Asylum (1972/I)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Roy Ward Baker

Writer:

Robert Bloch (stories)

Release Date:

17 November 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The hot-blooded beauty in the cold freezer.

Plot:

A young psychiatrist interviews four inmates in a mental asylum to satisfy a requirement for employment...

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Tailor | Freezer | Criminally Insane | Blind

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Peter Cushing	...	Smith
Britt Ekland	...	Lucy
Herbert Lom	...	Byron
Patrick Magee	...	Dr. Rutherford
Barry Morse	...	Bruno
Barbara Parkins	...	Bonnie
Robert Powell	...	Dr. Martin
Charlotte Rampling	...	Barbara
Sylvia Syms	...	Ruth
Richard Todd	...	Walter
James Villiers	...	George
Geoffrey Bayldon	...	Max Reynolds
Ann Firbank	...	Anna
Megs Jenkins	...	Miss Higgins
John Franklyn-Robbins	...	Stebbins

Also Known As:

House of Crazies

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | France:-16 | UK:15 | Australia:M | Finland:(Banned) (1973) | Sweden:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

New Lodge, Winkfield, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Amicus Productions

Trivia:

Arthur Grant was booked as director of photography but three weeks before shooting discovered he was terminally Ill and had to reluctantly drop out. Denys N. Coop stepped in at short notice.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the landlord of the tailor holds up his rent book, it alternates hands between shots.

Quotes:

[Barbara's imaginary friend Lucy has just stabbed Barbara's brother and nurse to death]
Lucy: I say... this is a lark, isn't it? There, Barbara, now you're free. Free of all of them.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: Asylum" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Pictures at an Exhibition

A lost classic

Very good photography, acting, dialog set this horror anthology above most others. There is a clever beginning which then evolves into 4 separate stories of individuals inside an asylum. The 1st story is the most gruesome. The 2nd story is the most intriguing and also has Peter Cushing in it doing a excellent job as usual. The 3rd story is the weakest and the 4 th story ties into the twist ending. With each story only lasting an average of 15 minutes, they keep the viewers interest. This also has a nice soundtrack { something almost totally missing from todays horror crap,remkaes and sequels} . For those of us who like style, originality and solid acting in our horror films, this deserves a look.