Repulsion

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Repulsion

1965

1h 45m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

70 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In Roman Polanski's first English-language film, beautiful young manicurist Carole (Catherine Deneuve) suffers from androphobia (the pathological fear of interaction with men). When her sister and roommate, Helen (Yvonne Furneaux), leaves their London flat to go on an Italian holiday with her married boyfriend (Ian Hendry), Carole withdraws into her apartment. She begins to experience frightful hallucinations, her fear gradually mutating into madness.

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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.

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Andrew Sarris

Village Voice

Jul 27, 2021

Repulsion is the scariest if not actually the goriest Grand Guignol since Psycho.

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Peter John Dyer

Sight & Sound

Mar 31, 2020

The rest of the film has that gurgling, soapy sound of muffed intentions going down the plug hole like bath water.

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

Jan 4, 2013

4/5

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

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Oct 29, 2024

3/4

The real focus is on detailing how the callous treatment of Carol by practically everyone around her only further serves to denigrate her standing as a “real” person rather than just a desirable beauty.

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Diana Tuova

Spotlight on Film

Aug 2, 2024

5/5

Led by Deneuve’s committed performance, Repulsion is an innovative, atmospheric and effective psychological horror, which is clever in a way it uses its entire low budget cinematic arsenal to induce one particular sense of apprehension and dread.

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Jorge Loser

Espinof

May 29, 2024

5/5

... A subjective portrait of mental illness that has become almost a manual to describe psychological breakdowns, especially the dimension of trauma and female repression. [Full review in Spanish]

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Robert P

@Superbad 3 hrs ago

Repulsion = a 4.5 star Movie...

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Luca D

@JoeCamel7 2 days ago

A sadistic nightmare. Hard to watch in the best way, especially considering when this was made. Every floor creak and razor slit can be felt in the eeriest way possible. A little backstory on the main character or any character for that matter would really perfect the film. Also the main song is a bit overplayed during the soundtrack and is not very good. Those are the only flaws I could find.

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Huntin P

@PaxVobiscum80 2 days ago

The title alone. Repulsion. It frightened me off this movie for many years. When I finally saw it I was bowled over by how good it is. The original intention, in the mind, that is, of the folks who bankrolled it, was to make a cheap and cheerful horror b-movie. When they realised they had captured the service of a genuine artist, Polanski, and let's not forget a leading lady as beautiful as Deneuve, well, then... Some effective jump scares, and some very original hallucinations, but this is a study of disintegrating sanity, and a masterly one. It is also an accurate reflection of how young dollies lived in London flatshares of the 1960s. A period piece, in other words, and a modern one. Polanski always knew, as we should know, sex is a dangerous and potent concoction.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 4, 2025

Successful horror movie in 1.75 hours.

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Melissa L

@Agent99 Jun 8, 2025

I have no idea why this is rated so highly. I read a list of good horror movies...and I am disappointed. It's so dry. It's not a "horror" movie. It should be classified as a thriller. So, yeah, it's a waste of time.

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Julian S

@akajulianscott Jan 19, 2025

A stunningly crafted, slow-burn portrait of a person on the brink of madness

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Synopsis

In Roman Polanski's first English-language film, beautiful young manicurist Carole (Catherine Deneuve) suffers from androphobia (the pathological fear of interaction with men). When her sister and roommate, Helen (Yvonne Furneaux), leaves their London flat to go on an Italian holiday with her married boyfriend (Ian Hendry), Carole withdraws into her apartment. She begins to experience frightful hallucinations, her fear gradually mutating into madness.

Director: Roman Polanski
Producer: Gene Gutowski
Screenwriter: Roman Polanski, Gérard Brach, David Stone
Production Co: Tekli, Compton Films
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 16, 2010
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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