No single individual had more of an influence or impact on the Grand-Guignol form than the highly prolific playwright André De Lorde. Over the course of the first quarter of the 20th century, De Lorde wrote well over a hundred plays for the Grand-Guignol, often in partnership with experts on the latest trends in criminology and psychology. He was quick to incorporate the trappings of modernity, and was the first playwright to set his works in mental hospitals and surgery wards; in this respect, De Lorde's influence is writ large on the horror films of the 20th century.

Un Crime dans une maison de fous (also known as The Diabolical Ones, The Infernals, and The Old Women) is André De Lorde's most famous Grand-Guignol play, and it was revived many times throughout the history of the Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol as well as its franchises around the world. De Lorde's co-writer on this play was the noted psychologist Alfred Binet, who is perhaps better known for having invented the standardized intelligence test.

The Car Crash Club's adaptation of De Lorde's play represents an attempt to update the original while staying true to the innovative spirit of its original author. A Crime in the Madhouse uses the traditional Grand-Guignol form to convey a uniquely modern story, and takes the audience on a trip from the Neshaminy Mall into the abandoned depths of the infamous Philadelphia State Hospital.