MovieChat Forums > Les diaboliques (1955) Discussion > Psycho or Les Diaboliques?

Psycho or Les Diaboliques?


Based on the trivia, Hitchcock made Psycho specifically to outdo Les Diaboliques...did he succeed? Which do you think is a better movie.

Personally, I think Les Diaboliques wins by a nose. It's definitely not as well paced as Psycho (the beginning exposition takes a little too long), but the scenes are genuinely creepier, more haunting, and more thrilling than in Psycho. Any other opinions?

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I'm with Les Diaboliques because it did what Hitchcock was never really able to do; explain the supernatural logically without it becoming silly (I'm looking at you, Vertigo). The ending of Les Diaboliques is pretty much perfect. It's hair-raising, has a terrific explanation, and still leaves a little bit for consideration with the final scene. While Psycho has a hair-raising ending, the movie is content to end with a confirmation that it is about someone who is insane rather than normal people. Les Diaboliques' best quality is that it's about average people. Psycho is an unfortunately moralistic tale outliers.

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a haunting, intense and horrorfying soundtrack is missing in diaboliques, therefore only second place.

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The ambiguous ending in Les Diaboliques especially the the recurrent Moinet's conviction about Christina gives it a more darker , intricate side. But overall Psycho has better pacing , characters ,disguised but elaborate mystery. If Les Diaboliques dint have that dark side ending , Psycho would've subdued it significantly.

Psycho's better but both add indelibly to thriller/suspense concoction.

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Clearly, the point goes to Diabolique. Not because I don't like Psycho, it is a great movie, too. Though it is much too American, with an unbelievable, sorry folks, final explanation. Diabolique is in this sense very straightforward, without having to bring in hair-raising psychological theory. And as add-on, in the end it leaves avenues for interpretation while the culprits are actually caught.

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They're both equally fantastic. It's difficult to give a preference to one or the other.

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