Directed by Roy Ward Baker
A young psychiatrist applies for a job at a mental asylum and must pass a test by interviewing four patients. He must figure out which of the patients, is in fact, the doctor that he would be replacing if hired.
House of Crazies, El asilo del terror, Refugio Macabro, Психбольница, The Asylum, Asylum - Irrgarten des Schreckens, Irrgarten des Schreckens, Asilo Sinistro, La morte dietro il cancello, L'Asile, Refugio macabro, Психиатрия, 어사이럼, Manicomio, O Asilo do Terror, Akıl Hastaneleri, Refugi macabre, 精神病院, Hospitalet, アサイラム・狂人病棟
USAPG 
Germany16 Germany USA 
Playing guess which insane asylum inmate used to be a doctor seems like a much more fun way to apply for a job than the interview and presentation rigmarole you get put through nowadays. I mean, which would you rather: tell me about a time you worked effectively across teams or listen to my tale of macabre madness? It’s a no brainer, right?
As with a lot of anthologies, the wraparound tale - of a psychiatrist listening to patient stories as the job-getting game - was a bit more effective than the tales within. But I did like that the short stories varied from delightfully schlocky b-fluff to vaguely creepy occult mannequins. And, of course, I’m always happy to spend…
Rest in pieces... Well as long as you can...
Asylum is an anthology flick that features four stories of the inmates of a secluded asylum and Dr Martin's quest to access them to find out who Dr Starr is to secure his job at the Asylum.
This certainly is one of the best addition to the amicus anthologies with each story being better than its predecessor, amplified by great background scores, camera work and its amazing cast especially Peter Cushing featuring in "The Weird Tailor" probably the only reason why I rewatched it. But if I had to pick the best of the four it has to be "Lucy comes to stay".
All these people might be inmates in an…
1972 Roy Ward Baker helmed Amicus anthology written by Robert Bloch (of Psycho fame), Asylum delivers big time for me and features one of my favorite anthology wraparounds—a young doctor arriving for a job at an asylum for the where he must interview the current patients and deduce which one was the former head of said facility in order to get the job. Unorthodox for sure, but oh so entertaining and it perfectly sandwiches these classic tales of Amicus lore.
This is one of those anthology offerings where I actually dig all the stories… particularly the first with its dismembered body parts wrapped in paper and the second which features Peter Cushing’s mysterious suit customer. Love the cast, the Hospital mansion setting, and…
Hooptober X: Now With 20% More Horror!
“Rest in Pieces”
Imagine going through all of college to get your doctorate only to have play a game of Where’s Waldo to land a job.
My first Amicus film! Look at me widening my horizons. My dad would be proud.
I’m a sucker for anthology films so this was an easy watch. The biggest trap anthology films fall into is having a weak wraparound story to tie it all together. Not here. No, the wraparound story here might be the best part of the entire film!
You’ve got a psychiatrist listening to four mental patients trying to deduce which one used to be the previous doctor before they went mad. That’s a…
I’m currently laid up in bed with a cold while waiting the coming of the next snowpocalypse so I wanted a “chicken soup” kind of movie. This is possibly my favorite horror anthology so it did the trick.
A young doctor comes for an interview at an asylum and the director tells him that the head doctor as gone insane and is being held as a patient. If he can correctly guess which patient is really the doctor then he gets the job so he proceeds to listen to four stories from four different patients. The cast list is phenomenal: Robert Powell, Peter Cushing, Charlotte Rampling, Britt Eklund, Herbert Lom, Patrick Magee, and more. The individual stories are all very…
One of Amicus' better horror anthologies.„Asylum“ tells four stories that aren't always witty, but always charmingly presented, with a great cast.
Still my favorite Amicus anthology movie and I never get tired of watching it. The cast is great and the segments are all entertaining. I think my favorite is the one with Charlotte Rampling and Britt Eklund because they both seem like they’re having so much fun with their parts.
Got this as part of my Severin haul so it’s nice to finally own it. I hope all the Amicus anthologies get the Blu-ray treatment because they are all classic good times!
I wonder if Dr Byron crossed paths with André Toulon at some point, maybe, just maybeeee. An enjoyable, and very British, horror anthology with a great cast of characters. I knew I recognised Barbara from somewhere, she is Dexter’s psychiatrist. The wrap around was fun, and I think my favourite short was Lucy Comes to Stay, and Mannequins of Horror is a close second.
A brilliantly effective Amicus anthology. While some of these films feel like a series of separate stories with a loose wraparound tying them all together - Asylum beautifully blends the two; meaning the tales of terror feel like smaller parts of a larger story. The setting is very well realised. It's a grand and imposing building, and director Roy Ward Baker even goes the extra mile in setting the scene by showcasing a series of macabre drawings which adorn the walls of the Asylum - each one depicting insanity in various forms. The four stories, written by Robert Bloch, are typically absurd. You can't blame these characters for going insane! We kick off with with some great comedy horror featuring…
HooptoberX 7/34
Solid anthology with a very good cast, succeeds with its individual tales and has a fun enough framing story. Solid editing, and some good use of stock music. The Peter Cushing story is my favorite.
Asylum might just lock up the award for best wraparound story in a horror anthology. It also concludes with a fun, demented, and pitch-perfect conclusion, ending the film on a high note. As with most anthology films, the stories are hit and miss, but in Asylum’s case, the overqualified cast and sturdy craftsmanship kept me from tuning out before the next segment began.
A special thank you to the casting director who paired Charlotte Rampling and Britt Ekland together for their segment.
Sadly, despite excellent use of classical music in its score, Asylum only manages to come in second place for best use of the following compositions in cinema history:
A Night on Bald Mountain
Fantasia —> Asylum
Pictures at an Exhibition
The Big Lebowski* —> Asylum
*Jeffrey Lebowski’s landlord, Marty, finishes his “cycle” of performance art pieces to Pictures at an Exhibition. It is amazing.
they really named peter cushing first despite him only being in this for like 10 minutes because they knew that by doing that, they could get me to watch this. this isn't the first time that i have fallen for it and it certainly won't be the last. as for the actual movie, i always love a good anthology and while this one isn't anything extraordinary, it's still well-made and fairly fun with a great cast.
