I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

How sad is this?

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I'm a sucker for an anthology film. More horror for less I guess. This one sounded pretty interesting, with a surprisingly effective wraparound story that is more than just filler.The first segment, "Frozen Fear", is a typical wronged spouse revenge story but with a nice beyond the grave twist. There are some creepy scenes involving animated body parts (creepy AND funny, I should say).The second, "The Weird Tailor, despite having Peter Cushing in it, is weaker than the first. It's mostly goofy and none too scary.The third, "Lucy Comes to Stay", is easily the best segment. It's about a woman with a split personality that manifests itself as another person, and while it's mostly a scenario that's been played out before, this one at least has good fun with it and never pretends the audience isn't in on the twist.The fourth, "Mannikins of Horror", actually evolves out of the wraparound segment in a neat little surprise. An absolutely baffling, but strangely compelling premise is completely undone by a poorly paced ending. Watching that mannikin walk around the hospital was some kind of torture (even the laughs subside long before the scene does).The wraparound keeps your interest and resolves like you expect, however it's effective for what it needs to do. This is a solid anthology film, with the usual ups and downs, but most of them right around the median.

Roy Ward Baker directed this horror anthology set in a mental asylum, as a new doctor is introduced to the back stories of four inmates: 'Frozen Fear' - A man is terrorized by his murdered wife. 'The Weird Tailor' - A tailor is paid to make a most unusual suit for a grieving father. Starring Peter Cushing & Barry Morse. 'Lucy Comes To Stay' - A woman(played by Britt Eckland) believes her brother is conspiring against her. 'Mannequins Of Horror' - A man(played by Herbert Lom) builds tiny dolls, one that looks just like himself, that must kill. Mediocre film with the second tale being the only one of note. Framing story has a surprise ending, which isn't enough to save it.

During a job interview for the position of senior houseman at an insane asylum, Dr. Martin (Robert Powell) is set an unusual test by Dr. Rutherford (Patrick Magee): after talking to four of the institution's incurably insane patients (played by Barbara Parkins, Barry Morse, Charlotte Rampling and Herbert Lom), he must try and identify which of them was once the asylum's director, Dr. Star.It's got a cool setting, a great cast, and a decent enough director in Roy Ward Baker, but the success of any anthology horror film ultimately lies in the strength of its tales, and this collection of the macabre from Psycho scribe Robert Bloch just isn't quite up to scratch.The first tale, 'Frozen Fear', as recounted by pretty patient Bonnie (Parkins), is probably the best of the bunch and sees her adulterous lover Walter (Richard Todd) turning to murder to escape his marriage, chopping up his wife and storing the pieces in a chest freezer; she doesn't stay dead for long, however, her assorted body parts crawling out to seek revenge. The sight of a severed leg, arm or head wrapped in brown paper and string pursuing its victims might be a little silly perhaps, but the deliciously ghoulish nature of the tale still makes it work.Sadly, it's downhill from here on in.Tale number two is 'The Weird Tailor', which sees Mr. Smith (Peter Cushing) hiring Bruno (Morse) to make him a suit from special material according to precise instructions found in an old book. A solid performance from the ever excellent Cushing cannot save this story from mediocrity, the dreary story ending with a weak twist even more laughable than Morse's dodgy accent.Lucy Comes to Stay boasts a good central performance from Rampling as mentally ill, pill popping Barbara whose best friend Lucy (Britt Ekland) is as deadly as she is beautiful, but the twist to this tale is terribly predictable, preventing it from being as shocking as it otherwise might have been.The final patient Dr. Martin visits is Dr. Byron (Lom), who believes that he is able to transfer his consciousness into a toy robot bearing his likeness. Dr. Martin dismisses this claim, but realises too late that Byron is telling the truth when the miniature model comes to life and kills Dr. Rutherford. In the film's final surprise, Dr. Martin discovers who Dr. Star really is, shortly before being strangled to death by the nutter.

The company Amicus were absolute masters of the horror anthology in the 1960's and 1970's, and "Asylum" is a fine and typical example of the work they did. Now, granted, it's hard not to just laugh at some of the things here, but the filmmakers could well have been going for tongue in cheek the entire time anyway. Never really scary, but certainly creepy on occasion, the movie nevertheless maintains a high fun factor. Even taking its tendency towards predictability into account, it's highly enjoyable stuff.The young Dr. Martin (Robert Powell) is interviewing for the top job at a mental asylum; the man who seems to be in charge, Dr. Rutherford (Patrick Magee), tells him that if he can answer a riddle, he will get the job. The riddle is, who among the patients to whom he will be introduced used to be the head doctor, a person named Starr?He first meets Bonnie (Barbara Parkins), whose story is told in "Frozen Fear". Planning on running away with married lover Walter (Richard Todd), she is forced to deal with the results when Walter chops up his wife Ruth (Sylvia Syms) and puts her body parts in the freezer. Turns out, Ruth was into studying voodoo...Then it's on to Bruno (Barry Morse) in "The Weird Tailor". Which is actually inaccurate, as it's Bruno's customer, the mysterious Mr. Smith (Peter Cushing) who is the weird one. Bruno desperately needs a paying customer like Mr. Smith in order to pay his rent, but he'll find that there are worse things than losing one's place of business, as the job of manufacturing a suit from the strange material provided by Smith has macabre consequences.The story of Barbara (Charlotte Rampling) is related in "Lucy Comes to Stay". Barbara has gotten out of a mental hospital, and must take the bad with the good as her reckless "friend" Lucy (Britt Ekland) does what she feels is best for Barbara.Finally, we and Dr. Martin are introduced to Herbert Lom's Dr. Byron in "Mannikins of Horror". Dr. Byron has created some intriguing little robotic figurines, one in his own likeness, that supposedly contain organic matter inside.The last story is brief as Dr. Martin (incorrectly) then thinks he's figured everything out, and has it out with Dr. Rutherford, disgusted by his methods, only to have everything go bad quite quickly.The resolution is delicious (with our antagonist breaking the fourth wall before the end credits begin rolling), and a peerless cast makes the most of the material, written by Robert Bloch of "Psycho" fame. The movie gets off to a great start with Modest Mussorgsky's "A Night on the Bald Mountain" on the soundtrack, letting us know we're going to be in for a good & ghoulish time. Genre pro Roy Ward Baker is in the director's chair, and does his usual efficient work. All in all, "Asylum" is a worthy viewing for any fan of the horror anthology.7/10