History Film / LesDiaboliques

[[ForeignRemake Remade in the U.S.]] twice, first as the 1974 MadeForTVMovie ''Reflections of Murder'' (starring Joan Hackett as the wife, Tuesday Weld as the mistress, and Creator/SamWaterston as the brutish husband) and then again as the 1996 theatrical film ''Diabolique'' (starring Isabelle Adjani as the wife, Creator/SharonStone as the mistress, Creator/ChazzPalminteri as the husband, and Creator/KathyBates in a [[GenderFlip gender-flipped]] role as the detective).

* WouldHitAGirl: Michel slaps Christina after she spills alcohol on his suit -- it's drugged, and she was trying to stop him from drinking it. She then [[LaserGuidedKarma goes ahead and lets him drink]].

* HomoeroticSubtext: The film implies that Christina and Nicole are lovers -- one scene shows them in the same room in pajamas, and later they speak of running away together. This is never expressly portrayed or stated, however; there were some things you just couldn't do in 1955, even in France.

The story is set at a run-down boys' boarding school on the outskirts of Paris. Christina (Véra Clouzot) and Nicole (Creator/SimoneSignoret), who are respectively wife and [[TheMistress mistress]] to the school's {{jerkass}} head master, Michel (Paul Meurisse), conspire to murder him. Shortly after they carry out the deed, however, his body disappears. And then things just get weirder from there.

The story is set at a run-down boys' boarding school on the outskirts of Paris. Christina (Véra Clouzot) and Nicole (Creator/SimoneSignoret), who are respectively the wife and [[TheMistress mistress]] of the school's JerkAss head master Michel (Paul Meurisse), conspire to murder him. Shortly after they carry out the deed, however, his body disappears. And then things just get weirder from there.

[[ForeignRemake Remade in the U.S.]] twice, first as the 1974 MadeForTVMovie ''Reflections of Murder'' (starring Joan Hackett as the wife, Tuesday Weld as the mistress, and Creator/SamWaterston as the brutish husband) and then again as the 1996 theatrical film ''Diabolique'' (starring Isabelle Adjani as the wife, Creator/SharonStone as the mistress, Creator/ChazzPalminteri as the husband, and Creator/KathyBates in a {{Gender Flip}}ped role as the detective).

[[ForeignRemake Remade in the U.S.]] twice, first as the 1974 MadeForTVMovie ''Reflections of Murder'' (starring Joan Hackett as the wife, Tuesday Weld as the mistress, and Creator/SamWaterston as the brutish husband) and then again as the 1996 theatrical film ''Diabolique'' (starring Isabelle Adjani as the wife, Creator/SharonStone as the mistress, Creator/ChazzPalminteri as the husband, and Creator/KathyBates in a GenderFlip role as the detective).

The story is set at a run-down boys' boarding school on the outskirts of Paris. Christina (Véra Clouzot) and Nicole (Creator/SimoneSignoret), who are respectively the wife and [[TheMistress mistress]] of the school's JerkAss head master Michel (Paul Meurisse), conspire to murder him. After they carry out the deed, however, his body disappears. And then things just get weirder from there.

The story is set at a run-down boys' boarding school on the outskirts of Paris. Christina (Véra Clouzot) and Nicole (Creator/SimoneSignoret), who are respectively the wife and [[TheMistress mistress]] of the school's JerkAss headmaster Michel (Paul Meurisse), conspire to murder him. After they carry out the deed, however, his body disappears. And then things just get weirder from there.

The story takes place at a run-down boys' boarding school. Christina (Véra Clouzot) and Nicole (Creator/SimoneSignoret), respectively the wife and [[TheMistress mistress]] of the school's JerkAss headmaster Michel (Paul Meurisse), conspire to murder him. However, after they carry out the deed, his body disappears, and then things just get weirder.

Rumpled, folksy detective Fichet, played by Creator/CharlesVanel, was the inspiration for ''Series/{{Columbo}}''.

