A young accomplished headmistress of a Parisian village, Miss Helen(Stéphane Audran), is in a conundrum..she's in love with a serial killer, Paul(Jean Yanne), the local butcher, who has been stabbing young females in the surrounding area with a knife, leaving bloody corpses. Stumped Police Inspector Grumbach(Roger Rudel)questions Helen after a second murder of a local girl married to a teacher she knows, Leon(Mario Beccara),bleeds upon the head of a student after a field trip into a cavern looking at prehistoric paintings. Helen confiscates a key piece of evidence linking Paul to the crime..a cigarette lighter she gave him for his birthday. What started as a blossoming romance between two people soon darkens as Helen must fear that Paul's homicidal tendencies could endanger her own well being.<br /><br />My first Claude Chabrol thriller was a nice surprise. It's really more of a character study, a kind of "opposites attract" romance develops regarding how two completely different people find a mutual growing friendship and love for one another despite their glaring differences. Audran is a revelation, completely believable, as this elegant, refined, sophisticated lady who is absolutely realistic as the headmistress. Yanne looks like your typical working-class butcher, walking with a slouch, often discussing the horrors of war, but very mannered, guarded as to not say too much, yet appealing in a quiet way. I like how they find this pleasant rapport with each other.<br /><br />I think the decision to shoot in such a minimalist manner, from the performances to the style, enhances the film..like a good Hitchcock thriller, Chabrol is even able to create a type of McGuffen regarding the first murder as we follow Helen and Paul's bonding, the way they meet each other(..stopping by each other's place of employment as they work), spending time together, disregarding the village uproar about the vicious slaying, acknowledging it in a subdued way. I think that's perhaps the most interesting aspect of the thriller..the way neither Helen or Paul dwell on the murder until they have no other choice. For a while the only way you could tell it was a potential thriller was the very moody, rather chilling score. I think another aspect which worked for me was the idea that a killer was close by and that Helen was the main focus of the film..Chabrol never leaves her, and the threat towards her life was quite vivid. I appreciate Chabrol's unpretentious direction..he doesn't call attention to himself, allowing the characters and story to grip you instead.