Asylum, also known as House of Crazies, is a horror anthology film made in 1972 from Amicus Films, one that features a bevy of stars in four tales of madness. The movie itself is directed by the incomparable Roy Ward Baker, no stranger to horror and aiding him would be a man more than familiar with the genre in writer Robert Bloch. All four stories would be gleaned from Bloch’s imagination and feature a unique framing sequence taking place in an asylum. The setting itself immediately conjures up all sorts of imagery which could be taking place within its walls and while your fears may be assuaged at first, once the first inmate starts to relate their tale, a sense of uneasiness starts to pervade you until the slightly predictable, yet still shocking end takes place.

Starring Robert Powell as a doctor newly arrived at an asylum looking for work; he meets Dr. Rutherford played by Patrick Magee who tells him he will consider him for the job if he can guess which one of the four patients he is to meet is the former head of the establishment. So it is that Powell goes from room to room, listening to each patient’s story as they grow more wild and more ludicrous until the finale where Powell thinks he knows the answer, only to realize that he was just a little off course.

Taking each story separately, Bloch’s first two tales are stronger than the latter two and yet when woven into this larger tapestry, they work better than they might have. The first story deals with a woman ultimately haunted by guilt while the second stars Peter Cushing as a man haunted by loss. The third tale features Charlotte Rampling as a woman haunted by her past as the fourth features Herbert Lom as a man who thinks he can transfer his soul into a small robot of his own making. Of course, all four patients are as mad as Hatters which Powell’s character soon comes to realize, but at the same time, the man is outraged at how these patients are being treated and whether he guesses correctly as to the identity of the former director, he means to do something about their treatment. By the end of the film, Bloch ties everything together nice and neat, though there is no real resolution as to the fates of the patients, but that was not the real end goal as viewers will see if watching the film.

Cushing is the standout of course, not simply because the man is a legend of the genre, but simply because he is exceptional in the role. Powell and Magee are good for the limited time they are on screen, Barbara Pakins, Rampling, Barry Morse and the very talented Herbert Lom are fun to watch as well and as far as the cast was concerned, there were no real weak players. Baker and cinematographer Denys N. Coop managed to create quite the eerie atmosphere in the asylum despite everything looking trim and tidy, almost like there was a subtle menace in the air and because of that, you were always on the edge of your seat waiting for something to happen. In all, Asylum turned out to be quite a strong film from Amicus, and for an anthology that is not always the case as there are always some parts weaker than the whole. It is a testament to the strong writing of Bloch, the ability of the actors involved and the skill of the makers of this film that it turned out to be so good. It is definitely worth the time and effort to find and give this movie a watch.

4 out of 5