Rating: 
Summary: An absolutely brilliant horror movie
Review: As one who has often panned for gold in the stream of little-known horror delights, I have discovered much more fool's gold than gold dust, but Asylum is a magnificent gold nugget. Produced by Amicus, the British equivalent of Hammer Studios, this classic film features a remarkable cast bringing to life a compelling, delightfully shocking tale which comes straight from the pen of none other than Robert Bloch. I think the whole idea of the movie is brilliant, especially the way everything is put together, meshing four largely unrelated tales into one overall and amazingly successful story. We begin with Dr. Martin's arrival at the asylum in pursuit of a position. He is surprised to learn that Dr. Styles, the asylum director and the man he expected to speak with about the job, is now one of the incurably insane inmates housed upstairs. Dr. Rutherford is willing to hire Dr. Martin, but only if he passes a certain test. There are four inmates upstairs, and he must determine which one is actually Dr. Styles (who has assumed a brand new identity for himself). As Dr. Martin makes the rounds, accompanied by the doctor posted upstairs, we are presented with each individual's story as to how they came to be institutionalized. The first story, that of Bonnie, is a wholly remarkable one. Her lover, having finally agreed to kill his divorce-denying wife and run off with her, chops his wife into several pieces and stows everything in the freezer, including her voodoo-ish protective bracelet He is quite shocked shortly thereafter to see the head, wrapped in butcher's paper, roll into view upstairs, and he is even more surprised by what happens next. When Bonnie arrives, she finds herself menaced and attacked by the separate body parts of the seemingly undead murdered woman. Next we have the story of Bruno the tailor. Facing economic ruin, he is offered two hundred pounds to make a suit for a rather strange gentleman named Mr. Smith (played magnificently by Peter Cushing). The suit must be created under the unusual conditions specified by the customer and must be made from the remarkable fabric Smith has provided Bruno. This metallic, strangely glittering coat is actually an instrument of magic, Bruno finds out upon delivering it. Supposedly it has the power to give or restore life to whoever wears it. Cushing's performance helps make this the strongest of the four stories, in my opinion. Next up is Barbara, who denies having committed the murders that resulted in her institutionalization. It was her friend Lucy, she says. The story plays pretty well until the end, when whatever mystery lingered concerning the truth about Lucy is rather unnecessarily done away with. Finally, we have Dr. Baron, maker of robotic men; actually, he says, the creatures are quite human on the inside, and he claims to have the power to will his own mind into one such creation and essentially make it come alive with his own consciousness. This tale has its weaknesses, but its effect on Dr. Martin is profound and sets in motion the thrilling conclusion of the movie. This conclusion, I must say, is remarkably good, treating me to a wonderful surprise and devilishly good twist. The plot of Asylum does have a weakness or two in it, but the film's overall effect on the viewer is so gripping that minor questions cease to matter very much. Frankly, I have never seen an anthologized movie such as this succeed so well. Few movies can combine separate tales and succeed as a unified whole, but Asylum accomplishes this feat quite easily. This is an intelligent horror movie that fans of the genre can point to with great pride.
