Experiment in Evil1960
Directed by Jean Renoir
The premise
Dr. Cordelier, living in a suburb of Paris, withdraws from society to pursue research into the functioning of the human brain. His lifelong friend, Maître Joly, becomes concerned when Cordelier draws up a will that bequeaths his entire estate to a stranger, Monsieur Opale; he cannot understand why Cordelier defends him, considering Opale attacks women and children. After a colleague is killed, Joly confronts Cordelier and discovers the truth behind his friend's behavior.
Horror Vault's take
A reclusive Parisian doctor retreats into obsessive brain research, severing himself from polite society while a mysterious and violent stranger named Opale begins leaving a trail of disturbing attacks in his wake. Director Jean Renoir transposes the Jekyll-and-Hyde legend into mid-century France, lending the classic tale a cold, clinical unease. As bodies pile up and strange legal arrangements come to light, a trusted friend finds himself drawn into a web of secrets that challenges everything he thought he knew about the man he has known for a lifetime.
Content: Violence Against Women And Children, Disturbing Assault Sequences
Cast
Jean-Louis Barrault
Dr. Cordelier / Opale
Teddy Bilis
Joly
Michel Vitold
Dr. Lucien Severin
Sylviane Margollé
Little Girl Attacked by Opale
Jacques Danoville
Commissioner Lardaut
André Certes
Inspector Salbris
Jean-Pierre Granval
Boss of the Short-Time Hotel
Jean Bertho
First Passer-By during the Aggression
Jacques Ciron
Second Passer-By during the Aggression
Annick Allières
Neighbor
Dominique Dangon
Little Girl's Mother
Jean Topart
Désiré, Butler
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