Repulsion

1965

Repulsion

Critics Consensus

Roman Polanski's first English film follows a schizophrenic woman's descent into madness, and makes the audience feel as claustrophobic as the character.

95%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 64

86%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 19,075

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Movie Info

When Carol, a shy young Belgian, is left alone for a few days in the Kensington flat she shares with her sister, she begins to withdraw into a reclusive existence where innocuous everyday realities are distorted by deep-seated anxieties. On screen throughout the film, Deneuve gives a wondrously subtle performance as the increasingly catatonic girl, but equally expressive of her terrifying inner torment are the sometimes surreal but never over-emphatic visual and aural effects created by Polanski to accompany her wanderings around the empty apartment or the bustling streets of South Kensington.
  • Rating:
    NR
  • Genre:
    Classics, Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense
  • Directed By:
    Roman Polanski
  • Written By:
    Roman Polanski, Gérard Brach
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Royal Films International

Cast

Catherine Deneuve
as Carol Ledoux
Ian Hendry
as Michael
John Fraser
as Colin
Patrick Wymark
as Landlord
Yvonne Furneaux
as Helen Ledoux
Renee Houston
as Miss Balch
Helen Fraser
as Bridget
Valerie Taylor
as Mme. Denise
James Villiers
as John
Hugh Futcher
as Reggie
Monica Merlin
as Mrs. Rendlesham
Imogen Graham
as Manicurist
Mike Pratt
as Workman
Roman Polanski
as Spoons Player
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Critic Reviews for Repulsion

All Critics (64) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (61) | Rotten (3)

  • Deneuve, as the woman whose fear of sexual contact is at the base of her neurosis, has seldom been less like her icy self.

    January 4, 2013 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Derek Malcolm

    London Evening Standard
    Top Critic

  • A film that expertly shows without ever telling, even while the symbolism is a mite heavy handed.

    January 3, 2013 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    David Jenkins

    Little White Lies
    Top Critic

  • There can't be many other films which so plausibly show an entire, warped world created from a single point of view.

    January 3, 2013 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…

    Peter Bradshaw

    Guardian
    Top Critic

  • It's been an inspiration ever since for films about claustrophobic hysteria, but not necessarily in a good way ...

    January 3, 2013 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Tim Robey

    Daily Telegraph (UK)
    Top Critic

  • Roman Polanski's first English-language film is still a creepy little horror masterpiece.

    July 23, 2009 | Rating: A | Full Review…

    Chris Nashawaty

    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic

  • At second glance, or as often as a moviegoer can bear to peek through his knotted fingers, it is a Gothic horror story, a classic chiller of the Psycho school and approximately twice as persuasive.

    October 19, 2008 | Full Review…
    TIME Magazine
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (64)

Audience Reviews for Repulsion

  • May 09, 2018
    This slow-burning psychological horror is quite disturbing and unsettling, more because of what it implies than what it actually shows as it delves into the fractured mind of a beautiful woman who cannot bear living - and being crushed - in a world where men are potential rapists.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
  • Apr 06, 2015
    If you don't have a patient mindset, you should probably avoid Repulsion. Some amongst us love it and I'm one of those. Polanski's first english language film, the timeless blonde beauty in Catherine Deneuve resonates brightly even in black and white, yet the ugliness of the story and set contrast her appearance perfectly. Bleak and unforgiving, Repulsion is a desolate venture in the mindset of a "virgin's dreams". Really terrifying and has definitely stood the test of time.
    Harry W Super Reviewer
  • Feb 17, 2014
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]
    Directors C Super Reviewer
  • Jan 11, 2014
    A creepy and unsettling horror movie with a surplus of atmosphere and suspense, Repulsion is a great early film from Roman Polanski, although Rosemary's Baby is still superior.
    Joey S Super Reviewer
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