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Les diaboliques

aka Diabolique; The Devils; The Fiends

Poster of Les diaboliques
  • Photo of Jonathan Rigby

    Les diaboliques has been so widely imitated that repetition and familiarity seem to have called in question the film’s status as horror … That Les diaboliques does indeed function as a horror film is clear, not just from the squalid and prolonged murder sequence, but from the script’s central conceit—that a man appears to have cheated death and is bedevilling his killers from beyond the grave. … European horror may have gone quiet again for a while after Les diaboliques, but its flinty, cold-hearted example would be by no means forgotten. Quite apart from its enduring power as a well-nigh perfect horror-thriller, the film remains significant for the impact it had on Alfred Hitchcock. … No less a game-changing horror classic than Psycho can therefore be seen as Hitchcock’s means of ‘getting even’ with Clouzot … The film’s influence extended well beyond Psycho, however. Not only would its plot mechanics be replicated all over the world, but its sleazy, verging on fly-blown, atmosphere would sink deep into the fabric of European horror. France itself may have made no special effort to replace its success, but in Italy, for example, the black gloves worn by Clouzot’s nocturnal interloper during the film’s climax would become an inescapable signifier of the giallo sub-genre, while the bilious view of marital relations contained in the film became a staple feature of Italy’s Gothic horrors.

    Jonathan Rigby, Euro Gothic: Classics of Continental Horror Cinema (Signum Books, 2016)

Selected disc options for Les diaboliques

Extras
Criterion box art
Criterion BD-A/US 2011
Arrow box art
Arrow BD-ALL/UK 2011
Criterion box art
Criterion DVD-0/US/OOP 1999
Audio Commentary by Kelley Conway (Selected Scenes, 44:30) has extra
Audio Commentary by Susan Hayward has extra
Introduction by Serge Bromberg (14:48) has extra
Interview with Kim Newman (15:45) has extra
Interview with Ginette Vincendeau (28:58) has extra
Theatrical Trailer (2:32) has extra has extra
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Notes

  • Criterion’s Blu-ray includes a 20-page booklet with writing by Terrence Rafferty (“Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts”).
  • Arrow’s Blu-ray includes a booklet with writing by Brad Stevens and a reprinted interview with director Henri-Georges Clouzot by Paul Schrader.
  • Criterion’s DVD contains a 4-page booklet with writing by Danny Peary and no extras.

Ultimate Edition

Combine the best digital presentation with a selection of choice extras for the ultimate edition.

  • Screen shot for Introduction by Serge Bromberg
    Introduction by Serge Bromberg (14:48)
  • Screen shot for Interview with Kim Newman
    Interview with Kim Newman (15:45)
Presentation Criterion BD 2011
  • Video
    • File 1
      • Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
      • Resolution: 1080p23.976
      • Overall bit rate: 34.86 Mbps
      • Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
      • Length:1:57:11.985
      • File size: 29.51 GiB
  • Audio
    • File 1
      • Language: French LPCM 1.0
      • Sampling rate: 48 kHz
      • Bit rate: 1152 kbps
      • Bit depth: 24-bit
  • Subtitles
    • English
Arrow BD 2011
  • Video
    • File 1
      • Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
      • Resolution: 1080p
      • Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
  • Audio
    • File 1
      • Language: French LPCM 1.0
  • Subtitles
    • English
Extras Audio Commentary by Kelley Conway (Selected Scenes, 44:30) Criterion BD
Audio Commentary by Susan Hayward Arrow BD
Introduction by Serge Bromberg (14:48, 1080p) Criterion BD
Interview with Kim Newman (15:45, 1080p) Criterion BD
Interview with Ginette Vincendeau (28:58) Arrow BD
Theatrical Trailer (2:32, 1080p) Criterion BD