Skip to content
HOLLYWOOD METRICS
HomeAboutCraftNewsAnalyticsScriptsBooksPricingAPIMCP
Catalog/Horror/La machine
La machine poster
B
Strong
MASTER SCORE 57.2 / 100
1994·Horror / Sci-Fi / Thriller·1h 36m

LA MACHINE

This deftly made French psychological thriller terrifies with its exploration of an experiment gone horribly wrong. Dr. Marc Lacroix, a psychiatrist specializing in brain functions, is obsessed with the link between mind and spirit. To find his link he studies the criminally insane. He builds a secret machine, known only to his mistress Marianne, in which he hopes to exchange minds between humans. He simultaneously wants to help the mentally ill recover, and he wants to experience their madness. He chooses the psychotic killer, Zyto, a man who stabbed at least three women, for his experiment. The initial experiment is successful and the two exchange minds. But trouble ensues when Zyto refuses to reverse the switch. There is little Marc can do when Zyto takes over Marc's life, and more ominously his wife and child whom are unknowingly in mortal danger. Marc, encased in Zyto's body, is returned to the asylum. Will Marc's wife recognize the danger? Will Zyto kill again?

Above the Line
François Dupeyron·DirectorFrançois Dupeyron·WriterRené Belletto·NovelDietrich Lohmann·Director of PhotographyMichel Portal·Original Music ComposerNoëlle Boisson·Editor
Cast
Gérard Depardieu·Dr. Marc LacroixNathalie Baye·Marie LacroixDidier Bourdon·Michel ZytoNatalia Wörner·MarianneJulie Depardieu·A nurseClaude Berri·HuguesErwan Baynaud·Léonard LacroixMarc Andréoni·Le gardienAlain Azerot·Un infirmierWilfred Benaïche·Le patient
Full Crew
(18 credits)
Directing· 1
François Dupeyron·Director
Writing· 2
François Dupeyron·WriterRené Belletto·Novel
Camera· 1
Dietrich Lohmann·Director of Photography
Editing· 1
Noëlle Boisson·Editor
Sound & Music· 5
Michel Portal·Original Music ComposerPierre Gamet·SoundGérard Lamps·Sound Re-Recording MixerNadine Muse·Sound EditorJean-Noël Yven·Sound Effects Editor
Art & Design· 3
Elisabeth Tavernier·Costume DesignCarlos Conti·Set DecorationThi Thanh Tu Nguyen·Makeup Artist
Production· 5
Patrick Bordier·ProducerBernard Bouix·ProducerRené Cleitman·ProducerIngrid Windisch·ProducerJeanne Biras·Casting
By the Numbers
57.2
OF 100
Master Score
5.4
OF 10
IMDb
—
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
—
Worldwide Gross
0
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

Find on TMDB
Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

La machine's poster has not been indexed by the visual agent yet. The grid below shows the schema the analysis fills in.

Dominant Palette
Pending
Mood
Unanalyzed
Composition
Unanalyzed
Era
Unanalyzed
Visual Style
Unanalyzed

The visual agent has indexed 54,210 posters from the catalog against this schema. The remaining slate is queued for the next enrichment pass.

More Like This

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Neighboring films in the catalog's similarity graph.

Keep Going

THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
MORE BY FRANÇOIS DUPEYRON

Every catalog entry where François Dupeyron is credited as director.

Open
Family
GEN
MORE HORROR

Top-ranked films inside horror, sorted by master score.

Open
Era
DEC
MORE FROM THE 1990S

The best films of the 1990s, ranked across every available metric.

Open
View on IMDbView on TMDBCatalog
HOLLYWOOD METRICS

The definitive mathematical oracle for cinematic success and creative script intelligence.

74,000+ Films100 Years1.1M+ Reviews
PRODUCT
  • Dashboard
  • Pricing
  • Script Analysis
  • Watch the Demo
  • The Red List
  • News
  • Analytics
  • API
  • MCP Connector
COMPANY
  • About
  • Track Record
  • Trust & Script Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
CONNECT
  • ▶YouTube
  • ◉Instagram
  • ♪TikTok
  • @Threads
  • fFacebook
Get Started Free →
© 2026 Hollywood Metrics. All rights reserved.Powered by bespoke agents and autonomous agentic workflows