1. Repulsion (1965)
Catherine Deneuve plays the beautiful young Belgian manicurist - Carol who is living with her older sister Helen in 1960s London. It is clear from the beginning that Carol is neurotic. She has a fear of men and she seems totally disconnected from the world. Her sister goes away to Europe with her fancy man and left to her own devices, Carol cracks up in spectacular fashion. Cracks appear in the wall, imaginary men come into her bedroom and molest her, she doesn't go to work and she ends up killing a would be suitor by bludgeoning him to death, as well as slashing to death her landlord who makes an opportunistic pass at her. By the time Helen and her man come back, they find two corpses, the apartment in disarray and Carol lying catatonic under one of the beds. This film was both Roman Polanski's and Catherine Deneuve's English speaking film debut and because of that, there is not much dialogue in the movie, but it is still a very chilling film. We can tell from the opening shot which focuses on one of Carol's eyes while the credits roll and very ominous music plays, that this is going to be a seriously unnerving viewing experience. Deneuve acquits herself admirably in a difficult role in which she is called on to convert neurosis into fully blown psychosis. Polanski assists her in bringing full on insanity onto the screen with his monstrous effects - such as hands coming through the walls to molest Carol. It is a true psychological horror film classic which depicts a frightening schizophrenic episode and it brings psychosis vividly alive to the screen, in a manner which has rarely been bettered, if at all.