Rating:
Summary: An absolutely brilliant horror movie
Review: As one who has often panned for gold in the stream of little-known horror delights, I have discovered much more fool's gold than gold dust, but Asylum is a magnificent gold nugget. Produced by Amicus, the British equivalent of Hammer Studios, this classic film features a remarkable cast bringing to life a compelling, delightfully shocking tale which comes straight from the pen of none other than Robert Bloch. I think the whole idea of the movie is brilliant, especially the way everything is put together, meshing four largely unrelated tales into one overall and amazingly successful story. We begin with Dr. Martin's arrival at the asylum in pursuit of a position. He is surprised to learn that Dr. Styles, the asylum director and the man he expected to speak with about the job, is now one of the incurably insane inmates housed upstairs. Dr. Rutherford is willing to hire Dr. Martin, but only if he passes a certain test. There are four inmates upstairs, and he must determine which one is actually Dr. Styles (who has assumed a brand new identity for himself). As Dr. Martin makes the rounds, accompanied by the doctor posted upstairs, we are presented with each individual's story as to how they came to be institutionalized. The first story, that of Bonnie, is a wholly remarkable one. Her lover, having finally agreed to kill his divorce-denying wife and run off with her, chops his wife into several pieces and stows everything in the freezer, including her voodoo-ish protective bracelet He is quite shocked shortly thereafter to see the head, wrapped in butcher's paper, roll into view upstairs, and he is even more surprised by what happens next. When Bonnie arrives, she finds herself menaced and attacked by the separate body parts of the seemingly undead murdered woman. Next we have the story of Bruno the tailor. Facing economic ruin, he is offered two hundred pounds to make a suit for a rather strange gentleman named Mr. Smith (played magnificently by Peter Cushing). The suit must be created under the unusual conditions specified by the customer and must be made from the remarkable fabric Smith has provided Bruno. This metallic, strangely glittering coat is actually an instrument of magic, Bruno finds out upon delivering it. Supposedly it has the power to give or restore life to whoever wears it. Cushing's performance helps make this the strongest of the four stories, in my opinion. Next up is Barbara, who denies having committed the murders that resulted in her institutionalization. It was her friend Lucy, she says. The story plays pretty well until the end, when whatever mystery lingered concerning the truth about Lucy is rather unnecessarily done away with. Finally, we have Dr. Baron, maker of robotic men; actually, he says, the creatures are quite human on the inside, and he claims to have the power to will his own mind into one such creation and essentially make it come alive with his own consciousness. This tale has its weaknesses, but its effect on Dr. Martin is profound and sets in motion the thrilling conclusion of the movie. This conclusion, I must say, is remarkably good, treating me to a wonderful surprise and devilishly good twist. The plot of Asylum does have a weakness or two in it, but the film's overall effect on the viewer is so gripping that minor questions cease to matter very much. Frankly, I have never seen an anthologized movie such as this succeed so well. Few movies can combine separate tales and succeed as a unified whole, but Asylum accomplishes this feat quite easily. This is an intelligent horror movie that fans of the genre can point to with great pride.
Rating: 
Summary: Lacklustre presentation of classic Amicus omnibus horror
Review: Asylum is of course one of a group of anthology horror films that includes Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, etc., produced by Hammer wannabe Amicus Productions. Never as stylish, daring, or bloody as Hammer's efforts, their movies nevertheless were usually solid, entertaining mystery/horror outings. Half the fun of the Amicus pictures is watching so many terrific veteran English actors going through their paces. Asylum is a perfect example of this, with a great, mostly British cast including Peter Cushing, Herbert Lom, Patrick Magee, Barbara Parkins, Charlotte Rampling, Britt Ekland, and Richard Todd. I remember seeing the trailer for this (with the dismembered body parts) back in the early 70s at the theater and the audience went nuts. Unfortunately, decades of gore/slasher movies have lessened the impact of movies like this (see comments of other reviewers), whose horrors are more subtle, though still effective. I found it fairly absorbing and ultimately satisfying on recent viewing. Minor complaints: The film is a bit uneven, with a couple of standout episodes (the first and last) bracketing a couple of less effective, if serviceable pieces. (Anyone who's seen Robert Bloch's original 'tailor's dummy' episode of the Thriller TV series will wish the remake here was done as well.) I also would've saved the first (most blatantly horrific) story for last (somehow), and my wife did guess the "twist" ending fairly quickly. But overall still quite original; creepy at times, shocking at others, delicious fun throughout.
