Asylum (1972/I)

Director:

Roy Ward Baker

Writer:

Robert Bloch (stories)

Release Date:

17 November 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

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 | Scalpel | Invisible Friend | Adultery

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Peter Cushing	...	Mr. Smith (segment 2 "The Weird Tailor")
Britt Ekland	...	Lucy (segment 3 "Lucy Comes to Stay")
Herbert Lom	...	Dr. Byron (segment 4 "Mannikins of Horror")
Patrick Magee	...	Dr. Lionel Rutherford (segment 4 "Mannikins of Horror")
Barry Morse	...	Bruno (segment 2 "The Weird Tailor")
Barbara Parkins	...	Bonnie (segment 1 "Frozen Fear")
Robert Powell	...	Dr. Martin (segment 4 "Mannikins of Horror")
Charlotte Rampling	...	Barbara (segment 3 "Lucy Comes to Stay")
Sylvia Syms	...	Ruth (segment 1 "Frozen Fear")
Richard Todd	...	Walter (segment 1 "Frozen Fear")
James Villiers	...	George (segment 3 "Lucy Comes to Stay")
Geoffrey Bayldon	...	Max Reynolds (segment 4 "Mannikins of Horror")
Ann Firbank	...	Anna (segment 2 "The Weird Tailor")
Megs Jenkins	...	Nurse Higgins (segment 3 "Lucy Comes to Stay")
John Franklyn-Robbins	...	Mr. Stebbins (segment 2 "The Weird Tailor")
Sylvia Marriott	...	Asylum Head Nurse (segment 4 "Mannikins of Horror")
Daniel Jones	...	Otto the Dummy (segment 2 "The Weird Tailor")
Frank Forsyth	...	Asylum Gatekeeper (segment 4 "Mannikins of Horror")
Tony Wall	...	New Houseman (segment 4 "Mannikins of Horror")

Directed by
Roy Ward Baker

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Robert Bloch		stories "Frozen Fear", "The Weird Tailor", "Lucy Comes to Stay" and "Mannikins of Horror"

Produced by
Gustave M. Berne	....	executive producer
Max Rosenberg	....	producer
Milton Subotsky	....	producer

Cinematography by
Denys N. Coop

Film Editing by
Peter Tanner

Casting by
Ronnie Curtis

Art Direction by
Tony Curtis

Set Decoration by
Fred Carter

Makeup Department
Roy Ashton	....	makeup artist
Joan Carpenter	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Teresa Bolland	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Anthony Waye	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Norman Bolland	....	sound mixer
Bob Jones	....	dubbing mixer (as Robert Jones)
Clive Smith	....	sound editor
Mike Tucker	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Neil Binney	....	camera operator
Bob Jordan	....	focus puller (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bridget Sellers	....	wardrobe supervisor

Music Department
Douglas Gamley	....	music arranger

Other crew
Pamela Davies	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Amicus Productions
• Harbour Productions Limited

Distributors

• Cinerama Releasing Corporation (1972) (USA) (theatrical)
• International Film Distributors (1972) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1974) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Dynamite Entertainment (1979) (USA) (theatrical) (retitled re-release)
• Wm. Lange & Associates (1979) (USA: Midwest) (theatrical) (retitled re-release)
• Danton Films (1979) (Canada) (theatrical) (retitled re-release)
• Prism Home Video (1987) (UK) (VHS)
• Aquarius TV (1999) (Greece) (TV)
• Image Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD) (VHS)
• Passion Productions (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Dark Sky Films (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (UK) (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Globo Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• MPI Home Video (????) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) (2008) (Germany) (TV)

Also Known As:

"House of Crazies" - USA (reissue title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

New Lodge, Winkfield, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Amicus Productions

Trivia:

Richard Todd has stated in interviews that he regrets making this film.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the first story, when the parts of the dismembered corpse are moving around, two right hands appear, one crawling on the floor and the second reaching down for Bonnie's face.

Quotes:

[explaining why he's in a wheelchair]
Dr. Rutherford:Never turn your back on a patient.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Stephen King's World of Horror (1986) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Pictures at an Exhibition

Fun horror film

This is a fun film to watch if your after a good horror flick. Sometimes it verges on cheesy but there's enough creepy moments to prevent it being tacky. Some great performances especially from Charlotte Rampling. The story goes along fine until the end when it looses its way slightly. However, this is a good horror film which shows that you don't need blood and gore to make a horror film. The soundtrack adds to the mood of the film. This is written by the same man who wrote Psycho, which is evident in the Barbara story(think Norman Bates). I would recommend avid horror films to watch this film especially if you like a twist at the end of a film. Watch out for Patrick Magee (from A Clockwork Orange)who has the role a doctor in this film.