Repulsion is a 1965 British psychological horror thriller film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Catherine Deneuve. The story was written by Polanski and Gérard Brach. It follows Carol, a quiet and troubled young woman who experiences scary and strange things when she is left alone in the apartment she shares with her sister. The film shows Carol’s point of view and her vivid hallucinations and nightmares as she interacts with men and their desires. Supporting actors include Ian Hendry, John Fraser, Patrick Wymark, and Yvonne Furneaux.

The film was shot in London. It is Polanski’s first English-language film and his second feature-length production, following Knife in the Water (1962).

Repulsion premiered at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival before being released in theaters worldwide. When it was released, the film received strong praise from critics and is now considered one of Polanski’s most important works. The film was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Gilbert Taylor’s cinematography.

Plot

Carol Ledoux, a quiet woman from Belgium who works as a manicurist, lives in London with her older sister, Helen. Carol finds it difficult to connect with others and often feels disconnected during everyday activities. A man named Colin is very interested in Carol and tries hard to ask her to be his girlfriend, but Carol does not seem to care. Carol is upset by Helen's relationship with a married man named Michael, whom she dislikes. She is troubled by Michael's habit of leaving his razor and toothbrush in her bathroom glass, and she has trouble sleeping because she hears Helen and Michael being together.

One day, Carol walks home from work and is distracted by a crack in the pavement. Colin sees her and tries to talk to her, but she struggles to respond. He drives her home and attempts to kiss her several times, but she pulls away. She runs upstairs, brushes her teeth quickly, and then cries. That night, Helen asks Carol why she threw Michael's toothbrush and razor in the trash. At the salon, Carol becomes more distant, speaking very little to coworkers and customers. Her boss decides to send her home early because of her behavior.

That night, Helen and Michael leave for a trip to Italy, leaving Carol alone in the apartment. Carol takes a rabbit from the fridge for dinner but does not cook it. Instead, she becomes distracted by Michael's belongings, including a smelly shirt that makes her vomit. After trying on one of Helen's dresses, Carol sees a dark figure in the mirror. Later that night, she hears footsteps outside her bedroom. Carol's loneliness begins to affect her, and she misses three days of work. One morning, she runs a bath and walks away, causing it to overflow. When she turns on a light, the wall cracks open. She locks herself in her room and again hears footsteps. This time, she sees a man breaking into her room and attacking her. She is later awakened by a phone call from Colin but hangs up.

After returning to the salon, Carol accidentally cuts a client’s finger during a manicure and is sent home early. A coworker finds the uncooked rabbit’s head in Carol’s purse. At home, Carol stares at an old family photo, and the wall behind it breaks like a mirror. Colin arrives at the apartment, but Carol refuses to let him in. He breaks in and tells her he loves her. In response, Carol beats him to death with a candlestick. She cleans the blood, blocks the front door, and places Colin’s body in the bathtub. In bed, she again sees the man attacking her. The next morning, she wakes up naked on the floor. Later, she walks down the hallway and sees hands coming out of the walls that grab her.

When Helen and Michael return home, Helen is shocked by the state of the apartment. Michael finds Colin’s body in the bathtub and sees Helen breathing very quickly. Helen finds Carol under the bed, not moving or speaking. Their neighbors enter as Michael carries Carol out, smiling. In the living room, a family photo—similar to the one Carol looked at earlier—shows a young Carol, possibly looking at an older male family member with dislike, while others in the photo smile.

Analysis

The film is unusual because it features a female killer. It shows Carol's strong dislike of sexuality and the discomfort she feels when men try to court her. Some people believe the film suggests Carol's father may have sexually abused her as a child, which caused her mental health issues and emotional collapse. Other critics note that Carol often uses items connected to her sister's boyfriend, Michael, and his presence makes her very upset at the start of the film.

The film also deals with the theme of breaking rules, as Tamar McDonald said she saw Carol as not following the traditional roles expected of women. The story increasingly focuses on Carol's perspective. The dream sequences are very powerful.

Repulsion was considered the first film in Polanski's "Apartment Trilogy," then came Rosemary's Baby (1968) and The Tenant (1976). These films are also horror stories that mostly take place in apartment buildings.

Production

The idea for the film Repulsion was created by Roman Polanski and Gérard Brach, who wrote a summary of the story in Paris. Polanski, who had recently moved from Poland to the United Kingdom, decided to set the film in London. He said the story was inspired by a woman he and Brach both knew, who later was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Polanski and Brach tried to get support for the film from several English studios, including British Lion Films and Paramount Pictures, but all of them refused. They finally presented the project to Compton Films, a small English studio known for making films with adult themes and softcore pornography. The two main leaders at Compton Films, Michael Klinger and Tony Tenser, liked the screenplay and agreed to help produce and distribute the film.

Catherine Deneuve, who had recently finished a leading role in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, was chosen to play the main character, Carol.

According to Polanski, the film was made with a budget of £65,000. The scenes outside the main characters’ home were filmed in the South Kensington area of London. The interiors of Carol and Helen’s apartment were built on a small lot at Twickenham Studios. To make the apartment look real, the film’s art director, Seamus Flannery, and the cinematographer, Gilbert Taylor, took pictures of real apartments in a run-down part of South Kensington where young women lived. Polanski’s biographer, Christopher Sandford, noted that the apartment looked authentic and believable.

Filming was difficult for Polanski because he was not familiar with London and neither he nor Deneuve spoke English fluently. Polanski was very careful with each shot, and Michael Klinger remembered seeing Polanski film a simple shot of Deneuve’s hand twenty-seven times. The film’s cost increased to about £95,000, which was higher than the original budget.

There were conflicts between Polanski and some cast members during filming, including Yvonne Furneaux, whom Polanski treated unfairly. Klinger said that after telling Polanski about his treatment of Furneaux, Polanski replied, “I know she’s a nice girl. She’s too bloody nice. She’s supposed to be playing a bitch. Every day I have to make her into a bitch.” Ian Hendry, who played Michael, often arrived at the set after lunch when he was not sober, making it hard for the director to work with him.

Soundtrack

The film's music was composed by Chico Hamilton. The official "soundtrack" was released on CD in 2008 by the British record label Harkit, which focused on British music from the 1960s. Some songs on the soundtrack are not played in the film, such as "Seduction in the Dark" and "Repulsion Nocturne."

The main song from the film is called "Carol's Walk." This song is also included on Hamilton's album Chic Chic Chico.

Release

The film Repulsion had its first showing in a theater in London on June 10, 1965.

Film critic Bosley Crowther from The New York Times wrote a positive review, saying, "Roman Polanski made a powerful psychological horror film in his first movie made in English." Jim Emerson, who took over for Roger Ebert at The Chicago Sun-Times, listed the film in his collection of "102 Movies You Must See Before…"

When the film was released on DVD, Dave Kehr from The New York Times praised its techniques and themes, explaining, "Mr. Polanski uses slow camera movements, a soundtrack filled with repeated, unusual sounds (like ticking clocks and ringing bells), and dramatic visual effects (such as cracks appearing in walls and shadowy hands reaching out) to show a believable experience of schizophrenia."

Review website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 95% of 64 film critics gave the film positive reviews, with an average score of 8.87 out of 10. The site’s summary states, "Roman Polanski’s first English-language film follows a woman with schizophrenia as she loses her grip on reality, making viewers feel trapped and anxious." As of June 2019, the film was ranked number 52 on Rotten Tomatoes’ list of highest-rated films. Metacritic, which gives a score out of 100 based on reviews from major critics, gave the film a score of 91 from eight reviews.

At the 15th Berlin International Film Festival in 1965, Repulsion won the FIPRESCI Prize and the Silver Berlin Bear-Extraordinary Jury Prize. The film was also nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Black and White Cinematography.

In 2009, the film was released by The Criterion Collection on DVD and Blu-ray. Both versions include two documentary films, audio commentary by Roman Polanski and Catherine Deneuve, original movie trailers, and a 16-page booklet.