Horror thrillers make for one of the best combo corners in all of film, with numerous underrated gems and celebrated classics filling the ranks. BetweenThe Shining,The Sixth Sense,Suspiria, andSeven(this mashup loves titles beginning with S) there are more than enough fantastic horror thrillers out there to get both genre’s fans living in harmony under one roof. Despite there being a packed list of horror thriller bangers out there, none of them stack up to the best of the batch. Which movie would that be?AlfredHitchcock’s 1960 masterpiece,Psycho, of course. Norman Bates' (Anthony Perkins) first outing has been described by many as one of the most influential movies of its kind. Between its shapeshifting, unconventional structure, eerie central performance from Perkins, andiconic shower kill setpiece,Psychohas left an undeniable mark on almost every scary movie in its wake. Despite being on theMount Rushmore of horror, Hitchcock’s picture isn’t exactly wholly original. Of course, no movie is truly singular, but it seems as though the influence runs a bit deeper on this one than expected.
While Hitchcock’s picture is obviously derived fromRobert Bloch’s 1959 novel of the same name,the source text’s influence actually pulls from mid-century French cinema.Diabolique(known in its native France asLes Diaboliques), in particular, has about as clear of a watermark left onPsychoas anything possibly could.Bloch had been openabout his love forHenri-Georges Clouzot’s film in the past. If you’ve seenLes Diaboliques, this couldn’t be more apparent. Between its twisty and ever-evolving plot, grim tone, anxious structure, shady central characters,and police procedural diversions, it couldn’t be more apparent how much of an impact Clouzot’s picture had on Bloch’s novel. Well, things get hairier when you learn thatHitchcock allegedly tried to acquire the film rights to the originalLes Diaboliquesnovel,only to lose them to the film’s eventual director. It makes sense, considering you’d have a hard time finding a non-Hitchcock movie that is as Hitchockian as this. IsDiaboliquesbetter than the film that it would go on to inspire? It depends on who you ask. These movies make the ultimate double horror thriller feature, though — that’s for certain.
Diabolique
‘Les Diabolques’ is a Must-See Classic for Fans of Horror Thrillers
If you’re still yet to seeLes Diaboliques, don’t worry, you’re not alone.Classic European cinema buffsand Criterion Collection devotees are well aware of its greatness, but in comparison toPsycho, it’s a relatively obscure find. This ought to be fixed, because most of you all are, as the kids might say, sleeping on a bona fide banger. Clouzot’s film follows Christina Delasalle (Véra Clouzot), a woman who conspires to murder her husband, Michel (Paul Meurisse), with the help of his mistress, Nicole (Simone Signoret). From there, Christina’s actions take her down anincredibly proto-Hitchcockian roadof fear, anxiety, and always feeling like she’s on the verge of being found out.Les Diaboliquesis a must-see, not only for fans of old-school cinema but audiences everywhere. It’s a timeless thriller that, once it takes off, is bound to grab anyone and everyone’s attention in a death grip.
Alfred Hitchcock Apparently Missed an Opportunity to Make ‘Les Diaboliques’
A few years before adaptingPsychofor the silver screen, it is rumored that Hitchcock was in pursuit of the film rights for the French novel,Celle qui n’était plus(She Who Was No More), byPierre BoileauandThomas Narcajec. According to French New Wave directorFrançois Truffaut’sHitchcock/Truffaut, a book on the conversations had between the two cinema legends, just a few hours before the Master of Suspense could reach the authors over the phone, another filmmaker was able to catch their line and acquired the rights for himself. That man was Henri-Georges Clouzot, who would then adapt the novel asLes Diaboliques. While Clouzot went on to make the film, the original novel spoke to Hitchcock enough that he wanted to make it himself. Thankfully, for audiences and the trajectory of movie history, it wouldn’t take long for Hitchcock to get this kind of horror thrillerstory out of his system.
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Robert Bloch, the Author of Psycho,' Was a Huge Fan of ‘Les Diaboliques’
Some might say that these structural and character similarities are merely coincidental, but Robert Bloch seems as though he would happily report otherwise. In a 1983L’Ecran Fantastiqueinterview, when asked about his familiarity with French authors, Bloch said “…my favorite horror film of all time isDiabolique. I think that is the epitome of what the horror film should be.” So, while he was asked about French authors, Bloch was apparently so entranced by his favorite horror film that he couldn’t help but jump the conversation over to cinema instead of literature. The man clearly has taste, but I do take a bit of issue with his classification ofLes Diaboliques, as well as the way that most people look at it.
Most accounts call this film a horror movie, and it isn’t as straightforward a one as say,The ExorcistIn the realm of horror thrillers, it leans way further into the thriller realm than anything.Les Diaboliquesis about planning a criminal act, only for the characters to end up right on the edge of getting caught by the law. There are some spooky moments, but in the film’s near two-hour runtime, they probably only make up about two minutes. By and large,this movie is mostly about the cat and mouse of it all, not scaring the life out of you. That’s not a knock on the movie, just a bit of a suggestion on what to expect when going in.
Whether you’re a fan ofPsychoand are looking for something to scratch a similar itch or you’re just in need of a solid thriller, you can’t go wrong withLes Diaboliques. It might not be as good as Hitchcock’smonumental piece of horror cinema, but we never would have gotten his movie without it.
