Les Mains d'Orlac
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Les Mains d'Orlac (The Hands of Orlac) is a fantasy novel by the French writer Maurice Renard, first published in 1920. It is an early example of the body horror theme in fiction.
Plot
In the novel, the pianist Stephen Orlac suffers a railway accident that gives him serious head injuries and deprives him of his hands. The famous and controversial transplant doctor Cerral gives him new hands, transplanted from a freshly guillotined assassin. Afterward, Orlac begins to wonder if he has become a Mr. Hyde who has inherited the criminal proclivities of his donor via his hands.
He seems to suffer from hallucinations and sinks into depression. His wife attempts to save him, but the couple is caught in a spiral of conspiracy, mystery and crime.
Adaptations
The story has been adapted into film and television many times, with notable adaptations including:
- Orlac’s Hände (The Hands of Orlac), a 1924 Austrian silent horror film
- Mad Love, a 1935 American horror film
- The Hands of Orlac, a 1960 French-British film
- Hands of a Stranger, a 1962 American horror film
The story was also an inspiration for the 1976 Doctor Who serial The Hand of Fear.
