Watch Repulsion

In Roman Polanski's psychological thriller Repulsion, Catherine Deneuve plays Carol, a young and introverted Belgian woman who works as a manicurist in London. Carol lives with her sister Helen (Yvonne Furneaux) in a small apartment, and Helen is planning to go on a holiday with her lover, leaving Carol alone. This is a precarious situation for Carol, as she is not used to being by herself and has increasingly disturbing hallucinations and nightmares.

Throughout the movie, we get to dive into Carol's mind and see the world from her perspective. We witness her growing paranoia and anxiety, and it's clear that something dark and dangerous is lurking beneath her surface. Repulsion is a masterful portrayal of a descent into madness and the terrifying events that follow.

The movie's strength is in the way it portrays Carol, with Catherine Deneuve giving a stunning and nuanced performance. The camera follows her, and the audience gets to see the world as she sees it. We see her breakdown and the events that lead up to it.

When Carol is left alone in the apartment, she becomes increasingly disturbed by the sounds coming from the apartment above her. The sights, sounds, and smells of the outside world all slowly start to invade her mind, and it feels like the apartment is closing in on her. She starts having vivid hallucinations, including some chilling and grotesque visons. These visions include hands coming out of walls, and dead bodies emerging from the floor.

Polanski portrays Carol’s anxiety and heightened sense of danger through a number of typical horror movie techniques. The ominous music, shadowy camera work, and clever use of sound create a strong sense of unease that gradually builds throughout the movie. The oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere is intense, and every sound becomes amplified, ramping up the tension and suspense.

As her mental state deteriorates, Carol experiences flashes of past traumas, leading her to lash out at everyone around her. She becomes increasingly violent and unhinged, resulting in some unsettling scenes. Her descent into madness is heart-wrenching and horrifying to watch, and Deneuve pulls it off beautifully.

One of the key themes of Repulsion is the sexual oppression that Carol experiences. She is surrounded by men who sexualize and objectify her, and this contributes to her growing state of paranoia and anxiety. Carol's sister Helen is in a relationship with a man named Michael (Ian Hendry), who is physically abusive towards her. Carol has an intense dislike for Michael, and this dislike eventually escalates into something much darker.

Repulsion is a masterful psychological thriller that will leave you feeling disturbed, uncomfortable, and contemplative. It's a reminder of how the mind can unravel in terrifying ways and how we should take care of our mental health. The use of horror tropes to explore these themes makes it all the more powerful, adding to the unease and disorientation of the experience.

In conclusion, Repulsion is a must-watch for any horror or psychological thriller fan. Catherine Deneuve's stunning performance, Polanski's skilled direction, and the themes of sexual oppression and mental health make for a thought-provoking and unsettling viewing experience.

Repulsion is a 1965 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 44 minutes. It has received poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.6 and a MetaScore of 91.