Les Diaboliques (1955)
The wife and mistress of a sadistic school headmaster plot to kill him. The murder goes swimmingly until it turns out the body has disappeared.
A film brimming with invention and tricks and an oppressive atmosphere, Les Diaboliques has spawned many imitations and it's easy to see why.
It's a mean and moody piece with a pervading Gothic gloom throughout and everything from the women protagonists to the school in which the film is set has a graveyard stench of neglect. Hitchcockian in style with twists galore and a finale that is truly diabolical (cough) climaxing in a final shot that suggests more was to come.
This was a first time viewing for me. It won't be the last!
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