13 Nights of Shocktober: Diabolique

by A. J.

This is my favorite time of year, second only to Christmas. Autumn has arrived, the weather is cooling down, and October becomes the month-long celebration of scary movies called Shocktober. There are a lot of horror movies out there, but as a genre, horror is still looked down upon by some mainstream critics and moviegoers. It doesn’t help that, admittedly, there are so few quality horror movies made but, like comedy, it’s a very difficult and subjective genre. So, in the days leading up Halloween I’ll be posting some recommendations for scary movies to help you celebrate Shocktober.

Night 7: "Don't be a devil. Don't ruin the interest your friends could have in this film. Don't tell them what you saw.'' Diabolique

Diabolique is a superb and masterful psychological thriller and mystery from France released in 1955. Almost right away you feel like you’re watching a top-shelf Alfred Hitchcock film. It has a deliberate style, skill, and humor that rival the best of Hitchcock’s work. In fact, legend has it that director Henri-Georges Clouzot secured the rights to the novel the film is based on only a half-hour before Hitchcock attempted to do the same.

The story is about Christina and Nicole, the equally abused wife and mistress of Michel, who plot the cruel man’s murder. The film is set largely at a boys' boarding school which Christina owns, but Michel runs poorly. He is rude to the staff and boys and saves money by buying cheap wine and spoiled fish. Christina is frail and reluctant to go along with Nicole’s plan to murder Michel. However, they drown him in a hotel and then dump his body in the school swimming pool. None of that is spoiler material because the movie really takes off once the body of Michel disappears. Then the game begins. Cryptic clues find their way to Christina and Nicole. Christina becomes remorseful and wants to turn herself in. Nicole won’t allow that.

To add to the stress Christina is feeling is the incredibly enjoyable character of retired police commissioner Fichet who, unasked, volunteers to take the case of finding the missing Michel. Fichet surely must be the blueprint for the rumpled, seemingly absentminded TV detective Columbo. Fichet seems to be more of a pest than a threat and comes off like a bored, old man playing detective, but if you pay close attention to the performance of actor Charles Vanel you know that Fichet is actually an excellent, but subtle detective.

Diabolique is not technically a horror movie, but it does have one of the most famous and most terrifying moments in film history. That scene is so notorious you might already know about it, but regardless of whether you know what is coming or not, it is still shocking to see with your own eyes. There is beautiful black and white cinematography and the scenes are staged with care for maximum suspense. There is a lot of humor in the movie, too. Nearly every minor character is comic relief, especially the boarding school staff and the boys with their gossip about Michel. This movie is a spooky mystery that will deliver that familiar unease and excitement you get from a great horror movie but without blood or monsters.