Diary of a Madman (film)

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Diary of a Madman is a 1963 horror film directed by Reginald Le Borg and starring Vincent Price as Simon Cordier, 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 who has been compelled to kill by it. The horla possesses the man and attempts to kill Cordier, who accidentally kills the inmate in self-defense. As the horla begins to destroy Cordier's life, he fears he is going mad and seeks help from a psychologist.

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.

[edit] Cast

• Vincent Price as Simon Cordier
• Nancy Kovack as Odette Mallotte DuClasse
• Chris Warfield as Paul DuClasse
• Elaine Devry as Jeanne D'Arville
• Ian Wolfe as Pierre, Cordier's Butler
• Stephen Roberts as Captain Robert Rennedon
• Lewis Martin as Fr. Raymonde
• Mary Adams as Louise, Cordier's Cook
• Joseph Ruskin as The Horla (voice)

[edit] External links

• Diary of a Madman at the Internet Movie Database
• The Horla - Complete text of the short story.