Sadly, Image's DVD is rather standard fare, with nary an extra in sight. The film is presented full frame 1.33:1, though it appears to have been shot this way (according to IMDb and by the way the titles and compositions are framed). The source print looks like a typical (16mm?) TV print with mediocre color fidelity, slight softness, and light to moderate speckling throughout. It's not really bad but not really great either, and put to shame by numerous other Image and Anchor Bay releases of similar type movies (see Anchor's recent stupendous Circus of Horrors disc). Fans of the film will probably buy this anyway (I did) since it's a huge gamble that it'll ever be released in a better version in the foreseeable future, but it's hard to recommend purchase to the uninitiated at this price, especially considering the mediocre quality of the source print and lack of extras. The movie gets four stars; the DVD is a solid three.
Rating:
Summary: Asylum
Review: Asylum. This film describes 4 stories told to psychologist Robert Powell by patients at a remote English countryside house. Powell is invited to be interviewed as house doctor by psychologist Patrick Magee, who promises Powell that he will get the job if he can recognise which one of the 4 patients is the former Dr B Starr, who was previously the house's chief psychologist but now a patient himself/herself. Powell meets Reynolds who looks after the patients. The first story describes a woman, Barbara Parkins, who became crazy after she discovered both the dead remains of a woman whose husband Parkins was to be married and the dead husband himself. He killed his voodoo-trained wife and cut her into small pieces, but she later killed him. The second story describes Barry Morse as a tailor who needs money to pay his rent and makes a suit for Peter Cushing's dead son, hoping to be paid well. After the suit is made, Cushing tells Morse that he has no money and demands the suit. Morse kills Cushing with a gun and uses the suit to bring a dummy to life. Morse later becomes mad. The third story describes Charlotte Rampling having an imaginary friend, Britt Ekland, who kills and makes Rampling the murderer. The last story describes Herbert Lom as a scientist who makes toy mannekins and wills his soul into one of them. Powell leaves to tell Magee he is not interested in working at the house, and Magee is killed by a knife from a toy mannekin. Powell crushes the mannekin with his foot, and finds human remains in the toy. Lom screams, and Powell sees Reynolds, who tells Powell that Lom's body was crushed. Powell tells Reynolds that Lom was Dr B Starr and goes to Reynolds' office to telephone the police. Reynolds tries to stop him but Powell discovers a dead body in his office, whom Reynolds tells him to be the real Reynolds. The fake Reynolds is actually Dr B Starr, who strangles Powell to death. The film ends with Dr Starr posing as another doctor at the home and inviting another person to interview. This is the first of 6 Amicus films consisting of short stories. The other films are Tales From The Crypt, The House That Dripped Blood, The Vault of Horror, From Beyond The Grave, and Dr Terror's House of Horrors.
Rating:
Summary: You have nothing to lose but your mind.
Review: Here's a fun horror anthology from the early 70's, with a pretty respectable cast including Peter Cushing, Patrick Magee, Herbert Lom, Barry Morse, Charlotte Rampling, and Britt Ekland. There are four ghastly tales, threaded together by a fifth fiendish story. Basically, a young psychiatrist arrives at a state mental hospital looking for a job, and finds the head doctor he made the initial appointment with had a breakdown of sorts, and is now a patient. The new head doctor makes a deal with the young doctor that if he can discern which out of four patients is the old doctor, then he can have a job. The first story involves a mistress, a married man, and a murdered wife. Seems she was chopped into pieces, but she won't stay dead.....the second is about a tailor in dire economic straights who is retained to make a mysterious suit out of mysterious material, under very specified conditions for an mysterious customer. Once the suit is finished, it would provide the wearer with mysterious powers....this tale is probably the weakest of the bunch. Peter Cushing is way underused in this story. The third story is one of paranoia and schizophrenia, and the forth is about a toy maker and his special ability in making dolls. The stories are fun, and remind me a lot of those old Tales From the Crypt comics. Also, the wraparound, or fifth, story threw me for a loop, as I didn't see it coming until it was too late....I felt a little silly, as usually I can catch on to those things, but I give credit to where credit is due. As far as anthologies go, you may find one or two better, (Creepshow, Dead of Night), but you can certainly find worse.
