Clouzot's Gothic sensibility, off-beat humor and sharp eye for realist detail are showcased wonderfully in his directorial debut, a witty variation of the classic whodunit narrative which casts Pierre Fresnay as a suave detective pitted against an eccentric cast of murder suspects. Set largely within a seedy boarding house, L'assassin habite au 21 also reveals Clouzot's fascination with the decrepit and overripe, and with extreme, at times almost grotesque, caricature. The film's dazzling opening sequence, an elaborate tracking shot from the point-of-view of the murderer, makes clear the stylistic bravura that would remain a highpoint of Clouzot's cinema.