Reginald Le Borg (1902–1989)

Rathbone is MAD! He'll do anything to save his wife from the coma she's been in for 8 months. So if he has to experiment with a few other people, with the aid of an Indian drug, well, why not? (After all, he is SIR JOEL, so presumably he can get away with a lot.) Rudley is the condemned prisoner, a surgeon, he picks to help him. Tamiroff is the provider of victims, and he is entertaining, as always. Of the other big names, Lugosi in his final full film plays a mute, and Chaney is a sub-human. Carradine at least gets to speak as a madman who believes the Crusades are still going on. Tor Johnson has a bit of a better role. Of the women, the rather attractive Phyllis Stanley is the doctor's devoted henchman, while Patricia Blair is his assistant--the daughter of the sub-human Chaney! So many complications. Not the schlock it is billed to be, this is a well-directed film with a nicely unhinged ending that is worth waiting for.… (meer)

Loosely based on a story by Guy de Maupassan, this is a surprisingly good, if little known Vincent Price vehicle. The screenplay by Robert E. Kent has Price in the role of Simon Cordier, a respected magistrate with an interest in the criminal mind and in particular what drives a man to murder. When he interviews a condemned murderer the man relates a fantastic story of possession courtesy of an entity known as the Horla. Soon after the interview Cordier begins to feel odd and begins to hear a voice in his head that makes him question his sanity. When he meets the beautiful, but married gold-digger Odette (Nancy Novack) he begins a romantic relationship, but unfortunately he has soon to admit to himself that he's in thrall to the murderous Horla. "Diary of a Madman" is an entertaining little horror mystery full of nice touches and good acting despite a conspicuously cheap look. The story lacks the ambiguity it should have around whether Cordier is actually mad or whether he's possessed, but despite that the overall concept still works reasonably well. Director Reginald Le Borg shoots on a limited set, which probably explains the static nature of the "action", but he still manages a few decent flourishes that keep the interest all the way through. Vincent Price is his normal impeccable self and has good support from those around him, even if some of them are pretty stiff and wooden. Nancy Novack is beautiful to look at and puts in a marvellously greedy performance full of avarice and more than a touch of subtle sexual suggestion. In summary then "Diary of a Madman" is an interesting, if somewhat typical, slice of early '60s psychological horror. It has a nice (if cheap) look, a decent story, some nice atmospheric touches and in Vincent Price, the consummate, honey-voiced horror performer.… (meer)