Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

What begins as a feel-good-human-interest story turns into a mystery, then a tragedy, and ultimately an outrage.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The first thing which should draw you to this little horror flick is its writer... Robert Bloch, the man who penned Psycho - that in itself should have you excited. I had totally forgotten he'd written this anthology, so it brought a massive smile to my face when I saw it in the credits. Another plus for this movie is the great cast. I didn't know of any of the director's other work, but after watching this film I would be very happy to watch anything else he may have directed.Bloch's stories are strong and teeter on the edge of sanity and the paranormal. Both he and Baker do an excellent job of using the fifth story to tie all the others together. Dr Martin arrives at Dunsmoor Asylum to start work only to find Dr Rutherford is standing in for Dr Starr, who appears to have suffered a mental breakdown. Dr Starr has been moved upstairs to be confined with patients of a similar malady. So Rutherford sets out to test Martin by challenging him to talk to the patients on the ward and to diagnose which one is Dr Starr. Once on the ward, we are introduced to the inmates and their delusions.The first tells of a married man who's having an affair. However, when his wife informs him that she'll never let him go he has to take extreme measures... though she has some ideas of her own on the matter. Tale two tells of a struggling tailor about to lose his business. Needing a quick influx of cash he takes on the job of creating a suit for a stranger, out of some strange material... Story three is of a sister returning to her family home after a stay in a hospital. Upon her return, her best friend starts to weave doubts into her mind over what her brother and the nurse are really after. Can she be telling the truth or does she have an ulterior motive? Story four is about Dr Byron and his creations. At the moment they are just effigies of his former colleges, though he has a plan to bring them to life...Each story is acted superbly by its cast (I found nothing bad about any of the performers or their portrayals) and are beautifully filmed. There are some wonderful camera shots, not too outlandish but very subtle that you don't notice them. For example, when Martin enters the Asylum he is met by a nurse. The camera follows behind her slowly. Once they are acquainted they turn down a hallway and the camera pans with them. As they stand outside Rutherford's door they are just silhouettes. The camera work is so steady and smooth. In today's film, it'd be jerky - to give it a "realistic" feel - and they would more than likely stay with them or have quick cuts from hallway to outside the door. I know which I prefer. Baker does a good job of using not only the camera work but lighting and sound to create atmosphere. In the first story, where there's a little action, he creates a creepiness though with an exciting sting to it. For the second story, Baker ups the eerieness element to unnerve the audience.The only reason it didn't get full marks is that I am marking by today's standards, which means that some of the special effects let it down a little. I've never been one for the "Stuffed attacking beast" or "decapitated body part" attacking scenes - I've always known it's nothing more than the actor holding a prop. As a viewer I want to lose myself in the story, incidents like these just bring me out of that story a little... usually with a giggle. This hurts the film and the enjoyment of it because you're meant to be scared - not amused. That said, some of the other effects are top notch. Loved the dolls internal organs and the mirror scene was pretty much perfect.I would recommend this film to every horror fan out there as this is how it should be done. Though it isn't perfect I would still watch this over a lot of the "so-called" horror of today. Well worth a watch and well worth keeping.

