Review: Asylum

Robert Powell plays a doctor who applies for a job at an insane asylum. Asylum warden Patrick Magee tells him that the job is his so long as he can tell who among a select few of inmates is really the former asylum head, now gone mad. Each patient he meets tells him their story. ‘Frozen Fear’: Richard Todd plays a scheming, cheating husband who kills and chops up his wife so he can be with his mistress (Barbara Parkins). The wife’s body parts stored in the freezer don’t take kindly to this. ‘The Weird Tailor’: A cash-strapped tailor (Barry Morse) accepts a new gig from oddball Peter Cushing to make a suit for his son using a most peculiar material that seems to glow and only working at night. ‘Lucy Comes to Stay’: A disturbed woman (Charlotte Rampling) is released from an asylum to live with her brother (James Villiers). Her friend Lucy (Britt Ekland) turns up to cause homicidal trouble. ‘Mannikins of Horror’: An intense man (Herbert Lom) believes he has the power to will his being inside the dolls he creates. Geoffrey Bayldon turns up in the wraparound story as an asylum worker.

 

I think this 1972 horror omnibus from the kings of such things Amicus Films, was the first of their offerings that I watched. Revisiting this Roy Ward Baker (“The Vampire Lovers”, “Scars of Dracula”) film, I have to say it’s pretty darn good. Along with “Tales From the Crypt” and the non-Amicus “Creepshow”, I think it’s one of the best and most consistent horror anthologies.

 

First cab off the rank is a great opener with the fairly average Barbara Parkins and the always solid Richard Todd. Todd (who apparently regretted making the film for some reason) is a real savage, rotten bastard in this one. The story is hardly fresh, but it’s a lot of grisly, morbidly funny stuff. The highlight is a genuinely funny bit where the body parts wrapped in brown paper come alive and start stalking poor Parkins. Up next we get Barry Morse putting on a vague accent to play ‘The Weird Tailor’ with Peter Cushing. Morse is fine, Cushing terrific. Unlike the first story this one’s odd and not terribly familiar. I don’t think it’s as strong as the first story and I think it’s mistitled, as the tailor isn’t weird at all. It’s an interesting segment nonetheless. Our third story has a terrific cast in Charlotte Rampling, Megs Jenkins, a mischievous Britt Ekland and the eternally foppish and sneering James Villiers. Rampling is excellent, Ekland is good fun, and it’s always nice to see Megs Jenkins. It’s an enjoyable entry. So we’re 3 for 3 here. The final story features Herbert Lom, and the very serious actor is a good choice for what is an obviously barmy story about dolls come to life. Lom’s intense stare works for a character trying to will himself into a doll with his mind. It finishes the film without a dud segment, as even the Cushing/Morse segment is good fun. The wraparound scenes feature a mystery that isn’t terribly mysterious, but Patrick Magee and Geoffrey Bayldon are good fun nonetheless. The best thing about the entire film is the excellent music score by Amicus regular Douglas Gamley (“Tales From the Crypt”, “From Beyond the Grave”).

 

Scripted by Robert Bloch (who wrote the novel for “Psycho” and adapted his own work in Amicus’ “The House That Dripped Blood”) from his own short stories, this is good, macabre fun for those who like their horror anthology films. This is one of the best.

 

Rating: B-