An evil spirit leaves the body of his human host, a criminal on death-row, and sneaks into the body of his next human host, a French magistrate.
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Title: Diary of a Madman (1963)
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Vincent Price | ... | Magistrate Simon Cordier | |
| Nancy Kovack | ... | Odette Mallotte | |
 |
Chris Warfield | ... | Paul Duclasse |
| Elaine Devry | ... | Jeanne D'Arville | |
| Ian Wolfe | ... | Pierre | |
|
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Stephen Roberts | ... | Police Captain Robert Rennedon |
|
|
Lewis Martin | ... | Father Raymonde |
| Mary Adams | ... | Louise | |
| Edward Colmans | ... | Andre D'Arville | |
| Nelson Olmsted | ... | Dr. Borman | |
| Harvey Stephens | ... | Louis Girot | |
| Dick Wilson | ... | Martin | |
|
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Wayne Collier | ... | Arguing Cafe Couple |
|
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Gloria Clark | ... | Arguing Cafe Couple |
|
|
Don Brodie | ... | Marcel the Postman |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Simon Cordier is a well-respected magistrate who visits a condemned prisoner, Louis Girot, just before the man's execution. Girot again pleads his innocence insisting that he has been taken over by a spirit that forced him to commit his crimes. Cordier doesn't believe him and the man suddenly dies. Cordier does however note a rapid change in his personality during their short interview. In the following days, Cordier must face a number of strange occurrences in his home. He begins to wonder if he is sleepwalking but is soon hearing voices and begins to wonder about his sanity. It's recommended to him that he take up sculpting, something he once had an interest in. He develops a relationship with Odette, a gold digger married to a struggling artist, but the evil, invisible spirit soon drives him to murder. Written by garykmcd
Taglines:
He upholds the law, except when he murders. See more »Genres:
HorrorParents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
6 March 1963 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Horla See more »Filming Locations:
Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USAEdit
Box Office
Budget:
$350,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1
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See more »
Did You Know?
Goofs
In one scene the Horla crushes a rose flat on a table, but in a subsequent scene, in a wider shot the rose on the table is visible and has not been flattened. See more »Quotes
Police Captain Robert Rennedon: Murderers. They're all the same. Humanity would be much better off without them.See more »
Crazy Credits
Opening credits are revealed by a knife cutting through red fabric. See more »On IMDb TV, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
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Vincent Price, as Simon Cordier, is possessed by an evil spirit and is forced to kill. Can he overcome the beast that haunts him inside?
Dug this out of my collection and gave it another view. I really like this one and feel it has been underrated by many. The only major problem I have with it is the story would have been better served had the existence of the Horla been left more to question. Still I really enjoyed this, especially Vincent Price in the lead. It's got that old-time 1960s AIP Horror feel to it even though it wasn't made there.