Bloody Murder

Hélène and her husband Georges live a seemingly orderly, comfortable life at a handsome home, she running an antique shop while he practices as a respected doctor. Their children are preoccupied with studies and romances, and everything appears proper. That image shatters when Hélène stumbles on the body of Philippe, a young man who had been her lover and who was also a friend of her son. In panic she takes the victim's address book, where her name is listed, and keeps quiet to avoid scandal. As the police probe deepens and blackmailers emerge, Hélène is pulled into escalating suspicion and coercion, making her question who around her might be seeking revenge.

Released in 1974, Bloody Murder was directed by Étienne Périer, written by Dominique Fabre and Charles Spaak, and features Lea Massari, Michel Bouquet, Bernard Blier, Michel Serrault, and Dora Doll in a French crime film of the era, shot on location.

Detailed box office records for Bloody Murder aren't widely available, and the film didn't establish a noted commercial profile internationally. Its financial reception remains poorly documented, typical for many midcentury European crime pictures with limited distribution, contemporary reviews were sparse.

Bloody Murder hasn't achieved mainstream recognition, yet it preserves period atmosphere and performances by respected French actors. Film scholars and enthusiasts of 1970s noir sometimes seek it out for its moral ambiguity and domestic-suspicion motifs, and appears rarely at specialty festivals, though it largely survives as an obscure genre entry.

Critical response is mixed to negative, reflected in a low user score on some databases, the film holding a roughly 4.78 out of 10 average from limited votes. It concentrates on themes of secrecy, guilt, social reputation, and the corrosive effects of blackmail. Its pacing and moral ambiguity divide viewers.