Asylum (1972)

In order to secure a job at a mental institution, a young psychiatrist must interview four patients inside the asylum.

Director:

Roy Ward Baker

Writer:

Robert Bloch

Stars:

Barbara Parkins, Richard Todd, Sylvia Syms

2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Barbara Parkins	...	Bonnie (segment "Frozen Fear")
Richard Todd	...	Walter (segment "Frozen Fear")
Sylvia Syms	...	Ruth (segment "Frozen Fear")
Peter Cushing	...	Smith (segment "The Weird Tailor")
Barry Morse	...	Bruno (segment "The Weird Tailor")
Ann Firbank	...	Anna (segment "The Weird Tailor")
John Franklyn-Robbins	...	Stebbins (segment "The Weird Tailor")
Britt Ekland	...	Lucy (segment "Lucy Comes to Stay")
Charlotte Rampling	...	Barbara (segment "Lucy Comes to Stay")
James Villiers	...	George (segment "Lucy Comes to Stay")
Megs Jenkins	...	Miss Higgins (segment "Lucy Comes to Stay")
Herbert Lom	...	Byron (segment "Mannikins of Horror")
Patrick Magee	...	Dr. Rutherford (segment "Mannikins of Horror")
Robert Powell	...	Dr. Martin (segment "Mannikins of Horror")
Geoffrey Bayldon	...	Max (segment "Mannikins of Horror")

Storyline

A young psychiatrist interviews four inmates in a mental asylum to satisfy a requirement for employment. He hears stories about 1) the revenge of a murdered wife, 2) a tailor who makes a suit with some highly unusual qualities, 3) a woman who questions her sanity when it appears that her brother is conspiring against her, and 4) a man who builds tiny toy robots with lifelike human heads.

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Plot Keywords:

blindness | insanity | psychiatrist | mental patient | mental institution | 

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Taglines:

The doctor makes his last house call.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 November 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

House of Crazies

Filming Locations:

Burwood Park, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harbour Productions Limited, Amicus Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Geoffrey Bayldon was cast at the 11th hour to replace Spike Milligan who dropped out before shooting began.

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Goofs

When Bonnie is being chased by a severed arm crawling along the floor, a crew member's hand is visible, holding the arm to make it appear as if it is moving.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in Robert and the Toymaker (2017)

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Soundtracks

Pictures at an Exhibition
(uncredited)
Music by Modest Mussorgsky
Arranged by Douglas Gamley

User Reviews

Very entertaining horror anthology with a first rate cast.

'Asylum' holds a special place in my heart as watching it on TV as a kid in the 70s is one of my earliest horror memories, along with Rod Serling's almost forgotten series 'Night Gallery' and the underrated Cushing/Lee movie 'The Creeping Flesh'. I watched 'Asylum' the other day for the first time in oh, twenty years at least, and while it wasn't anywhere near as scary as I remember it to be, it's still one of the better horror anthologies of the period. It's helped considerably by having Robert Bloch adapt his own stories, Roy Ward Baker ('The Vampire Lovers', 'Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde') as the director, and it features a first rate cast including horror legends Peter Cushing, Patrick Magee, and Herbert Lom. The most effective stories for me were the two in the middle - the one with Barry Morse as a tailor with a mysterious client (Cushing), and the other with a fragile Charlotte Rampling being led astray by the sexy Britt Ekland. 'Asylum' has a few flaws sure, but it's still a very entertaining film, and horror buffs will enjoy it.