

The wife and mistress of a cruel school master collaborate in a carefully planned and executed attempt to murder him...

Plot Keywords:

School | Mistress | Murder | Murder Plot | Remake

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Sharon Stone	...	Nicole Horner
Isabelle Adjani	...	Mia Baran
Chazz Palminteri	...	Guy Baran
Kathy Bates	...	Det. Shirley Vogel
Spalding Gray	...	Simon Veatch
Shirley Knight	...	Edie Danziger
Allen Garfield	...	Leo Katzman
Adam Hann-Byrd	...	Erik Pretzer
Donal Logue	...	Video Photographer #1
Diana Bellamy	...	Ms. Vawze
Clea Lewis	...	Lisa Campos
J.J. Abrams	...	Video Photographer #2 (as Jeffrey Abrams)
O'Neal Compton	...	Irv Danziger
Bingo O'Malley	...	Gannon
Stephen Liska	...	PHP Officer

MPAA:

Rated R for violence/terror, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #34415) | Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:16 (w) | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Harmony, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

ABC Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: The lines of text on the computer monitor reach the bottom of the screen start scrolling. In the close-up, the text is just starting to be written again.

Quotes:

Nicole: Killing him is a good thing. Like planting a tree.
Mia: Maybe there is a God.
Nicole: What are you talking about?
Mia: I haven't believed fot so long... So when the pool was empty I thought: maybe there is a God. And He knows what we did. And He's coming for us.
Nicole: It's not God, Honey. That's a lady detective with one breast.

Movie Connections:

Version of Les diaboliques (1955)

Soundtrack:

In The Arms Of Love

Incredibly stupid, despite Stone's panache...

Throughout a string of post-"Basic Instinct" duds ("Sliver", "Intersection", "Sphere", and this one), Sharon Stone has managed to retain her dignity on-screen and hold onto her celebrity allure off-screen. Even in the terrible "Diabolique", she is wickedly funny, dry as a poisoned martini, and sexy in her '50s movie-magazine way. The picture, about two female teachers who bump off one's abusive husband, is full of holes, bad writing and a limp direction, but Stone kept me watching. Red herrings abound as the two women find they are being watched, and are later dogged by a woman detective (Kathy Bates, doing her best with a sour role). Nothing quite fits together plot-wise at the conclusion of "Diabolique". It is one messed up jigsaw. *1/2 from ****