Good concept, poorly executed.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

...or, more exactly you feel it. the motivation of characters. the atmosphere of school. the relation between Christina and Nicole. and, sure, the end. who, if you see for the first time, it is more than impressive. that did it one of challenge - film. not only for the story and acting. but for the chance to discover a high quality thriller. a film who easy coul be defined as legendary. for a simple motif - it seems perfect. not only as Henry Clouzot work but for so many suggestions for imagine a version by Hitchcock. because all the small ordinary details are present. all what you expect becomes more than shown in admirable manner. the fragility of Vera Clouzot. the cold force of Simone Signoret. and, sure, the performance of Paul Meurisset. a beautiful work. admirable for each scene .

Christina (Véra Clouzot) is the owner of a private boys boarding school and is one its teachers. Despite her ownership of the school, her abusive husband Michel (Paul Meurisse) is the headmaster. He is also abusive to the boys and the staff including his mistress Nicole (Simone Signoret), another teacher. Christina and Nicole devise a plot to kill Michel. From then on, everything goes awry.I believe that every film buff remembers how they felt during the last fifteen minutes of this brilliant thriller during the first viewing. This segment has to be one of the most frightening, nail-biting sequence in film history. As if this wasn't enough, it is followed by a shocking plot twist.The thrill of seeing this film the first time cannot be matched. But even knowing its conclusion, there is still much tension and suspense seeing it again. (This was my third viewing.) Director Henri-Georges Clouzot pays perfect attention to detail and from one second to the next, each moment seems to have the potential to veer into chaos. Whether it does so or not is the mystery.And of course, H-G Clouzot brings out the best in his cast. Signoret is at her signature best but it is Véra Clouzot who stands out especially in the climactic scene."Diabolique" (aka "Les Diaboliques") was written by director Clouzot and Jérôme Géronomi and based on the novel "Celle qui n'était plus" by Boileau-Narcejac.Unforgettable.OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Directing by Henri-Georges Clouzot

Film Review: "Les diaboliques" (1955) - Here comes the ultimate thriller of century, two women, one brunette, shy, over-thoughtful and carefully scared ever step of the way; the other, short-haired blonde, powerful, smoking-coolness striving to plot the perfect murder of the man in their midst. Director Henri-Georges Clouzot (1907-1977) exceeds himself in suspenseful motion picture entertainment after the already high-tension road-movie "The Wages of Fear" two years earlier to present a screen story that keeps its contemporary means, given the audience female characters of sharp-shapes and edges to perform the righteous kill of the business endeavoring male as machoistic, always hungry swine. Actresses Simone Signoret (1921-1985), gives face to the blonde character of Nicole with iconic sunglass interior wear-outs, who insists on the real-life director's wife Véra Clouzot as brunette character Christina to finish the occasional menacing, yet calmer life at countryside bordering school for boys, in order to bring the character of Michel Dalassalle, portrayed with french lifestyle-living ease by Paul Meurisse (1912-1976), to justice. If you are looking out for two hours of high octane, cinematic, needlessly written to the core, thriller entertainment, this is the film to indulge on; one of the international classics that never fades.© 2017 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)

Diabolique twists the convention of a love triangle into something completely different. It might more accurately be described as a hate triangle. Paul Meurisse's character can't stand either his wife, Vera Clouzot, nor his mistress, Simone Signoret. And they, in turn, hate him, and, somewhat more naturally, don't like each other very much.Having resolved to kill the haughty husband/lover, Clouzot and Signoret bungle the act, or so it seems. They become panicky when an increasingly disturbing series of incidents both seem to point out their guilt and leave doubt that Meurisse is actually dead. The tension between them increases as a result, as Clouzot's innocent/hypochondriac character seems to physically melt down, whereas Signoret, steely and determined, only becomes more intense.Essentially, all three characters are unsympathetic. Both husband and mistress are inflexible and domineering, while the wife passive/aggressively wants the other two to feel guilty merely for existing. Admittedly, she is wronged by both the others, and is the only one of the three who seems at home working with the kids they're all responsible for.Clouzot's collapse literally in the face of her 'victim' is thoroughly convincing, and builds at a dizzying pace to its macabre climax. Having said that, and, as much as I admire Diabolique as a whole, I admit there are a few questionable turns.It seems odd that the two 'murderesses' can't find a more discrete place to dump the body than the pool on the same school property where they all work. The 'murder' sequence itself is fairly convincing from Clouzot's point of view, which helps suspend the audience's disbelief, but Meurisse could've survived the Inquisition's test for witchcraft.What elevates this movie's status as one of the best thrillers, despite a few little flaws, is the creepiness lurking in everyday, even dull circumstances, which each of the main characters allows to grow, with truly 'diabolic' consequences.