Diary of a Madman

This is a Vincent Price vehicle that is loosely based on a Guy De Maupassant short story. The setup is eerie, speaking of how dark spiritual beings exist in our world, unseen by human eyes. "The Horla" is one such unseen supernatural being, one which has power over the minds of men and the natural world. Unfortunately, the film's pacing becomes quite grating by the end (was it really only 97 minutes?) and ends with some fairly predictable '50s/'60s cheesy horror.

In this tale, Price plays Simon Cordier, a magistrate in a French court in the late 19th century. When the magistrate has one final conversation with a prisoner convicted of multiple murders, the man tells Cordier that he did not commit the murders, but was compelled to by some unspeakable evil entity (the Horla) which took control of his mind and body. Then, for some reason or another, the Horla begins to stalk Cordier (it's rather clumsily presented, but it works). Fearing for his sanity, Cordier takes a vacation from his work and takes up his old hobby of sculpting, which leads him to encounter the model and enchanting muse, Odette (Nancy Kovak). And it is here that the Horla begins to work his magic on Simon Cordier. The Horla plays the devil's advocate, blackmailing Cordier into following his weakest urges.

A lot of Vincent Price films operated within a spectrum of horror-comedy, which is not to say that they were exactly funny, but had such an offbeat attitude it made them simultaneously amusing and creepy. Some of those vibes can be found here, and a number of Price's lines and expressions are totally charming (such as when he's smooth-talking Odette for the first time). And the way some of the "philosophical" ideas were presented -- they were so blunt it was comedic. I don't know if that much was intentional, but it did give the movie some color.

But at the same time the plot, characters and story are all too simple for how long the film runs. And the villain or mysterious antagonist, the "Horla", becomes pretty lame by the end. He gets reduced to the sort of unimaginative pseudo-science-fiction horror that filled out B-movies in the '50s and '60s. The typical spiritual/philosophical elements which litter "mystical horror" stories are here either cliché (the crucifix is able to ward off evil... again!) or just boring (the conversations with the Police Chief about whether or not criminals are born evil). And my other main criticism is that the film would be pretty terrible without Vincent Price in the lead role. Only Price carries the film by the end.

"Diary of a Madman" was a decent distraction for a lazy afternoon, but not a film that I'd watch again. Vincent Price has done some really excellent stuff, but this isn't one of his necessary works.

The late and great comedian Flip Wilson had a sketch he did on his popular TV show in which, when confronted by tell-tale evidence, he would look into the camera and exclaim, "The Devil made me do it." In "Diary of a Madman," Simon Cordier (Vincent Price) attempts to exonerate himself from murder in flashback fashion with the excuse, "The Horla made me do it." In Cordier's tale, the evil force manifests itself to its victims and takes control of their minds. When under the Horla's powers, the victim's eyes emit a strange light indicative of possession. The special effects are not bad for 1963 except for this light which now looks cheap, almost humorous, in execution.

Cordier is a well-respected judge who wants to understand what drives humans to cold-blooded murder. His police friend, Captain Robert Rennedon (Stephen Roberts), has a more pessimistic view of human nature, believing killers are born that way, sort of a bad seed type outlook. When Cordier visits a murderer that he has sentenced to die, the condemned man tells Cordier of the Horla, physically attacks Cordier and in the scuffle the man dies. The Horla leaves the man's body and takes up residence in Cordier. Cordier is advised by his doctor to renew his old hobby of sculpturing to rid himself of his anxiety (caused by the Horla). In the process of obtaining a model for his new endeavor, a beautiful yet crafty and greedy woman, Odette Mallotte DuClasse (Nancy Kovack), enters his life. He falls in love with her not knowing that she is already married to a young artist, Paul (Chris Warfield), who finds it difficult to satisfy her pecuniary needs. The Horla intervenes with other plans for Odette and her husband.

Price, already an established actor for over twenty years, turned more and more to horror films following his success in the 1953 3-D thriller, "House of Wax." Price was no stranger to the genre. One of his first lead roles was in "The Invisible Man Returns" in 1940. Price was such a versatile actor that he did comedy as expertly as he did drama. Most of his exercises in the macabre were played with a tongue-in-cheek rascality that movie goers loved. He became associated with Roger Corman and later with Michael Jackson for his "Thriller" masterpiece.

"Diary of a Madman," loosely based on a story by Guy de Maupassant, is a typical Vincent Price flick from the 1960's with lots to recommend for the lovers of this type horror show. If you are, like me, an avid fan of Vincent Price, it is a must-see.

Vincent Price plays Simon Cordier a kind man who is a judge. He is possessed by a Horla (never shown--you only hear its voice) who thrives on evil. It sets Price out to commit evil deeds even though he fights against it. Then he meets sweet Odette (Nancy Kovack) and things go out of control....

Well-made, colorful (some BEAUTIFUL set design here), low-key horror film. The plot is interesting and the acting is good (especially Price and Kovack). There's next to no violence in this one (the one murder scene is badly faked)...it mostly concentrates on Price fighting against the Horla. There's a few very interesting discussions between Price and the demon about good, evil and morality. It all leads up to a great climax. If you're looking for a blood and guts movie this isn't it but it is an intelligent thoughtful horror film. Recommended.

DIARY OF A MADMAN opens with the burial of Magistrate Simon Cordier (Vincent Price), who has left behind a diary. The reading of the diary tells the story. Cordier, a respected man of the law, is called upon to visit an infamous, doomed prisoner, and discovers the truth behind the man's murderous rampage. He's told of something called "The Horla", a demon of sorts. Cordier soon finds himself possessed by the same dark force that drove this man to commit his crimes.

Price is terrific in this movie, going from affable man, to homicidal madman with ease. For its time, it's fairly gory, including a stabbing and -implied- decapitation. Nancy Novack co-stars as the conniving Odette. The voice of the Horla is provided with wicked glee by Joseph Ruskin. This movie belongs on every Vincent Price fan's watchlist...

I'm a big fan of Vincent Price and all of his films are a must see for me. Normally, this endeavour leads me to see some of the finest horror films of the fifties, sixties and seventies; but every now and again, it will turn up a lesser entry in the great man's filmography, and unfortunately - this is the case here. Based on stories by Guy de Maupassant, Diary of a Madman is a film without much to differentiate it from a number of similar films, and so to someone like me who has seen a great many horror movies; this one does fall a bit flat. Other bad elements include a rather long running time, which ensures that the flimsy plot always feel far too drawn out. The plot follows judge/sculptor Simon Cordier, a man who goes to visit a man put to death in his cell. He was put to death for various murders that he committed, and which he claims were under the influence of evil spirit Horla. However, after the death of the murderer; the evil spirit has nowhere to go, and so decides to take up residence inside the judge...

It's a seriously good job that this film stars Vincent Price, as with almost anyone else in the lead role it would have been a complete dead loss. Price doesn't excel himself here; but even an average Price performance is great to watch, and the great thespian continually saves the film from tedium. Price is the only real star of the film, and that's not a problem in a way as he has more than enough to carry a film on his own; a film like this could really do with a few more distractions. The locations look nice, however, and the Technicolor cinematography excellently captures them. There's not a great deal of actual horror in the film; sequences that see Vincent Price's mirror reflection disappear, and a few where he has green eyes are about as horrific as it gets. The idea of an evil demon possessing someone isn't exactly original, but the basics of the story get good handling here; so it's a shame that the rest of the film wasn't better. Overall, this has it's moments I suppose; but aside from Price's performance, there isn't much to recommend it for. Interesting fact, though; a quote towards the start of the film was used by Rob Zombie in his song "The Return of the Phantom Stranger"!