Guillaume Campanacci’s Devils in Disguise (2014) brings to the screen the familiar story of the French thriller Les Diaboliques (1955) by Henri-Georges Clouzot. This adaptation, an indie film with limited locations, adds a few interesting elements to shuffle the dynamics of the trio in love.
Campanacci’s remake keeps the one-man-two-women character structure of the triangle with Leila (Magen Mattox) as the wife, Sandy (Montanna Gillis) as the mistress, and Alain (Guillaume Campanacci) as the abusive husband. But instead of keeping the sexuality all straight, the women’s characters are bisexual, giving the story an important LGBT touch (and not just figuratively).
Devils in Disguise points to the marriage-for-citizenship issue as a factor in the abusive relationship. Leila is shown to have married Alain seemingly for citizenship and her sexual life with the man as revealed in flashbacks appears lack of joy except when it’s the other female present in a threesome. While the characters are all smokers, Leila and Sandy also share some level substance addiction beyond simple cigarettes.
Differences in the style of filmmaking rather than plot elements as against the original Les Diaboliques are more visible in this adaptation. Campanacci’s knack for making stylized movies shows as much in Devils in Disguise as it does in his more recent romantic drama Whenever I’m Alone with You (2025). Switching between color and B&W, surreal cuts and transitions, silent shots, and montages with music – all create an unusual sensory experience carrying vibes of David Lynch’s trademark filmmaking style.
Devils in Disguise would pass for an example of an Indie adaptation of a familiar thriller, one that can be done on a small budget and still win approval for doing a decent job in applying style and spice to a story.
For content rating, this movie is for mature audiences owing to some nudity, language, and depiction of drug/substance addiction though it’s low on physical and verbal violence.
