Repulsion For the grindcore band , see Repulsion ( band ) Repulsion original film poster Directed by Roman Polański Written by Roman Polański & Gerard Brach ( original screenplay ) , David Stone ( adaptation ) Starring Catherine Deneuve , Ian Hendry , John Fraser Music by Chico Hamilton Cinematography Gilbert Taylor Distributed by Compton Films Release date ( s ) January 1965 ( UK ) Running time 104 min Language English IMDb profile Repulsion is a film made in 1965 directed by Roman Polański . It is Polański 's first English language film , and was filmed in Britain . Cast includes Catherine Deneuve , Ian Hendry , John Fraser , Yvonne Furneaux , and a cameo appearance by Roman Polański himself . Plot summary Spoiler warning : Plot and/or ending details follow . The virgin Belgian Carol ( a 20-year-old Deneuve ) , repelled by and at the same time attracted to the idea of sex due to her repressed feelings , is a timid and fragile young woman living in London with her sister Helen ( Furneaux ) . When Helen leaves on a holiday to Italy with her married boyfriend , Carol is left alone . Isolated at work too , she shuts herself home , and becomes a slave of her own paranoid fears , unable to tell fantasy from reality , and starts hallucinating . She first violently kills a suitor using a candlestick , and later the landlord who makes a pass at her . When her sister returns home , she finds Carol under her bed , catatonic , just a shell of her former self . The camera receives a family portrait that probably hides a clue of the true origin of her `` repulsion '' : at whom is the young Carol staring ? The weird shadows and dark corners of Carol 's house are reflected at the viewer from unusual angles . The current state of the house is strange and nightmarish to both Carol and the audience . Hands protrude from walls and everyday objects transform into objects of horror . One of the most well-known images is that of the rabbit , which was prepared for dinner but never cooked . The rabbit sits in the corner of the room throughout the film with a razor blade also on the plate . As the film progresses the rabbit begins to rot while first maggots and then flies feed on the carcass . The deteriorating state of the rabbit parallels that of our protagonist . Repulsion is the first of Polański 's `` apartment trilogy '' ( the other two being Rosemary 's Baby and The Tenant ) . The stylish Repulsion is widely considered a psychological thriller masterpiece , thanks in part to the stirring performance of Catherine Deneuve . As in The Tenant and Rosemary 's Baby , the film 's horrors are not external threats , but rather the horrors that lie within the minds of the protagonists . Similar films Rosemary 's Baby ( 1968 ) , by Roman Polański . π ( 1998 ) , by Darren Aronofsky , includes spoofs . Awards 1965 : Berlin International Film Festival , FIPRESCI Prize , Silver Berlin Bear . External links BFI gallery Images from the movie Repulsion at Rotten Tomatoes Films of Roman Polański Rower  • Uśmiech zębiczny  • Rozbijemy zabawę  • Morderstwo  • Dwaj ludzie z szafą  • Lampa  • Gdy spadają anioly  • Gros et le maigre ,  Le  • Ssaki  • Nóż w wodzie  • Les Plus belles escroqueries du monde  • Repulsion  • Cul-de-Sac  • The Fearless Vampire Killers  • Rosemary's Baby  • Macbeth  • What ?  • Chinatown  • The Tenant  • Tess  • Pirates  • Frantic  • Bitter Moon  • Death and the Maiden  • The Ninth Gate  • The Pianist  • Oliver Twist Categories : Films directed by Roman Polański | 1965 films | British films | Thriller films In other languages : Español | Nederlands | Polski | Русский | Svenska Repulsion Repulsion.jpg original film poster Roman Polański Roman Polański & Gerard Brach ( original screenplay ) , David Stone ( adaptation ) Catherine Deneuve , Ian Hendry , John Fraser Chico Hamilton Gilbert Taylor Compton Films January 1965 ( UK ) 104 min English 0059646 