DIARY OF A MADMAN / Admiral Pictures - 1963

Welcome everbloody to Friday Frights with Tabonga, here at The Dungeon!.. In keeping with the 'mad' theme I have going this week, here's a real creepy flick that doesn't seem to get the credit it deserves. And, it stars our favorite madman, Mr. Vincent Price!

Richard LaSalle composed the excellent music for tonite's offering, he also worked on SPEED CRAZY, WILD YOUTH, HANDS OF A STRANGER, MERMAIDS OF TIBURON, THE DAY MARS INVADED EARTH, TWICE-TOLD TALES, THE TIME TRAVELERS, PIRANHA, DAUGHTERS OF SATAN, SUPERBEAST and THE THIRSTY DEAD!

Awrat, then!... Here's our lil' fuzzy Dungeon fiend and 'GO' button pushing maniac... Ralphie The Tarantula! He's here for one reason, to start our Eariffic Earclip, so, hit the button, Ralphie!.. DIARY OF A MADMAN!

It's always good to start a horror tale at the old graveyard!

Vinnie plays Simon Cordier, a well-respected magistrate. He visits a condemned prisoner just before his execution, where, the man pleads for mercy. He insists he has been taken over by an evil spirit and that it forces him to commit crimes.

Cordier doesn't believe the story, it's fantastic! The man's eyes get a mysterious glow and he attacks the magistrate, then dies suddenly while trying to strangle him. Soon after the weird occurrence happens, he starts hearing an eerie voice and begins to wonder if he's losing his sanity.

His doctor recommends that he take up sculpting, which he once had an interest in, to get his mind off of all the strange things that seem to be happening. By chance, he develops a friendly relationship with Odette Mallotte, a gold digger married to a struggling artist played by Chris Warfield.

Nancy Kovack plays Odetta, she was a student at the University of Michigan at 15, a radio deejay at 16, a college grad at 19, and the holder of eight beauty titles by the age of 20!! She can also be seen in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD, THE SILENCERS and MAROONED, plus these great TV series... VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, I DREAM OF JEANNIE, BATMAN (played Queenie), THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., I SPY, THE INVADERS, STAR TREK, GET SMART, BEWITCHED, HAWAII FIVE-O, LOVE, AMERICAN STYLE, MANNIX, THE INVISIBLE MAN and CANNON!

As he admires his work in clay, it gets a big frown on it's face. A great, freaky hallucinogenic scene!

Then, naturally, he gets an unwelcomed visit from the evil, invisible intruder!

Here are two great shots of Vinnie, see in the lower one how he can convincingly look like a shell of himself!

The headline sez it all... 'Nuf said?

Pretty good stuff for 1963!

The thing tells him to take the head out and place it in a hole it has prepared. Cordier watches as the invisible monster covers the head over with soil!

He can't take much more of this crap! Earlier, it made him kill his canary!

Before he knows it, though, he's on his next assignment, kill that snoopy Jeanne D'Arville!

As he pulls the knife, he sees in a store window some religious items including a cross. He temporarily breaks the spell and runs to the church, where, he devises a plan to get rid of the monster, once and for all!

The magistrate's able to lock the spirit in the library and starts a fire, the only way to completely destroy the menace. So, the angry, unseen thing tosses a chair at him.

The spirit gets it's evil ass toasted, but, unfortunately, our dear Vinnie has to die too, since he actually carried out the gruesome murders...

Ghoulnight Everbloody!!..