Netflix’s “The Most Assassinated Woman in the World”: Cast, Plot, & Release Date

After dominating fright fests at international film festivals, The Most Assassinated Woman in the World is coming to Netflix on September 7, 2018. This intriguing suspense thriller from French director Franck Ribière was featured at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and has earned rave reviews. We’ve got details on The Most Assassinated Woman in the World’s cast and plot, ahead of its Netflix premiere date!

The Most Assassinated Woman in the World’s Plot

Set in Paris during the 1930s, this gothic horror movie centers around Paula Maxa, a theater actress who has been murdered more than 10,000 times on stage. Things get darker when real life starts imitating her gory on-stage life.

Paula Maxa really existed. She was the leading lady at the Grand Guignol, a real-life theater in Paris, famous for depicting bloody violence, gore, and horror.

Maxa’s claim to fame was dying brutally everyday on stage in more than 60 different ways, earning her the moniker, “The Most Assassinated Woman in the World.”

In The Most Assassinated Woman in the World’s trailer, Maxa breaks the fourth wall to list the gruesome ways she has died on stage, a clear warning that this film is not for the faint-hearted.

It’s not clear how much French director Franck Ribière takes from the real Maxa and Grand Guignol, though. And Maxa’s own autobiography doesn’t speak of any horrors in her personal life or where she lived.

The film’s plot thickens when it’s revealed that the city is ridden with a series of Jack the Ripper-style murders. Meanwhile, an investigative reporter named Jean suspects the Grand Guignol is somehow connected to the murders and interviews Paula to investigate.

Jean and Paula end up falling in love. He vows to find the killer and protect the actress from her stalker.

But Paula is battling demons of her own. She’s often reliving the trauma she’s experiencing when she’s being slain on stage.

She exhibits a distant aura from her audience, and people around her seemingly try not to get affected by the violence she’s subjected to in her work. Could her deadpan demeanor have something to do with a mysterious, dark past that’s possibly connected to the murders?

Ribière doesn’t hold back depicting the gore and violence that made the Grand Guignol famous in the first place, either. Murder mystery buffs not only get their suspense fix, but the film also gives us a look at the old-fashioned theater machinery used to create horror illusions. (Who knows where the extra knowledge could come handy!)

The Most Assassinated Woman in the World’s Cast

Anna Mouglalis

Character: Paula Maxa

The French actress brings Paula Maxa to life on screen in this gothic mystery with one of the best entrances ever for a horror flick. Her performance in the movie has earned her critical acclaim.

Mouglalis famously portrayed Coco Chanel in the 2009 drama, Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky. She also has credits in crime dramas like Romanzo Criminale.

Niels Schneider

Character: Jean

Schneider plays the film’s hero, Jean, who’s trying to solve the mystery. Among the principal characters in the movie, Jean is the only one not based off a real Guignol personality. His character appears in stark contrast to Paula and the colorful characters of the Guignol.

In less than a decade, the French-Canadian actor has worked in over 20 films. He won the Trophée Chopard Award for Male Revelation of the Year at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

Schneider’s brothers are all actors in France and Canada. His brother, comedic actor Vadim Schneider, passed away in the car accident that killed 15/Love costar, Jaclyn Linetsky.

Eric Godon

Character: Georges

Godon plays Georges, the stereotypically menacing villain in The Most Assassinated Woman in the World. In real life, he was Paula Maxa’s usual stage partner.

Georges has a fetish for violence that leads to an obsession for Paula. For an outlet, Georges seeks women with a resemblance to Paula and recreates the same torture Paula goes through on-stage with them.

Godon has worked in a myriad of international films, including the Irish period thriller, Pilgrimage, which also starred Tom Holland, Richard Armitage, and Jon Bernthal.

The Most Assassinated Woman in the World will be available for streaming on Netflix starting on September 7, 2018.

Check out Paula Maxa’s introduction in The Most Assassinated Woman in the World’s trailer below.

Also Read: Plot & Cast Details of Netflix’s A Taiwanese Tale of Two Cities