How Long Is “Diabolique”?

A remake of Clouzot's classic thriller Les Diaboliques, this American version follows the same basic plotlines for the bulk of the film but then towards the end branches out in new directions that for those familiar with the original 1955 film may find ineffective and disappointing (some purists may find the whole film a blasphemous travesty). Set in a remote, decaying boarding school run by the brutish, controlling Guy Baran. His wife Mia actually owns the school, but her husband runs it. Knowing that she has a fragile heart and could die soon, Guy does all he can to keep her upset. This includes openly having an affair with teacher Nicole Horner, whom he also abuses. One day both women decide that they have had enough and hatch a devious plot to murder Guy. This is where the notorious bathtub scene comes into play though most agree that Clouzot did it much better than this film's director Jeremiah Chechik. Afterward, the women take Guy's body to the school's murky outdoor swimming pool and toss it in, hoping that anyone finding him will think he accidentally drowned. Eventually the pool is drained, but no body turns up, leaving the women to wonder, did he really die, or did someone else know about their crime?, The wife and mistress of an unkind school master team up in a cautiously planned and completed attempt to murder him.