Stonehearst Asylum

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)

Rating: 3.6/5 stars

If you like period pieces, psychopathic characters, excellent actors, and plenty of atmospherics, then "Stonehearst Asylum" should be right up your alley. Between its distinctly modern intelligence and razor-sharp plotting, Director, Brad Anderson's clever contraption almost matches the heights of Gothic grandeur that keep Poe held in high esteem even today.

Anderson clearly takes delight in all the proceedings, which is one of the reasons the film feels fresh. While the film might lack some the macabre drama and dark humor of the original Edgar Allan Poe tale, it still does a fine job of conveying a creepy, engaging thriller with a brilliant Gothic atmosphere and fine performances from its terrific ensemble cast.

There's probably a brilliant, award-worthy film to be made about the inhumane way the medical practice dealt with the mentally ill in the past. This one isn't it, but it is nonetheless a solid, sturdy piece of entertainment. "Stonehearst Asylum" is an insane, Gothic thriller with a lot of chills, thrills, and fun to be had along the way.

I'd forgotten how much pop scares got on my tits until I watched Stonehearst Asylum. Because it doesn't have a single one. And it's a fine film.

I think it's somewhat miss-sold as a horror, though it's hard to know how else it should have been marketed. There's plenty of jeopardy but scarcely any gore. I guess its most accurately described as a Gothic romance.

It's a loose riff off Poe's "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" with a few canny twists.

The cast is stellar: Ben Kingsley, Michael Caine, Kate Beckinsale, Sinead Cusak.

I tend to define films in terms of whether or not I would enjoy watching them with my undoubtedly better half. in this case, yes. It's a cracking film with a rattling storyline, The odd proto- feminist moment and no horror cheap shots. What's not to like?

Had a great time watching this movie. I'm not a fan of 'old time-y' films but this was a good watch. The story was so that it kept my interest as I kept wondering where it was going to go with all this and I felt at one point it would turn out a bit cliché. I was wrong, and never bored getting from one scene to the next. I recommend it but I can't say much more other than I liked the cast (Don't want to spoil it). Great actors/actresses.

I wondered what Kate Beckinsale was doing in such a film but then it all became clear, she did great, looked great. Micheal Caine, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Kingsley and even David Thewlis were all wonderful. It was my first time encountering Jim Sturgess in any film but he did a great job too, I mean, everyone was right at the top of their game.

The movie is not fast on its feet and contains little action but it makes up for it all with a well told and engaging story. Plenty of suspense.

Overall: I highly recommend it. Maybe not a 'must watch' but after you see it, you'll be glad you didn't miss it. Great ending too.

"Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see." Edward Newgate (Sturgess) has just graduated medical school and takes a job at a mental institution. When he gets to know his fellow doctors he isn't sure what to think. Little by little he begins to uncover secrets about the asylum and the more he finds out the stranger things seem. This was a good movie but at the same time it was also disappointing. I liked the idea of this and the twists were perfect and placed at the right time. None of them seemed too far fetched, but that also could have been because the movies was about an insane asylum. With a cast like this however I was expecting something a little bit better. Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Kingsly and Michael Caine are all big name actors but the movie never rose to their level. This is a movie that is worth watching but it's best to temper your expectations when you see the cast. Overall, a movie that is good and worth seeing but with this cast I feel it could have been better. I can see why it wasn't a big theater release. I give this a disappointing B-.

I only watched this movie because it had the word "Asylum" in the title (Honestly - I just hoped it would have some Arkham Asylum type crazies in it). I did not have high expectations when I started watching this movie...

Was I pleasantly surprised - it was a GREAT movie and I almost wanted to watch it again. I liked the characters and their stories, the setting as well as well as the plot twist at the end.

I must however point out that the fact that the movie description/summary I read contained a key spoiler - this did not spoil the movie for me, but I would have enjoyed the film even more had I not known certain details.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic movie and I was a little bit sad when it ended.