The company you keep as you watch a movie can significantly alter your outlook on the film. Because of this, my heart automatically went to one place when given the task of composing a love letter to a horror movie. A living room in my mother’s house, with candles lit and Halloween décor abound, with Turner Classic Movies playing in the background the whole month of October. Listening to my mom imitating Renfield in Dracula(1931), her recounting theaters handing out barf bags at showings of Mark of the Devil, and quoting lines from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Many memories were formed over so many Halloween seasons, but if one film were to be the epitome of this experience, it would undoubtedly be Diary of a Mad Man.

While horror films explore all sorts of different frights, the tale created in Diary of a Madman brings about the most fearsome of horror: losing control over oneself. The movie stars Vincent Price as Magistrate Simon Cordier, who finds himself up against the evil Horla, and features Nancy Kovack playing his love interest, Odette Mallotte.

Diary of a Madman serves Vincent Price’s versatile acting ability, with intricate set design, horror, and campiness together to create a piece that is remarkable on its own and even more enjoyable in good company.

The Horror of Madness

The concept that reality isn’t what we perceive it to be is one of the most haunting. Therefore, a horror tale that amasses any descent into madness is automatically beloved by me. Doubly so when it is a supernatural entity causing the insanity, such is Diary of a Madman’s antagonist: The Horla.

Starting with a funeral for one Simon Cordier, the attendees are instructed by a letter from Simon just before his death to read his diary after he’s been buried. Vincent Price’s voice begins: “I speak to you from beyond the grave….” From there, viewers learn the tragic tale of Simon Cordier; how he became trapped within the clutches of a creature with no other want than to control and weaken the wills of humankind.

The ever-present omnipotent Horla drives the story, while the knowledge of the eventual death of the magistrate simmers in the background, which kept my mother and I’s attention locked onto the screen. Then, at the helm of all that suspense is the horror icon himself: Vincent Price.

The Versatility of Vincent Price

Vincent Price’s impact on decades worth of horror cannot be denied. He is synonymous with so many classic scary movies that, naturally, a film starring him would be the first to come to mind from the days of TCM marathons with my mother.

Like many 90’s babies, Edward Scissorhands was a childhood favorite, so this film was not my introduction to Vincent Price. However, the movie did introduce me to his incredible range as an actor.

Watching Vincent Price transform from a confident, good-natured magistrate into a wild-eyed murderer is impressive, to say the very least. But he didn’t stop there. He drops back into his role of Magistrate Simon, though this time in a corrupt and manipulative form. It ends with him laughing maniacally, his transformation into a madman complete. However, not just Vincent Price’s acting aided in creating a perfect horror film.

The Diary of a Madman Set

The beauty of this movie is undeniable. Each set is meticulously crafted with beautiful furniture fit to match the 1886 setting. Watching the film feels like a time machine within a time machine: an older time reenacting an even older time.

Moreover, the film features the most beautiful cameo necklace I have ever seen as Simon Cordier gifts the cameo that once belonged to his long-deceased wife to his new lover.

If I remember nothing else about this movie, I will remember how my mom laughed at my obsession with this necklace. If that necklace were mine, I think I would rise from the grave to reclaim my ownership.

Aside from presenting gorgeous backdrops, the setting worked in silence to reveal hidden truths about the characters and create a frightening atmosphere.

The Truth Hidden in Plain Colors

Diary of a Mad Man possesses this peculiar quality, much like Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, where in hindsight, it feels like it was made in black and white despite the film being entirely in color.

In fact, colors are used symbolically throughout the entire movie. Red is often associated with goodness, as Cordier’s magistrate robes are red, as is the cloth on which a plot-turning crucifix sits, as are the outfits of characters acting in good nature. When Simon Cordier is at the peak of his goodness, he wears red and sits on a red chair.

Browns and blues are the colors worn by characters with a neutral disposition, not acting in any amount of supreme kindness or ill intent. The only exception to this rule seems to be Vincent Price, who adorns the neutral colors as he hangs in the balance between his goodness and The Horla’s evil influence.

Green is the most recurring representation of someone’s disposition, as characters’ eyes glow green when The Horla possesses them. More than that, though, green shows up consistently in both set design and costumes, presenting a commentary on the perceived evils of humankind.

Jeanne (Elaine Devry) wore green when she sought after a married man, and Odette wore green when she was being materialistic and intentionally deceptive with both Simon and her husband (Chris Warfield). The most intense representation of green comes from Simon Cordier’s home.

The walls, furniture, and décor all adorn green hues, representing the wrongness within the home’s history and the fact that as much as the magistrate tried to suppress his harsh past, he wore it all over his walls.

Interestingly, his office is red and green, offering insight into his mental state at work. As he surrounds himself with the red books and the cherry wood desk, working diligently as a magistrate, the evil green underbelly is ever-present, especially in the background.

An intelligent horror film where you can learn so much more, not by the character’s words or actions, but the background of the scenes is a rare find. Films like this offer something new to viewers every time they watch them, and any movie that does that so beautifully automatically has my adoration.

The Unspoken Horror

The artistic choice on set did much more than represent characters’ intentions or put on a pretty show. The horror movie masterfully utilized the setting to make scenes more unsettling. Whether it was the statue heads that seemed to be watching Simon create a sculpture of Odette, the heavy cobwebs in the abandoned attic or the open windows that ensure The Horla could enter undetected; these seemingly unimportant details only amplify the pre-existing horror.

Necessary Camp

For all the serious subject matter, the film is not without its campiness, as Vincent Price’s overdramatic reactions to The Horla’s voice are borderline comical. Although, it’s that sort of campiness that allows it to embody all the elements of what TCM marathons with my mom were to me: renowned actors, beautiful settings, intrinsic horror, and the moments we can make fun of together. Understand that no movie is without its laughable moments when watching it with someone who makes you laugh.

Dear Diary, Dear Mom

In 2009 my mom was diagnosed with leukemia (CML, which progressed to AML). After experimental round-the-clock chemo treatment and two bone marrow transplants, she beat that horrible cancer. But the victory came at a price, as the bone marrow transplants resulted in her developing Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD), primarily affecting her joints, stomach, eyes, and more. As her health has declined, I understand firsthand the value of seemingly unimportant moments and am eternally grateful to share these irreplaceable memories with my mother.

This film reminds me of just who I can thank for my innate love of this spooky genre. Movies have this unique quality that just as they encapsulate the actors and dialogue within a timeless recording, as do our memories record where we were the first time that we enjoyed a particular movie.

Every time I watch the film, I am transported back in my memory to a time, a person, and a movie, that I will always hold close to me. No matter where life takes us, we will always have the night we watched Diary of a Madman together.

If you haven’t seen it or, like me, are now craving a re-watch, stream it today on Paramount+.