Nigel P This is often known as 'Roman Polanski's Repulsion', so inter-twined is the director and this piece of work. Catherine Deneuve plays listless Carol, a stunning blond who acts like the dowdiest wallflower you could meet. She lives with her sister Helen (Yvonne Furneaux), married boyfriend Michael (Ian Hendry) and is pursued - without much success - by Colin (John Fraser). The attention to minutiae in the dilapidated building is not dissimilar to the location in Polanski's 'The Tenant (1976)'.In fact, that is not the only similarity - Carol could be a relation of the other film's central Trelkovsky character; she even knocks heads with Colin as Trelkovsky does with Isabelle Adjani's Stella in a similar scene in the later film. Equally, her comparable descent from being merely preoccupied to full paranoia to the point of hallucination adds to this exploration into her increasingly fragile mental state.As a shocking tale of someone sliding into insanity, I found this effective, but unfairly, I feel it has dated in a way that 'The Tenant' has not. It is still a persuasive and occasionally unnerving depiction of madness. Deneuve is very good in it, as is the rest of the cast, and Polanski makes the most of her increasing physical and mental isolation.

Jerewolf_Horrorhound I understand that some people enjoy hidden meanings and "art" films, but learn how to combine an entertaining plot with your hidden message, much like Kubrick did with 'The Shining'. That is, if you want to make a truly good film that reaches people on different levels and different interests. Repulsion is just so aimless and uninteresting. It's as drab and boring as the black and white. Yeah, it was shot well. Yeah, the acting works, but you have no plot to follow other than your own. You take nothing away from this movie other than speculation and uncertainty.

Prichards12345 Repulsion is a movie I'd heard and read a lot about. So having finally caught up with it I can see why the movie is rated so highly; but the experience of watching it is largely dull. The thing only picks up when Patrick Wymark's sleazy landlord enters the scene, and when it does it packs a considerable wallop. But for me it was just too little, too late.Although this is a British horror film it actually has more of a continental feel, thanks to the presence of Catherine Deneuve and slow deliberateness of director Roman Polanski. He's a clever film maker but much of his work is glacially paced. I didn't find this any different.The plot concerns a young woman's slow descent into madness in London's bedsit land. A far cry from Swinging London, the film looks grimy and mundane, and as Carol's mental faculties break down, something of the claustrophobic nausea she feels about sex reaches the viewer. That last shot of the family photo hints that Carol may have suffered abuse as a child; the only explanation given to us to explain the events.Carol's breakdown feels psychologically accurate, and she's well played by Denueve, a stunningly beautiful actress who looks slightly out of place amidst the tawdriness.I found the last half hour to be very unnerving and effective - but it's not enough to save the movie from being very uninvolving until this point. Other than the fact that the men are all sexist pigs "only interested in one thing" it all seems rather anodyne. Can't really say it's a film to enjoy but it is worth a watch. Just.

ironlion106 This is my third film by Roman Polanski, the others being Chinatown (1974) and Rosemary's Baby (1968) (I barely count Rosemary's Baby (1968) because I remember almost nothing from it). I still have only a very vague idea of his style but thus far, his directing has not disappointed me.The issues that Repulsion (1965) has are not in the directing, although the pacing could've been better. For me, it's in the screenplay itself. I expected this movie to explore themes like sex, sexism, and other things of this nature. But after seeing it, I don't think this movie actually explored anything. Perhaps it was trying to say something about human nature. Perhaps it was sending a message about men. But I can't help but to think about Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire (1987). My biggest complaint in my review of that film was that it had an interesting concept, but it didn't seem to have anything else. No themes, ideas, or things of that nature. And I think the exact same applies here.This aside, Repulsion (1987) is a fairly good movie. The acting is good for the most part, the cinematography is great, and the execution of psychological horror is incredible for any decade, let alone the 60's. Very few classic horror films have ever managed to disturb me like they did to the people who saw them in theaters, but this one actually had some good and original scares.Overall, I'm glad I saw it and I would recommend. I wouldn't, however, consider it a great film.