Asylum (1972)

Director: Roy Ward Baker

Starring: Peter Cushing, Britt Ekland, Herbert Lom, Patrick Magee, Barry Morse, Barbara Parkins, Robert Powell, Charlotte Rampling, Sylvia Syms, Richard Todd, James Villiers, Geoffrey Bayldon, Ann Firbank

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Come to the asylum...to get killed!

Plot: A young psychiatrist interviews four inmates in a mental asylum to satisfy a requirement for employment. He hears stories about 1) the revenge of a murdered wife, 2) a tailor who makes a suit with some highly unusual qualities, 3) a woman who questions her sanity when it appears that her brother is conspiring against her, and 4) a man who builds tiny toy robots with lifelike human heads.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

The trailer promises at the end that this will be the most exciting picture you'll ever see. Maybe if you see only one film before you snuff it but it's far from that.  That doesn't mean, however, that it's not good.  It is and very much so.  The premise for this horror anthology from Amicus is simple.  A young psychiatrist, Dr. Martin (Powell) arrives at the asylum to see about taking on a position there.  Before he's approved he must interview some of the patients.  Each one is there for some wicked reason and Dr. Martin hears them out through to their grisly conclusion.  The stories are fun and I enjoyed all of them.  What's even better (look at that wonderful cast, Man!) is the wrap-around story is fantastic.  The ending is great and it doesn't pull any punches.  It moves seamlessly from story four until the credits roll.  As if you needed yet another reason to watch this picture, it's written by Robert "PSYCHO" Bloch! Great fun, this one.