Plot
Paris, 1886. Magistrate Simon Cordier listens with skepticism to the final words of Louis Girot, a man who’s been condemned to the guillotine for murder, but is claiming to have acted under the control of a demonic entity (the Horla) capable of controlling his mind and compelling him to carry out horrific acts.
During the interview, Girot, seized by a fit of uncommon violence, attacks Cordier, who accidentally kills the prisoner in self-defense. From that moment on, the evil spirit that was inhabiting the condemned man’s body begins to torment the magistrate. After forcing him to examine his conscience and pointing to him as the main cause of his wife’s suicide, the spirit begins using Cordier as an instrument of death.
No longer able to distinguish between reality and nightmare by this point, the poor magistrate ends up setting his own house ablaze, convinced that the fire constitutes the sole means to free himself from the diabolical presence.
Every thought you think, your senses, your will, they belong to me to use as I wish.
Critique
5The film rather uninspiredly mixes together some bizarre Guy de Maupassant short stories, in particular the two versions of “The Horla” published between 1886 and 1887.
Reginald Le Borg’s direction is static and far too controlled (even for refined horror which this film shoots for), but even worse, everything is constantly burdened by the film’s chronic inability to generate tension with a plot whose strong suit should be mystery and uncertainty (human madness or supernatural entity at work?). The dialogue and screenplay seem confused at times, particularly concerning the motivations driving the presumed evil spirit to torment the irreproachable magistrate.
Beyond all that, Price’s performance is first-rate, given that the character of Simon Cordier is definitely right up his alley (whenever a character calls for a multiple personality, the good Vincent never disappoints).
On the special effects side, the demonic possession is rendered in a decidedly embarrassing way through the use of an artificial greenish light superimposed on the protagonist’s face.
More Info
- Inspired by the short stories "The Horla" (1886-1887) by Guy de Maupassant
Quotes
- Every thought you think, your senses, your will, they belong to me to use as I wish.
Trivia
- The concept of an evil spirit fleeing someone who’s been condemned to death will be reprised in “Fallen” (1998).
- In one scene, the Horla states that it “exist on different planes [and] can move into your plane only when you make it possible […] through evil“, which doesn’t place it far from the horrible monstrosities that populate Lovecraft’s literary universe.
Products
Disclosure
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| Product name | Price | |
|---|---|---|
![Diary of a Madman (1963) (Blu-Ray & DVD Combo) [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Germany ]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41irkz20YhL._SL75_.jpg) | Diary of a Madman (1963) (Blu-Ray & DVD Combo) [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Germany ] | |
 | The Horla: A Tale of Madness and the Unseen | |
 | I Like What I Know: A Visual Autobiography |
| Nome del prodotto | Prezzo | |
|---|---|---|
 | Horla-Diario Segreto Di Un Pazzo | |
 | L'horla |
| Product name | Price | |
|---|---|---|
![Diary of a Madman (digipack) [DVD]+[Blu-Ray] [Region B] (English audio. English subtitles)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41aViXkjesL._SL75_.jpg) | Diary of a Madman (digipack) [DVD]+[Blu-Ray] [Region B] (English audio. English subtitles) | |
| I Like What I Know: A Visual Autobiography |
| Nombre del producto | Precio | |
|---|---|---|
 | Diario de un loco / Diary of a Madman | |
 | El Horla: Y otros cuentos de crueldad y delirio: 57 (El Club Diógenes) | |
 | El Horla (LIBROS DEL ZORRO ROJO) |
| Produktname | Preis | |
|---|---|---|
 | Tagebuch eines Mörders - 2-Disc Limited Collector's Edition Nr. 74 - Mediabook - Cover B (Blu-ray + DVD) | |
 | Tagebuch eines Mörders - 2-Disc Limited Collector's Edition Nr. 74 - Mediabook - Cover C (Blu-ray + DVD) | |
 | Der Horla | Schmuckausgabe des Grusel-Klassikers von Guy de Maupassant mit fantastischen Illustrationen | |
| I Like What I Know: A Visual Autobiography | |
 | The Price of Fear: The Film Career of Vincent Price, In His Own Words |
| Nom du produit | Prix | |
|---|---|---|
![Diary of A Madman [Edizione: Regno Unito] [Import]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51e+jAneN+L._SL75_.jpg) | Diary of A Madman [Edizione: Regno Unito] [Import] | |
 | Le Horla | |
 | LE HORLA |
| Product name | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Diary of a Madman (1963) (Blu-Ray & DVD Combo) [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Germany ] | |
| HORLA (LE) | |
 | Le Horla: et autres nouvelles | |
 | The Price of Fear: The Film Career of Vincent Price, In His Own Words | |
| I Like What I Know: A Visual Autobiography |