Repulsion (1965)

Repulsion (1965) is a spare, slow-burning psychological horror directed by Roman Polanski and anchored by a chilling performance from Catherine Deneuve as Carol Ledoux. Set in a London flat where Carol lives with her older sister, the film follows a young, sexually repressed manicurist whose fragile mental state unravels when she is left alone. Small obsessions — cracks in walls, intrusive male intimacy, muffled lovemaking next door — intensify into hallucinations, catatonic spells, and increasingly violent imaginings as isolation deepens. Seeing the film is less about jump scares than about being led into a tightening, claustrophobic nightmare. Polanski’s precise, often clinical framing, stark black‑and‑white images, and an unsettling sound design pull you into Carol’s point of view: silence becomes menacing, ordinary rooms feel like traps, and reality dissolves into surreal, horrific visions. The pacing is deliberate, building dread through repetition and small details until the psychological collapse becomes unavoidable. Expect to come away feeling unsettled, empathetic to Carol’s vulnerability yet disturbed by the intensity of her breakdown. The movie examines sexual repression, paranoia, and the interior life of a woman driven toward psychosis, making it a classic of psychological horror rather than graphic gore. Content warning: themes and imagery include sexual violence, psychological disintegration, and disturbing visual sequences.

Actors: Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, John Fraser

Director: Roman Polanski

Runtime: 105 min

Genres: Drama, Horror, Thriller

7.5 /10 91 /100 7.6 /10 8.1 /10