Reflections of Murder | |
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Genre | Horror Thriller Mystery |
Based on | Celle qui n'était plus by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac |
Written by | Carol Sobieski |
Directed by | John Badham |
Starring |
Tuesday Weld Joan Hackett Sam Waterston |
Music by | Billy Goldenberg |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
Production | |
Producer(s) | Aaron Rosenberg |
Cinematography | Mario Tosi |
Editor(s) | David Rawlins |
Running time | 100 minutes |
Production company(s) |
ABC Circle Films Aaron Rosenberg/Charles Lederer Productions |
Distributor | ABC |
Release | |
Original network | ABC |
Original release |
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Reflections of Murder is a 1974 made-for-TV movie that was produced by ABC. A suspense-thriller film, it is a remake of the classic 1955 French film Les Diaboliques. John Badham directed, from Carol Sobieski's script. The cast was led by Tuesday Weld, Joan Hackett and Sam Waterston in the primary roles. Reflections of Murder was released to home video on the VHS format in the 1980s, but has not yet received an official DVD release.
Claire (Hackett) is the abused wife of vicious schoolmaster Michael (Waterston), who takes great delight in belittling and emotionally abusing her both in public and in private. Michael is also openly carrying on an affair with one of the school's teachers, Vicky (Weld), whom he sometimes physically assaults. Having grown tired of his cruelty, the two women conspire to murder him and stage the act to look like an accident. But after committing the deed his body disappears, and the women begin to fear that someone might be trying to drive them mad.
Two more remakes followed. The first was House of Secrets, another made-for-TV adaptation that was broadcast in 1993, starring Melissa Gilbert, Bruce Boxleitner, Kate Vernon, and Cicely Tyson. In 1996 Warner Bros. released a theatrical reworking of the material under the title Diabolique, scripted by Don Roos, directed by Jeremiah Chechik, and starring Sharon Stone, Isabelle Adjani, Chazz Palminteri, and Kathy Bates.