Asylum – Severin Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1972
Director: Roy Ward Baker
Writer: Robert Bloch
Cast: Barbara Parkins, Richard Todd, Sylvia Syms, Peter Cushing, Barry Morse, Ann Firbank, John Franklyn-Robbins, Britt Ekland, Charlotte Rampling, James Villiers, Megs Jenkins, Herbert Lom, Patrick Magee, Robert Powell, Geoffrey Bayldon

Release Date: October 14th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 88 Minutes 26 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision
Rating: PG
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $49.95

"Here inside the gates of Dunsmoor Asylum for the Incurably Insane, you’ll discover four disturbing tales of voodoo vengeance, murderous mannequins, psychotic ingénues, demonic dolls, and one killer twist of an ending." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4.25/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "scanned in 4K from the original camera negative."

Asylum comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 61.4 GB

Feature: 59.6 GB

The source looks excellent; it is a noticeable improvement over Severin’s 2018 Blu-ray release. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are solid, there are no issues with compression, and the image retains an organic appearance.

Asylum comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41.1 GB

Feature: 25.5 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The track sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include two TV spots (1 minute 3 seconds and 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), two theatrical trailers (1 minute 34 seconds and 1 minute 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), and an archival audio commentary with director Roy Ward Baker and camera operator Neil Binney.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include two TV spots (1 minute 3 seconds and 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), two theatrical trailers (1 minute 34 seconds and 1 minute 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Inside The Fear Factory, featuring interviews with directors. Roy Ward Baker and Freddie Francis and producer Max J. Rosenberg (21 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Two's A Company—a 1972 BBC on-set report featuring interviews with producer Milton Subotsky; Roy Ward Baker; actors Charlotte Rampling, James Villiers, and Megs Jenkins; art director Tony Curtis; and production manager Teresa Bolland (18 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with author David J. Schow on Robert Bloch (20 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Fiona Subotsky Remembers Her husband, Milton Subotsky (8 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Robert Powell titled Dr. Martin's Challenge (8 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an archival audio commentary with Roy Ward Baker and Neil Binney.

Summary:

Roy Ward Baker Asylum. He’s known for Don’t Bother to Knock, A Night to Remember, The Anniversary, The Vampire Lovers, Scars of Dracula, Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde, The Vault of Horror, And Now the Screaming Starts!, and The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires. Asylum’s screenplay was written by Robert Bloch, who’s most known for the novel Psycho.

An asylum is left shorthanded after its lead physician, Dr. Starr, has a nervous breakdown that leads to his admission to the asylum for treatment. His replacement, Dr. Martin, arrives for his interview only to discover about Dr. Starr’s nervous breakdown. Dr. Rutherford, who has taken over as the lead doctor of the asylum, informs Dr. Martin to gain employment. He has to discover, without any clues, which one of the patients is Dr. Starr.

Asylum, like the majority of Amicus’s productions, is a collection of stories that are linked by an outer framework that brings them all together in the end. There are a total of five stories that make up the file's plot. The first and main story is that of Dr. Martin, who interviews the various patients at the asylum. The second story is about a husband who will do anything, even commit murder, to leave his wife for his mistress. The third story is about a father who wants a tailor to make his son a suit out of the most unusual fabric. The fourth story is about a demented woman, whose imaginary friend does bad things to those who are close to her. The final tale is about a patient who has the power to transfer his soul into dolls, which he uses to do his evil bidding.

All around, the cast are excellent in their roles, especially Herbert Lom’s (A Shot in the Dark) portrayal of Bryon, one of the patients in the asylum. His character crafts dolls that he’s able to control through sheer will and concentration. Other performances of note are Britt Ekland (The Wicker Man), who portrays Lucy, an imaginary friend with psychopathic tendencies, and Patrick Magee (A Clockwork Orange) in the role of Lionel Rutherford, the warden of the asylum. Notable cast members are Peter Cushing (The Curse of Frankenstein), Charlotte Rampling (The Night Porter), and Robert Powell (Harlequin).

Asylum presents an ingenious premise: a doctor interviewing for a position at an asylum must identify which patient is a fellow doctor who has lost their sanity. The opening sequence quickly captures your attention, and as each new patient shares their tragic story, the narrative effectively builds momentum towards a shocking twist ending. While music is only used sparingly, it is very effective, especially the use of Modest Mussorgsky’s A Night on Bald Mountain. Ultimately, Asylum is a solid horror film that has a few well-placed jump scares and genuinely unsettling moments.

Asylum makes its way to 4K UHD via a solid upgrade from Severin Films. Recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer