Main Cast: Vincent Price, Nancy Kovack, Chris Warfield, Elaine Devry, Stephen Roberts
Release Year: 1963
Country: US
Run Time: 96 minutes
Plot
Based on the story "The Horla" by Guy de Maupassant, this grim low-budget potboiler stars Vincent Price as Simon Cordier, a ruthless magistrate in 19th-century Paris who becomes possessed by the malevolent spirit (or "horla") of a condemned murderer whom Cordier was forced to kill in self-defense. Driven by the madman's ghost to continue his pattern of brutal crimes, Cordier comes to the realization that the only way he can purge the violent demon from his soul is to immolate himself in a blazing pyre. Though the riveting Price (whose very presence can enliven even the most dismal of horror duds) does an admirable job as the tormented Cordier, he is unable to bear the ponderous weight of this tedious production. Although a parallel between the callousness of Cordier's office and the insensate evil of his crimes would have provided an interesting subtext, the script forfeits this potential, relying instead on a pat, self-righteous finale with religious overtones. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Lewis Martin - Priest; Ian Wolfe - Pierre; Edward Colmans - Andre; Mary Adams - Louise; Harvey Stephens - Girot; Nelson Olmsted - Dr. Borman; Don Brodie; Joseph Ruskin - The Horla; George Sawava; Dick Wilson; Gloria Clark
Credit
Daniel Haller - Art Director, Marjorie D. Corso - Costume Designer, Reginald Le Borg - Director, Grant Whytock - Editor, Dick LaSalle - Composer (Music Score), Ted Coodley - Makeup, Ellis W. Carter - Cinematographer, Robert Kent - Producer, Victor A. Gangelin - Set Designer, Norman Breedlove - Special Effects, Ralph Butler - Sound/Sound Designer, Robert Kent - Screenwriter, Guy de Maupassant - Short Story Author
Diary of a Madman is a 1963horror film directed by Reginald Le Borg. The screenplay, written by producer Robert Kent, is an adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's short story "Le Horla" ("The Horla"), written in 1887. Kent's rendition is notably divergent from the source material, especially in relation to the religious and moral themes of the film, which contradict not only those of the short story, but Maupassant's as well. Additionally, Kent borrowed the title of the film from a completely different story authored by Nikolai Gogol entitled "Diary of a Madman".
Synopsis
The film centers on Simon Cordier (Vincent Price), a French magistrate and amateur sculptor who comes into contact with a malevolent entity. The invisible - yet corporeal - being, called a "horla" is capable of limited psychokinesis and complete mind control. Cordier first interacts with the horla when he meets a prisoner whom the horla drove to commit murder. The horla possesses the inmate and attempts to kill Cordier, who in self-defense accidentally kills the man. The magistrate inherits the prisoner's troubles as the horla turns its hauntings toward him. As the horla begins to destroy Cordier's life, he fears he is going mad and seeks help from a psychologist, who effectively suggests a hobby. Cordier chooses to pick up his old interest in art, meeting a model along the way. The horla insists the model is not the charming jewel that Cordier sees, but instead a conniving gold digger, and compels Cordier to treat her as such. This sets up a conflict in Cordier, that he might not be the astute judge of character that his title indicates. As his and others' lives are put in jeopardy, he becomes convinced of the horla's existence and decides drastic measures are needed to end the horla's evil.