The young psychiatrist Dr. Martin (Robert Powell) comes to an isolated mental institution for a job interview with Dr. B. Starr; however his associated Dr. Lionel Rutherford (Patrick Magee) tells that the chief doctor had a mental breakdown and now is an inmate. Dr. Rutherford proposes Martin to interview four inmates to find who Dr. Starr is; if he succeeds, he would have the position. He goes upstairs and is received by the nurse Max Reynolds (Geoffrey Bayldon).1st Interview: Bonnie ("Frozen Fear"): The inmate Bonnie (Barbara Parkins) tells that her lover Walter (Richard Todd) and she have plotted to kill his wealthy wife Ruth (Sylvia Syms), who studies voodoo with a powerful priest, and hide her body in a freezer. Walter dismembers her body and wraps the pieces; however Walter and Bonnie will have a dreadful surprise.2nd Interview: Bruno ("The Weird Tailor"): The tailor Bruno (Barry Morse) is completely broken and needs money to pay the rent to his landlord Stebbins (John Franklyn-Robbins); otherwise, his wife Anna (Ann Firbank) and he will be evicted. He accepts a weird request from the mysterious Mr. Smith (Peter Cushing) to make a suit for his son. But when the suit is ready, Mr. Smith tells that he has no money to pay for his work and there is a tragic consequence.3rd Interview: Barbara ("Lucy Comes to Stay"): Barbara (Charlotte Rampling) is released from an asylum under the custody of her brother George (James Villiers) and he brings her home to be nursed by the nurse Miss Higgins (Megs Jenkins). Out of the blue, her best friend Lucy (Britt Ekland) visits her and invites Barbara to flee with her. What will Barbara and Lucy do?4th Interview: Byron ("Mannikins of Horror"): Dr. Byron (Herbert Lom) explains that he has built organic toys to transfer soul to it. Who might be Dr. Starr?"Asylum" is a British cult-movie from the 70's divided in four segments. It is good to see Charlotte Rampling and Britt Ekland in the top of their beauties and the always creepy Peter Cushing among others again. Unfortunately this type of sophisticated British horror film is no longer made and remains only in the memory of mature audiences. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Asilo do Terror" ("The Asylum of the Horror")

'Asylum' is an anthology film from the Amicus Company, based on stories by Robert Bloch. It has the distinction of proving more popular than the Hammer films of the time. The bombastic strains of 'Night on Bald Mountain' by composer Modest Mussorgsky accompany Dr Martin (Robert Powell) as he drives towards an imposing, mist-drenched asylum where he is to attend a job interview with Doctor Rutherford (Patrick Magee). This 1867 score is used again as Martin explores the corridors of the stately building – to be honest, the music is certainly rousing, but is too much to accompany what is after all, a man looking at some pictures, no matter how unsightly the images of early psychiatric treatments may be.Rutherford sets Martin a task. If he can identify former medical specialist Dr Starr amongst the inmates, the position is his. He has to visit a selection of cases – first, guided by the orderly Reynolds (Geoffrey Bayldon, in a role for which Spike Milligan was also considered), he meets Bonnie (Barbara Parkins). What follows in 'Frozen Fear', is that Walter (Richard Todd) and Bonnie agreed to dismember Walter's wife, occult practitioner Ruth (Sylvia Syms) and live off her money. Despite this, she escapes from the freezer into which her various body parts have been stored, and her assorted limbs, head (which is still breathing) and torso, carefully wrapped in brown paper and string, attack first Walter and then Bonnie … apparently (we see this in flashback, and it is one of this film's greatest and most effective scenes. It is intentionally horrific and hilarious, perfectly balanced). This is Bonnie's story, but she has no proof, only gaping wounds on her face where she axed her alleged attacker/s. Chances are, if you have seen this film, then the scene of the dismembered limbs scuttling across the floor is what will stick in your mind.'The Weird Tailor' is next. Barry Morse plays Bruno, a struggling tailor who accepts an order from 'Mr Smith' (Peter Cushing) to create a suit made from special material, and to work on this at specific times over four nights. Smith promises a great deal of cash, but when the suit is delivered, is revealed to live in a house empty of furniture: Smith is penniless. Both actors are at a peak here and ably supported by Ann Firbank as Bruno's wife (Bruno is a lot more sympathetic here than in Bloch's original story and our sympathies are with him throughout as a result). Even the (enjoyable) silliness at the end of the episode doesn't detract from its deep sense of melancholy and longing. Directed often in close-up, the squalidity of the two men's desperation is expertly conveyed. This is not only my favourite segment from 'Asylum', but from any Amicus production.Any tale that follows that would be hard pressed to match it, and sadly 'Lucy Comes to Stay' (originally planned as the first instalment, but moved to third place at Producer Milton Subotsky's insistence) is the weakest of the three. This is by no means a bad story, the climax nevertheless shares similarities with 'Frozen Fear'. It contains a terrific cast including James Villiers, Charlotte Rampling, Megs Jenkins and Britt Ekland.Another Doctor – Doctor Byron – features next. Played by the always brilliant Herbert Lom, Byron has created tiny mannequins based on former colleagues of his. 'These are not ordinary figures', he explains, and goes on to explain that each figure is living and perfectly capable of functioning. He can bring them to life with his 'conscious', and his final model is based on himself. Absurdly (the viewer has to go along with this for it to be effective), this last mannequin travels downstairs and kills Doctor Rutherford, who is responsible for Byron's incarceration.And yet who is the elusive Dr Starr? The answer is brilliantly directed by stalwart Roy Ward Baker. It is the Bayldon's orderly. Starr killed the original Reynolds, and does the same to Dr Martin. We finally see him as he truly is, frighteningly deranged, holding a stethoscope to Martin, cackling furiously, an insane child-like laughter. Bayldon is terrific throughout. Often a player of secondary characters, he is unassuming and courteous – and that is why the reveal is so very effective.Finally, another candidate for the job arrives at the asylum and is greeted by Bayldon, echoing an earlier line about closing the door and keeping out the draughts. 'As Dr Starr used to say' he remarks with a knowing glance to the audience. Witty and unnerving, this is my favourite Amicus film.

