As you may know I’m a massive horror fan especially Hammer or Amicus films. The film I’m reviewing here is from Amicus and also features a lot of excellent actors. Peter Cushing and Robert Powell being just two of the actors that feature. Asylum (1972) is another of Amicus’s horror anthology films and I love it. Second Sight Films has recently released a fully restored limited edition on to blu-ray. Have they done a good job? Let’s find out, here’s my Asylum blu-ray review.
- Asylum (1972) (Limited Edition)
- Genre: Horror
- Directed by Roy Ward Baker
- UK Rating 15
- Discs: 1
- Released By Second Sight Films
- Blu-ray Released: 29 July 2019
Plot
Asylum is a horror anthology film broken into four stories excluding the ‘Framing Story’ and ‘Epilogue’.
Frozen Fear
A man intends to kill his wife and start at new life with his mistress.
The Weird Tailor
A hard up tailor is asked to produce a new suit that comes with some strange instructions.
Lucy Comes To Stay
Barbara (Charlotte Rampling) has just been released from the Asylum and looking forward to rebuilding her life. However when Lucy (Britt Ekland) comes to stay everything changes.
Mannikins of Horror
Dr Byron (Herbert Lom) is dertermined to transfer his soul into a small robot figure.
Style / Direction
The films directed by Roy Ward Baker whilst the cinematography is handled by Denys N. Coop. All four stories are well shot with the stories delivered at a good pace.
Music / Audio Effects
The music comes from Douglas Gamley. Although the main theme used at the beginnig and end of the film is Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky and its pretty epic and awesome.
Acting / Characters
Just take a look at the cast list below and you know the acting is going to be excellent. Being a horror anthology film means that my favourite story just also happens to star Peter Cushing. To be honest all of the stories contain very good performances.
Cast
- Robert Powell – Dr Martin
- Patrick Magee – Dr Lionel Rutherford
- Geoffrey Bayldon – Max Reynolds
- Barbara Parkins – Bonnie
- Sylvia Syms – Ruth
- Richard Todd – Walter
- Barry Morse – Bruno
- Peter Cushing – Mr Smith
- Ann Firbank – Anna
- John Franklyn-Robbins – Stebbins
- Daniel Johns – Otto the dummy
- Charlotte Rampling – Barbara
- Britt Ekland – Lucy
- James Villiers – George
- Megs Jenkins – Miss Higgins
- Herbert Lom – Dr Byron
- Sylvia Marriott – Asylum head nurse
- Frank Forsyth – Asylum gatekeeper
- Tony Wall – New houseman
Conclusion: Asylum (1972) Film Review
As I said at the beginning of this review I love this film. It’s a great horror anthology film that really delivers some interesting stories that are well told and acted. I certainly recommend obtaining a copy if you can especially if you’re a big fan of Amicus or Hammer movies.
If you enjoyed my Asylum blu-ray review so far you may want to check out the following films:
Conclusion: Asylum Blu-ray Review
Asylum looks to have undergone a full restoration and now looks fabulous. The image is now free from any marks and overall it looks like a good restoration. I really don’t have any complaints and recommend you pick this version up over any other if possible.
On the extras front I strongly recommend taking a look at Two’s a Company: 1972 On-set BBC report feature. It goes behind the scenes into the making of Amicus films. Some of the points raised include just how quickly the films were shot and how profitable they were. I found it to very interesting and it only lasts 18 minutes.
Extras
- Audio Commentary
- Two’s a Company: 1972 On-set BBC report (18 mins)
- Screenwriter David K Schow on Writer Robert Block (21 mins)
- Fiona Subotsky Remembers Milton Subotsky (10 mins)
- Inside The Fear Factory Featurette (21 mins)
- Theatrical Trailer
Popcorn Cinema Rating: Asylum (1972)
MOVIE RATING: EXCELLENT
BLU-RAY RATING: VERY GOOD
EXTRAS: EXCELLENT
POPCORN CINEMA: RECOMMENDED
Amazon UK Links
Asylum (1972) blu-ray is out now. However it appear to have sold out pretty much everywhere including on Second Sight’s website and on Amazon. Hopefully a standard blu-ray version will be coming soon.
The Amazon links on this page are affiliate / associate links. By buying through the links we may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price you pay.
Asylum (1972) Film Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster…
Clip may not representative of the blu-ray version
That concludes my Asylum blu-ray review. What’s next? If you love a good horror film check back soon as I simply love the genre.
Summary: Asylum (1972) Blu-ray Review
Movie title: Asylum (1972)
Duration: 89 mins
Director(s): Roy Ward Baker
Actor(s): Robert Powell, Patrick Magee, Sylvia Syms, Peter Cushing, Charlotte Rampling, Britt Ekland, Herbert Lom
Genre: Horror
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Picture Rating
- Extras
Summary
Fabulous Amicus horror anthology
