Asylum

Roy Ward Baker's horror anthology is based on four short stories by Robert Bloch. Nowadays Bloch is remembered as the man who wrote PSYCHO -- not the movie, but the book it was based on. In sf fandom, he was known for winning a Hugo for "That Hell-Bound Train", being a member of the Lovecraft circle ( he appears in one of Lovecraft's stories as "Robert Blake") and the Milwaukee Fictioneers, and for his extravagant love of puns. Bloch's macabre sense of humor is not much on display here, but a highly competent cast brings these tales to life. It was a period in which horror anthologies were popular, inspired by the American TV show NIGHT GALLERY, and the immense backlog of such stories. I am not much impressed by the form, with their identical snapper endings of "What this madman says is true!" but I think if you like the form, you'll enjoy this movie.

"Asylum" is a four-part horror / anthology film that fails to satisfy the viewer. The first story is a familiar, one-note revenge tale. The second begins intriguingly but gets increasingly predictable. Still, it's the one that stands out, mainly due to Peter Cushing's delightful performance. The third story is clearly the worst: slow-paced, tedious, devoid of interest. The fourth and final story is perhaps the most original in its conception, but it's too short and the possibilities never get developed. Aside from a genuine surprise at the end, the scripting is generally unimaginative, and the mechanical direction gives a routine feel to the whole production.

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. With direction from Roy Ward Baker and with stories adapted from the work of Robert Bloch ("Psycho"), how can you go wrong? You simply cannot. The highlight of the anthology is "The Weird Tailor". Not just because it has Peter Cushing, but because the story has the best potential. And, even in short form, it was done quite well. Amicus was the greatest British horror studio and their anthologies are unmatched. This is one of the better ones, and well worth watching.

Very good photography, acting, dialog set this horror anthology above most others. There is a clever beginning which then evolves into 4 separate stories of individuals inside an asylum. The 1st story is the most gruesome. The 2nd story is the most intriguing and also has Peter Cushing in it doing a excellent job as usual. The 3rd story is the weakest and the 4 th story ties into the twist ending. With each story only lasting an average of 15 minutes, they keep the viewers interest. This also has a nice soundtrack { something almost totally missing from todays horror crap,remkaes and sequels} . For those of us who like style, originality and solid acting in our horror films, this deserves a look.