Asylum

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Asylum

PG

Released Oct 11, 1972

1h 28m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

67%

Tomatometer

12 Reviews

51%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

When Dr. Martin (Robert Powell) goes on a job interview at a British insane asylum, he learns that he must interview the asylum's inmates in order to be considered for the position. Dr. Rutherford (Patrick Magee), who is wheelchair-bound because of an assault by an inmate, tells Dr. Martin that he will consider him for the position if he can discover which of the inmates is Dr. Starr, a former head doctor at the asylum who suffered a nervous breakdown.

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Jeremiah Kipp

Slant Magazine

Asylum tries telling similar tales (twice) and comes up pathetically short in the scare department.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 19, 2006

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

If nothing else, a horror movie about cabbages could help Rosenberg work through his obsession and save a lot of analyst's fees.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 23, 2004

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Almar Haflidason

BBC.com

Rated: 4/5

Jan 1, 2000

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Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

Asylum's individual tales of madness and terror don't end up entirely live up to the pulpy brilliance of its framing narrative.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 29, 2020

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Robert Sullivan

Los Angeles Free Press

Robert (Psycho) Bloch's script is tightly and intelligently written, but at times he tends towards predictability.

Jan 3, 2020

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Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

One of Amicus's best

Jul 26, 2019

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Kalin D

Weird but wonderful.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/01/24

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Audience Member

A great all star cast including Hammer Horror icon Peter Cushing star in this anthology of four stories told by inmates of an asylum. Written by Robert ‘Psycho' Bloch. The stories are all very entertaining and at times quite gruesome, especially one story featuring dismembered body parts which come back to life. Made by Hammer's rivals Amicus, they became well known for their anthology films in the 1970's. This is one of their best.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

All right, so there is this shrink who wants to work in a madhouse. During the job interview he's told that the actual head of the asylum is upstairs and mingles with the inmates. To get the job he needs to talk to the patients and find out who the actual professor is. This is the envelope for several short stories. This is obviously a "could watch". You don't have to watch it, but if you do you will not regret it, especially if you like old-fashioned brit horror and/or anthology movies and/or Peter Cushing. 65% (rt 3,5)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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marco b

Horror anthology. A psychiatrist interviews four patients in an asylum.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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william k

Well made horror anthology with some nasty bits has the usual issue that the quality of the episodes differs quite a bit.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Yet another fine Amicus anthology. The overall storytelling structure of our stories taking place within the titular asylum provides a great framework and a satisfying conclusion. It's not as strong as Tales from the Crypt, but it's quite good.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

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Roy Ward Baker

Director

Peter Cushing

Mr. Smith

Britt Ekland

Lucy

Herbert Lom

Dr. Byron

Patrick Magee

Dr. Lionel Rutherford

Barry Morse

Bruno

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Synopsis

When Dr. Martin (Robert Powell) goes on a job interview at a British insane asylum, he learns that he must interview the asylum's inmates in order to be considered for the position. Dr. Rutherford (Patrick Magee), who is wheelchair-bound because of an assault by an inmate, tells Dr. Martin that he will consider him for the position if he can discover which of the inmates is Dr. Starr, a former head doctor at the asylum who suffered a nervous breakdown.

Director: Roy Ward Baker
Producer: Max Rosenberg, Milton Subotsky
Screenwriter: Robert Bloch
Production Co: Amicus Productions, Harbour Productions Limited
Rating: PG
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 11, 1972, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 6, 2016
Runtime: 1h 28m

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