The Hatter's Ghost

The Hatter's Ghost is a 1982 French crime film directed by Claude Chabrol. It is based on the 1947 story Le Petit Tailleur et le Chapelier by Georges Simenon. It takes place in Brittany and was shot in the towns of Concarneau and Quimper.

Plot

Labbé, a hatter in a French provincial town, appears to lead the life of a respectable citizen but is in fact a serial murderer. The only person to suspect this is his neighbour, Kachoudas, an Armenian tailor. After Labbé kills his own wife, he kills six of her friends to stop them from visiting her and prepares to murder a seventh, who dies naturally. As a substitute, he murders the maid. Labbé soon confesses his crime to the dying Kachoudas. After getting drunk, he visits his favourite prostitute, Berthe, and kills her; he is found at the scene of the crime in the morning by police.

Critical reception

TV Guide rated the film with 2 1/2 out of 5 stars and commented:
From Time Out London: