Asylum
by Roy Ward Baker
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Product details
Actor: Barry Morse, Britt Ekland, Herbert Lom, Patrick Magee, Peter CushingDirector: Roy Ward Baker
Cinematographer: Denys N. Coop
Editor: Peter Tanner
Producer: Gustave M. Berne
Producer: Max Rosenberg
Producer: Milton Subotsky
Writer: Robert Bloch
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Color, NTSC, Original recording reissued
Running Time: 88 minutes
Release Date: 2000-06-20
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Publisher: Image Entertainment
Studio: Image Entertainment
VHS Movie Reviews of Asylum
Movie Review: Weak premise ruins the film
Summary: 3 Stars
I had been waiting a long time to watch this film, and I'm a bit disappointed. The storyline is very weak and the premise for the entire film doesn't really work. While I enjoy campy, this is just too campy for its own good.
While some scenes were creepy enough, the entire film just didn't seem to be worthy of the praises it's receiving. I'd rather watch Mexican Gothic horror or outrageous B Horror films.
Movie Review: Excellent!
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the best in the Amicus anthology series, "Asylum" is presented here in a dazzling, first rate print with interesting extras. A must.
Dark Sky are one of the best labels worldwide. Big up Dark Sky!
Movie Review: Still love it!
Summary: 4 Stars
Great movie, great delivery time, still entertaining! Not as scary as when I was in elementary. Very happy!Movie Review: Come To The Asylum....To Get Killed!
Summary: 4 Stars
Ah, remember the days of horror anthology films? I love this format. You really don't see much of it anymore, though Creepshow 3 is slated to come out sometime soon. This film is fun and from a good era for horror films. The film could have been longer with a few more stories, but, hey, what can you do? The script is done by horror writer Robert Bloch, so it's certainly a must if you're a fan of his. It's his style through and through. Very much in the way Creepshow was a total Stephen King showcase. Those familiar with horror films will have the twists and such figured out almost immediately, but what is surprising anymore, eh? It's still well done. A pretty cool cast is assembled here as well, which is certainly a who is who of British horror. The twenty minute featurette is the only thing here of real significance as far as features go. Amicus cofounder Max Rosenberg(who looks like he's about 110), Amicus(and Hammer) directors Freddie Francis and Roy Ward Baker are interviewed to talk a bit about working for Amicus. Pretty cool considering I've never seen Francis or Baker before. The Asylum probably won't win over alot of new fans and may not seem as original today as it did then, but it is a fun ride which is all we really ask of a horror film.Movie Review: Great Stuff
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow, this movie was fun. I never saw it before and, because I've been on a big Hammer and Amicus kick lately, took a chance on it. I was not disappointed.
Like other Amicus productions, what we get here are several horror stories in one, all centered on "incurably insane" patients in a British asylum. There are some great stars here that make it work oh so well, including Patrick Magee (A Clockwork Orange), Robert Powell (Tommy, Jesus of Nazareth), Herbert Lom (Phantom of the Opera-1962), Peter Cushing (Do I need name all of his great horror films?), Richard Todd (Stage Fright)Barry Morse (Gerard from the 1960s TV series classic The Fugitive), Geoffrey Bayldon (The House That Dripped Blood), the scrumptious Britt Ekland (The Wicker Man-1973), beautiful Charlotte Rampling (The Fury), and lovely Bonnie Parkins (The Mephisto Waltz).
The transfer from Dark Sky Films is fantastic; it looks like a brand new film. It's presented in anamorphic widescreen and looks great when played in a progressive scan DVD player on a HD television.
Looking forward to the upcoming release of "From Beyond the Grave" from Image. Never saw that one before, either, but am looking forward to buying it just the same.
I'm hopeful other Amicus classics, including "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors," "Tales from the Crypt (1972)," and "Vault of Horror" will be released on DVD soon. There are rumors abound that Vault and Tales will soon be released by 20th Century Fox in England, but that won't help those of us living in the states much. Dr. Terror was released in England on DVD, but never in the U.S. There is a demand for these films here. Let's get with it, whoever owns the rights.
Summary of Asylum
From England's celebrated horror specialists Amicus Studios (The Beast Must Die, And Now the Screaming Starts, Tales From the Crypt) and American screenwriter Robert Bloch (the novel "Psycho") come four jolting tales of terror and insanity. Inmates in theOne of the patients in an institution for the incurably insane was once its director, and a young psychiatrist (Robert Powell) has to figure out which one as they all tell him their stories. What better setting for a horror anthology? It's an inspired framing device, making this one of the better examples of the genre, even if screenwriter Robert Bloch at times resorts to gimmicks rather than invention. The first two stories are less than brilliant (the first is highlighted by dismembered body parts neatly wrapped in butcher paper wriggling back to life for revenge), but Charlotte Rampling and Britt Eklund are marvelous in the third tale, about a mentally unbalanced young woman and her dangerous best friend. Herbert Lom is also excellent in the final story as a scientist who carves an army of dolls he claims he can bring to life by sheer will power.
Director Roy Ward Baker (Quatermas and the Pit) builds momentum with each story until the dark and deliciously bloody climax. This Amicus Studios production looks visually dull compared to Hammer's gothic gloss, but it features a great British cast (including Patrick Magee and Hammer stalwart Peter Cushing), and ultimately Baker makes that gloomy look work for his increasingly creepy production. Amicus produced a series of horror anthologies, including the original 1972 Tales from the Crypt and The Torture Garden (also scripted by Bloch). --Sean Axmaker
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