When you think of monsters you naturally start thinking of those creatures that best represent the word like Godzilla or the Blob, dinosaurs, slimy things, hairy things, tentacled beings and so on. Diary of a Madman features a monster of a different sort. A very different sort in fact. Starring Vincent Price, the monster of this film makes itself known to him and is called a Horla. Said monster is novel in the fact that is invisible and you actually never see the creature. Almost immediately it brings that fear of the unknown to the forefront but it is not just the invisibility that makes it fearsome but its telepathic powers which it uses to make whomever it wishes to do whatever it wants. It just so happens that in this film it is Price who is the target, playing a French magistrate and of course, those things he is made to do are not of the purest intentions.

This invisible, telepathic monster might sound a little ridiculous and it most likely would have been if it had been anyone else in the lead role of the film, but the one thing you can always count on Vincent Price to do is to sell that which might seem more on the absurd side of things. Price, known for playing everything from drama to horror is an actor’s actor and could put across anything he put his mind to. In this role, Price is a high-standing member of society named Simon Cordier and a man who has been alone for a very long time as his wife and son passed away many years before. When the Horla reveals itself, Price thinks he is going insane and seeks to lose himself in something that might occupy his mind. He soon finds it in Odette played by Nancy Kovack and Magistrate Cordier is immediately smitten.  As the two flirt with each other, a proposition is put forward to sculpt Odette and a relationship is soon born.

When Odette enters the picture, it is not long after that the real horror of the picture starts. Simon is soon forced by the Horla to commit acts of violence and despite everything; he is helpless to do anything about it. As you watch the film and you realize how malevolent this entity is, you start to wonder why the Horla does what it does. It is never explained of course and you can probably chalk it up to the fact that the Horla is a monster no matter how much like a man it sounds and like all monsters, it needs no reason other than that. It is at these moments that Price really makes the roll his own and causes you to believe that he is indeed battling this invisible presence called a Horla. It is not a physical battle of course but one of wills, and for the most part the Horla is the stronger of the two.

As far as production values go, the film looks like a Hammer picture with its very colourful and brightly lit sets and it is a testament to director Reginald Le Borg that he made this horror movie work without the darkness that is usually associated with the genre. Couple that with a decent script and score and the performances from the cast and this film actually turns out to be much better than it probably had any right to. While Kovack is both beautiful and charming and the story that plays out is a curious one, it is Vincent Price that you tune in for. Strange though it may be, Diary of a Madman is a highly entertaining piece of cinema.

3.5 out of 5