Boy they liked their horror anthology movies back in the 70's didn't they, well Amicus certainly did. This movie actually has a genuinely eerie title that has of course been reused since, and the movies poster is actually quite scary too. Usually these old horrors have cheesy titles with very daft posters but this one breaks that mould somewhat.So its an anthology movie, therefore as you might have guessed its the same premise yet again with a selection of four short tales sandwiched between a bookend tale usually with a narrator of sorts. This time a young Robert Powell plays a young doctor who is visiting an asylum to apply for a position within. Oddly he is set the task of interviewing all four patients within the asylum to figure out which one used to be the head of the asylum...if he can he gets the job, just like in reality.First patient and first tale recounts a plot to murder the wife of a wealthy middle aged couple. The murder is planned by the gent of the couple and his bit on the side. The thing is the gents wife studies voodoo, as white middle aged wealthy folk do, and when she is killed off she comes back for revenge. Its a very rudimentary vignette that doesn't really show much imagination methinks, although I must admit it is quite unnerving when the dead wife comes back in the form she does. This was probably the very first old fashioned horror tale in these anthologies that actually gave me the willies, very creepy.Second patient who is an ex-tailor, tells us of a mysterious man (the mighty Cushing) who orders a fine suit to be made out of a special material. The catch being this tailor must make the suit under a specific set of instructions that must be followed precisely. Once completed and taken to Cushing in his dark dark residence we discover the suit is for his long dead son. Why you ask? well it can bring inanimate objects to life, not dead but inanimate as we find out when a store mannequin is accidentally dressed in the suit. This is again a simple tale that didn't really grab me, many questions are raised as usual and as usual left unanswered. Not really an issue as I'm used to this with these movies but the ending is very weak with this one, I guess the tailor made it out of the situation alive then, how very unexciting.The third patient is a female who appears to be suffering from dissociative identity disorder, in other words she has multiple personalities or in this case a second personality. The young woman in question believes she is being told to escape her boring life by another young woman which results in her murdering her brother and a nurse. This whole short is very predictable and really rather unimaginative I think, its pretty obvious the young blonde is a figment of the girls imagination and what follows is bland to say the least.The final patient is played by the legendary Herbert Lom and his little vignette blends into the bookend story involving Powell. Bizarrely this short story looks like a forerunner to the horror movie franchise 'Puppet Master'...kinda. Lom is creating a little toy robot that is a likeness of himself (why a likeness?), he intends to transfer his mind (somehow) into the toy robot so he can...escape? not too sure actually. I can't quite see how this will benefit this patient if his mind is inside a small slow waddling toy robot but there you go. Plus how on earth did he manage to recreate a miniature working version of his own viscera for the little robot and why would it even need that??! This short offers an intriguing premise but it makes no real sense as I've already pointed out, the final outcome seems coincidental and I'm not even sure if that was the characters actual game plan. It merely serves to run into the bookend story which in itself is weak and ends on a flat note that wasn't setup well in the first place.Overall I found this anthology tame and very clichéd with stories that have been told a billion times before, there is nothing much on offer here that feels really fresh. Yes the casting is top notch as they tend to be and the visuals/effects are particularly well done this time round but the stories are sooooo routine, there is better out there.4.5/10