[[ForeignRemake Remade in the U.S.]] twice, first as the 1974 MadeForTVMovie ''Reflections of Murder'' (starring Joan Hackett as the wife, Tuesday Weld as the mistress, and Creator/SamWaterston as the brutish husband) and then again as the 1996 theatrical film ''Diabolique'' (starring Creator/IsabelleAdjani as the wife, Creator/SharonStone as the mistress, Creator/ChazzPalminteri as the husband, and Creator/KathyBates in a GenderFlip role as the detective).

* SpookyPhotographs: Michel's ghostly face appears in the class portrait.

There's also a quasi-remake from Hong Kong's Creator/ShawBrothers studios, titled ''Film/HEX''.

* BoardingSchoolOfHorrors: L'institution Delassalle might not be quite as extreme as some examples, but it's still a run-down dump overseen by the sadistic headmaster Michel.

* ReverseWhodunnit: What happened to Michel's body? What's going on?

Cited by Creator/AlfredHitchcock as an influence on ''Film/{{Psycho}}''. ''Film/{{Deathtrap}}'' was also a SpiritualSuccessor.

[[ForeignRemake Remade in the U.S.]] twice, first as the 1974 MadeForTVMovie ''Reflections of Murder'' (starring Joan Hackett as the wife, Tuesday Weld as the mistress, and Creator/SamWaterston as the brutish husband) and then again as the 1996 theatrical film ''Diabolique'' (starring Isabelle Adjani as the wife, Creator/SharonStone as the mistress, Creator/ChazzPalminteri as the husband, and Creator/KathyBates in a GenderFlip role as the detective).

''Les Diaboliques'' (''The Devils''), also known as ''Diabolique'', is a [[UsefulNotes/{{France}} French]] suspense-thriller made in 1955 and directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, [[TheFilmOfTheBook adapted from]] the 1952 novel ''Celle qui n'était plus'' (''She Who Was No More'') by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac.

* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:Michel wasn't dead at all. It was a trick to fool Christina.]]

* {{Fainting}}: Christina, after the swimming pool where Michel's body was dumped is drained empty... [[spoiler:and the body is gone]].

* DeathByAdaptation: The film tweaks the initial murder plot of the novel, but [[spoiler:Nicole and Michel]] actually succeed in [[spoiler:killing Christina]].
* DisposingOfABody: Or appearing to, anyway.

* AssholeVictim: Michel, with so much emphasis on "asshole" that the "victim" part almost fades in comparison. [[spoiler:Subverted eventually, as the ending reveals that he has been alive and working together with Nicole the whole time. Double subverted when Alfred Fichet catches them both and arrests them]].

* HollywoodHeartAttack: Averted. [[spoiler:The fatal heart attack at the end is ''disturbingly'' realistic]].

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: In the last scene, a kid claims to [[spoiler:have talked with Christina, who died from a heart attack earlier.]] The boy is noted to be a notorious liar, but he was right when he said that [[spoiler:he saw Michel earlier in the movie]]. So is he lying this time, or [[spoiler:has he really encountered her ghost? Or did Christina survive her attack, just like Michel faked his death?]]

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: In the last scene, a kid claims to [[spoiler:have talked with Christina, who died from a heart attack earlier]]. The boy is noted to be a notorious liar, but he was right when he said that [[spoiler:he saw Michel earlier in the movie]]. So is he lying this time, or [[spoiler:has he really encountered her ghost? Or did Christina survive her attack, just like Michel faked his death]]?

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: In the last scene, a kid claims to [[spoiler:have talked with Christina, who died from a heart attack earlier]]. The boy is noted to be a notorious liar, but he was right when he said that [[spoiler:he saw Michel earlier in the movie]]. So is he lying this time, or [[spoiler:has he really encountered her ghost? Or did Christina survive her attack, just like Michel faked his death?]]

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: In the last scene, a kid claims to [[spoiler:have talked to Christina, who died from a heart attack earlier]]. The boy is noted to be a notorious liar, but he was right when he said that [[spoiler:he saw Michel earlier in the movie]]. So is he lying this time, or [[spoiler:has he really encountered her ghost? Or did Christina survive her attack, just like Michel faked his death?]]