Overview
A chilling tale of betrayal and desperation unfolds in a secluded boarding school.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- foreboding
- claustrophobic
- morbid
- classic cinema night
- late night suspense
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a superbly constructed, morbid psychological mystery driven by its precise visual design and commanding performances, though some found its melodrama contrived.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Christina's abusive marriage, Michel's disappearance, and reported sightings transform the boarding school into a space of pervasive suspicion.
Christina and Nicole, bound together as wife and former lover, collaborate on a lethal plan against Michel.
The boys' boarding school, morgue, swimming pool, and domestic interiors repeatedly contain the characters and their fears.
The murder plan, vanished body, apparent sightings, and police investigation continually redirect suspicion.
Films like Diabolique, and why
The Wages of Fear
shares a meticulously constructed murder mystery, psychological suspense, moral unease, and a claustrophobic atmosphere
Le Corbeau
shares French film noir sensibility, escalating dread, formal precision, and a plot built around deception
The Innocents
shares an ingenious crime puzzle, unreliable appearances, ominous domestic spaces, and a shocking psychological reversal
Movie Details
- Director
- Henri-Georges Clouzot
- Release Date
- 1955-01-29
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 7.9 / 10 (1139)
Cast
- Véra Clouzot
- Simone Signoret
- Paul Meurisse
- Charles Vanel
- Jean Brochard
- Pierre Larquey
- Michel Serrault
- Yves-Marie Maurin
- Georges Poujouly
- Thérèse Dorny
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Artify
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Artify
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Diabolique about?
- At a troubled French boys' boarding school, an abused wife and her husband's former lover turn a murder plot into a nightmare of vanished evidence and mounting paranoia.
- What is Diabolique like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Diabolique as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Diabolique violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Diabolique as moderate.
- What did critics think of Diabolique?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a superbly constructed, morbid psychological mystery driven by its precise visual design and commanding performances, though some found its melodrama contrived.
- Which films are like Diabolique?
- Films with a similar feel include The Wages of Fear, Le Corbeau, and The Innocents.
- How long is Diabolique?
- Diabolique runs 118 minutes.
- Where can I watch Diabolique?
- In United States, Diabolique streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Artify.
