Stonehearst Asylum

Stonehearst Asylum is mentally at the level of Dracula Untold, but with a more ambitious story, an A-list cast and wrapped up in nobler motivations (everything for love!). It lacks the intelligent, detached perspective and masterful toying with the audience that make Shutter Island so great. (26/02/2015)

If you're going to make a film about a madhouse with a weird mystery, then a) make the screenwriter supercharge the plot with functional characters, or b) tell the producers that the main character will pull money out of wallets, but that her insistent harassment in the plot will kill credibility in addition to compactness; I consider the final point, when the smarter third of the audience started laughing in relief, as Anderson's raised middle finger (to everyone). 3 ½. (27/07/2015)

I really like this type of movies. Although I was strongly reminded of Shutter Island the entire time, I didn’t really mind this at all. They don’t make many films like this. Stonehearst Asylum has a great atmosphere, great actors (mainly Ben Kingsley and Michael Caine) and two pretty decent plot twists that will keep you awake at night and are a nice fit into the complete puzzle. What more could I want from such a film? (06/02/2015)

The same short story that served as the basis for Anderson's film was also used by Czech Director Jan Švankmajer as the foundation for his stylized narrative, and I must admit that his film Lunacy was much more interesting to me in terms of filmmaking. This strange experiment combines the need to adhere to the traditional thriller framework and the romantic motif, including all the usual ingredients typical of Hollywood productions, including audience-pleasing "shocking" twists. On the other hand, it also contains the usual positive aspects of American studio productions, such as grandiosity and a star-studded cast. Brad Anderson is also definitely not an average craftsman. If there are any weaknesses, they can usually be attributed to the script, but it is also not terrible. The final twist was a surprise even for me, and although it did not necessitate watching the film again (meaning it wasn't clever enough to pose a challenge to the audience), it was sufficiently attractive for the average film consumer, along with the physical charms of Kate Beckinsale and the acting of Ben Kingsley and others, I do recommend it. Overall impression: 65%. (17/04/2017)

Not an adaptation of “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether", no. At least not really. In fact, the short story serves as a springboard for the film, as a foundation that, let's face it, is just asking for a good time. And the delightfulness was successful - the screenwriter managed to follow Poe exactly in his style, which made me very happy. Plus, the cast (one heck of a cast, only Michael Caine didn't have much space much again) and the truly weird atmosphere (a midnight ball to the accompaniment of Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre!) make Stonehearst Asylum a pleasantly uncomfortable spectacle, though probably a one-off.__P.S. I hadn't seen such an ugly picture on an original DVD in a long time - much of the film takes place in dark rooms or basements lit only by candles or kerosene lamps, and it looked very ugly indeed on screen. Black was more blue, orange was red... And so on. (16/01/2016)

Interesting cast, interesting source material, but ultimately nothing that could hold my attention. The film is beautifully stylized, the sanatorium is wonderfully haunting, but even so, it is not enough for "Eliza Graves" to be among those films that are truly worth seeing. It felt incredibly tedious to me. (27/10/2014)