Rating:
Summary: The Asylum of Terror!
Review: I got a hold of this DVD quiet by accident and boy did I think it looked cheesy! A 1972, Brit-horror throw-back film (or so I thought), to be piled up with all the rest of the cheesy 70's 'horror' films. But I was very mistaken. This film has a strong storyline that just keeps you guessing, and throws you for a loop many times! And at moments it really is scary! It reminds me of The Twilight Zone shorts- really mysterious stories that unfurl at a high state of spookiness and uncanniness. I Ratmouse liked Mr. Cushing in this film. I though the acting was pretty solid. And you'll love the mad laugh at the end! Go out and get (out of) the Aslyum before it's too late!!!
Rating:
Summary: FRIGHTFULLY GOOD FUN.....
Review: I saw this on it's release in 1972 when I was in high school and loved it. Curiously unavailable for years , I finally got it on DVD and it's still good. A quintet of horror stories told by four inmates of an asylum that explain why they are there are done to the hilt in style. Released by Amicus, a British company that did several horror anthologies in the 70's, the DVD transfer by Image is wonderfully crisp and clean. My favorite tale is the 1st one with Barbara Parkins as the girlfriend of a man who kills his occult obsessed wife and dismembers her--putting the wrapped parts in his freezer. When Parkins comes to pick him up so they can run away together, the parts come to life and attack her! This is done VERY well. The other tales are just as good and each one is different. The great cast includes Charlotte Rampling, Britt Ekland , Herbert Lom and Patrick Magee. TRY to get hold of this one, it's well worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: THOUROUGHLY ENJOYABLE......
Review: I've had this on DVD for some time now and enjoy watching it when I'm in the mood. It's an anthology film from the old British Amicus studios with a quartet of horror tales related by four inmates of an asylum to the new doctor on staff. It's also a beautiful print from Image. My favorite is the "Frozen Fear" piece with Barbara Parkins as the mistress of a married man who murders his occult obsessed wife, chops her up and stores her in the freezer wrapped in freezer paper. The wife's occult beliefs turn the tables and her body parts reanimate and kill the husband. When Parkins comes by (they were planning to run away together) she is attacked by all the parts shuffling and crawling around on the floor jumping on her as she tries to beat them off. This is very well done and really eerie. The other stories are good too. They include Charlotte Rampling, Britt Ekland and Patrick Mcghee in great performances. The direction by Roy Ward Baker is tight and Robert Bloch contributed the material. This may be OOP but there are still copies in stores. I recommend this for horror buffs and those who remember the horror anthologies from the 70's. Completely enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: THOUROUGHLY ENJOYABLE......
Review: I've had this on DVD for some time now and enjoy watching it when I'm in the mood. It's an anthology film from the old British Amicus studios with a quartet of horror tales related by four inmates of an asylum to the new doctor on staff. It's also a beautiful print from Image. My favorite is the "Frozen Fear" piece with Barbara Parkins as the mistress of a married man who murders his occult obsessed wife, chops her up and stores her in the freezer wrapped in freezer paper. The wife's occult beliefs turn the tables and her body parts reanimate and kill the husband. When Parkins comes by (they were planning to run away together) she is attacked by all the parts shuffling and crawling around on the floor jumping on her as she tries to beat them off. This is very well done and really eerie. The other stories are good too. They include Charlotte Rampling, Britt Ekland and Patrick Mcghee in great performances. The direction by Roy Ward Baker is tight and Robert Bloch contributed the material. This may be OOP but there are still copies in stores. I recommend this for horror buffs and those who remember the horror anthologies from the 70's. Completely enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: A GOOD ONE TO OWN
Review: Perfect to own, you will find youself wanting to watch it again. The mood is eerie enough, the stories keep you interested and it's made well. It's all about the atmosphere, get this DVD.
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