Repulsion/Recap

Carol Ledoux (Catherine Deneuve) is a young Belgian manicurist who lives in Kensington, London, with her sister Helen (Yvonne Furneaux). Carol seems shy and interacts with men awkwardly. When Helen leaves on a holiday to Italy with her married boyfriend, Michael (Ian Hendry), Carol appears distracted at work, refuses to leave her apartment, leaves a raw, skinned rabbit out to rot, and sees hallucinations, first of the walls cracking, then hands reaching out to grab and attack her, and repeated nightmares or hallucinations of a man breaking into her bedroom and raping her.

When Colin (John Fraser), a would-be suitor whom she has rejected, breaks into the flat, she bludgeons him to death with a candlestick and dumps the body into the overflowing bath. Later, the landlord (Patrick Wymark) arrives for the late rent. Carol pays him and at first just sits on the sofa, staring into space, as he remarks on the state of the apartment and gives her water to drink. But when he tries to force himself on her, she slashes him to death with a straight razor.

When Helen and Michael return, they discover the dead bodies. Michael runs for help, instructing Helen to stay in her room where Helen, nearly catatonic herself, finds Carol hidden under the bed. Carol appears catatonic. Neighbors arrive and seem curious, concerned and genuine but do nothing until Michael returns and carries Carol out. A family photograph on the mantel shows Carol as a child looking with fear toward a male figure at the other side of the photograph.