Asylum
The Amicus Collection
When Dr. Martin (Robert Powell) arrives at the Dunmoor Asylum for The Incurably Insane, he expects to be interviewed for a job by the asylum's director, Dr. Starr. Instead, he is met by Dr. Rutherford (Patrick Magee), who explains that Dr. Starr has suffered a mental breakdown and is now one of the patients. Dr. Rutherford states that if Martin can deduce which patient is Dr. Starr, then he will be given the position.
Is it Bonnie (Barbara Parkins), whose affair with a married man results in murder? Is it Bruno (Barry Morse), a hard luck tailor who is visited by a mysterious stranger (Peter Cushing), carrying a blueprint and special fabric for an unusual suit? Is it Barbara (Charlotte Rampling), accused of murdering her brother and her nurse, but insisting that her friend Lucy (Britt Ekland) is responsible? Or, is it Dr. Byron (Herbert Lom) who claims the ability to transfer his lifeforce into a mechanical doll?
Directed by Roy Ward Baker (The Vault of Horror, And Now The Screaming Starts!,) and produced by Amicus stalwarts Max J. Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky, Asylum has been mastered in High Definition from 35mm vault materials.
Member Reviews
Good little film by Amicus! - RottenRon
Most of the early 70's horror anthology movies by Amicus studios I find to be slightly disappointing but Asylum was really quite enjoyable. The atmosphere was really creepy and the loony bin theme was played off really well. I thinkl I will be looking forward to the next Amicus film on my Zip list.Lazy Sunday movie - FodderMK
I love watching these types of films on a Sunday afternoon with the blinds closed. Interesting stories with so-so effects, but still definitely worth a watch if you like these kinds of films (I would catagorize them as one step up in gore from the anthology films with Vincent Price). Don't expect anything scary, but there is a great plot that holds all the short stories together, and you gotta watch it till the end to find out what happens!Four more short stories from Amicus - Coconut_Willy
Famous writer Robert Bloch supplies four more tales in this well made early '70s horror film. This time though, the wrapping around these individual stories is particularily clever as a psychiatrist has to meet the patients of an asylum as part of a job interview. This is a movie genre that I enjoy very much as it somewhat ensures that little time is wasted on superfluous details and a rather fast paced film. Many times did I see movies based on short stories where filler had to be added because the original plot did not provide enough elements to justify a 90 minutes feature. Once again, the cast here is fabulous with at least half a dozen stars of the era doing a fine acting job with a good dialogue. The sets and locations are quite good as well as the soundtrack and the camera work is appropriate. Even the special effects are much better than in other similar productions of the era. Highly recommended to all British horror fans.
The transfer to DVD is of good quality despite some scenes having what appears to be faded colors. As an extra, there is a very good featurette on Amicus short-lived history.
Member Reviews
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Good little film by Amicus! - RottenRon
Most of the early 70's horror anthology movies by Amicus studios I find to be slightly disappointing but Asylum was really quite enjoyable. The atmosphere was really creepy and the loony bin theme was played off really well. I thinkl I will be looking forward ...Lazy Sunday movie - FodderMK
I love watching these types of films on a Sunday afternoon with the blinds closed. Interesting stories with so-so effects, but still definitely worth a watch if you like these kinds of films (I would catagorize them as one step up in gore from the anthology ...Four more short stories from Amicus - Coconut_Willy
Famous writer Robert Bloch supplies four more tales in this well made early '70s horror film. This time though, the wrapping around these individual stories is particularily clever as a psychiatrist has to meet the patients of an asylum as part of a job interview. ...