Diabolique, released in France as Les Diaboliques, is a 1955 psychological thriller directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, following a schoolteacher's wife and his mistress as they conspire to murder him, only for his body to disappear. Built around an escalating sense of dread and a twist ending, the film pioneered a marketing campaign urging audiences not to reveal its ending to others who had not yet seen it, a tactic Alfred Hitchcock later borrowed for Psycho. It is widely regarded as one of the finest French thrillers ever made and a direct influence on Hitchcock's own work.
Facts
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Original Language Release Year FAQs
Is Diabolique based on a novel?
It is based on a novel by Boileau and Narcejac whose film rights Clouzot secured before Hitchcock could.
Yes. The film is based on a novel by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, published in French as Celle qui n'était plus. Henri-Georges Clouzot optioned the screenplay rights to the novel after finishing The Wages of Fear in 1953, which prevented Alfred Hitchcock from making the film himself.
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Source Les Diaboliques (film) (Wikipedia)
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Sources
1. Les Diaboliques - Wikipedia
Lead paragraph, first sentence
is a 1955 French psychological thriller film co-written and directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
Infobox, Country field
France
Lead paragraph, first sentence, original language
is a 1955 French psychological thriller film co-written and directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
Wikipedia category, checked 2026-09-27
Category:Louis Delluc Prize winners
View the SourceLes Diaboliques (film) (Wikipedia)
In Medium: Film, Lead
is a 1955 French psychological thriller film co-written and directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
Created By: Henri-Georges Clouzot, Article lead sentence
The Diabolical Ones or Diabolical Women, released as Diabolique in the United States and variously translated as The Devils or The Fiends) is a 1955 French psychological thriller film co-written and directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, and starring Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse, and Charles Vanel.
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