The wife and mistress of a loathed school principal hatch a plan to murder him while having the perfect alibi. They carry out the plan...but then his body disappears.
The Watchmen and San Andreas star leans into a different side of herself to play a hard-hitting new role.
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Title: Diabolique (1955)
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Simone Signoret | ... | Nicole Horner | |
| Véra Clouzot | ... | Christina Delassalle (as Vera Clouzot) | |
| Paul Meurisse | ... | Michel Delassalle | |
| Charles Vanel | ... | Alfred Fichet, le commissaire | |
| Jean Brochard | ... | Plantiveau, le concierge | |
 |
Thérèse Dorny | ... | Mme. Herboux |
| Michel Serrault | ... | M. Raymond, le surveillant | |
| Georges Chamarat | ... | Dr. Loisy | |
| Robert Dalban | ... | Le garagiste | |
|
|
Camille Guérini | ... | Le photographe (as Camille Guerini) |
|
|
Jacques Hilling | ... | L'employé de la morgue |
| Jean Lefebvre | ... | Le soldat | |
|
|
Aminda Montserrat | ... | Madame Plantiveau |
|
|
Jean Témerson | ... | Le garçon d'hôtel (as Jean Temerson) |
| Jacques Varennes | ... | M. Bridoux, professeur | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (51) »
Storyline
The wife and mistress of a sadistic boarding school headmaster plot to kill him. They drown him in the bathtub and dump the body in the school's filthy swimming pool... but when the pool is drained, the body has disappeared - and subsequent reported sightings of the headmaster slowly drive his 'killers' (and the audience) up the wall with almost unbearable suspense... Written by Michael Brooke <michael@everyman.demon.co.uk>
Plot Keywords:
drowning in a bathtub | boarding school | disappearance of a dead body | surprise ending | school principal |Taglines:
Don't Reveal the Ending! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
FranceRelease Date:
21 November 1955 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Devils See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (A.R.T.E.C.)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Plantiveau, le concierge: Headmaster!
Michel Delassalle: Yes.
Plantiveau, le concierge: Isn't it time I rang the bell?
Michel Delassalle: It's okay. I'll unload the car myself.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
In reality, Simone Signoret did not know how to drive. Hence the reason why Véra Clouzot is seen doing all the driving in the film. See more »Goofs
When Michel is unconscious on the bed, his shoes are off. A few minutes later when Nicole and Christina pick him up and put him in the bathtub, his shoes are suddenly back on. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Plantiveau, le concierge: Headmaster!
Michel Delassalle: Yes.
Plantiveau, le concierge: Isn't it time I rang the bell?
Michel Delassalle: It's okay. I'll unload the car myself.
See more »
Crazy Credits
The movie ends with a text screen commenting on what the viewer has witnessed, and a request not to spoil the ending for those who are planning to see the movie. See more »Alternate Versions
USA release in 1955 ran 107 minutes rather than 116 minutes. See more »Contribute to This Page
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Scare the crap out of you!
I don't hand out many 10s. Some movies don't really require much thought or analysis. In the end all that matters is what happened to you when you first saw it.
I remember when I first saw this. Nothing scary at first, but the nastiness of the place and the people is effortlessly shown. And then the bad stuff starts to happen.
Ugliness...shock...suspense...shock...mystery...eeriness...awful shock.
I remember, though it must have been forty years ago, the climactic scenes with my neck hairs standing up, sweat on my face, clutching the theater armrests like I was in danger of falling, and finally realizing I was weeping- not tears of sadness, tears of helpless terror.
I envy anyone seeing this for the first time.