Directed by:
Brad AndersonScreenplay:
Joe GangemiCinematography:
Thomas YatskoComposer:
John DebneyCast:
Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, Ben Kingsley, Michael Caine, Brendan Gleeson, Sophie Kennedy Clark, David Thewlis, Jason Flemyng, Sinéad Cusack, Velizar Binev (more)Plots(1)
"We're all mad... some are simply not mad enough to admit it!" Dr Lamb. Welcome to Stonehearst - where the insane are running the asylum. Inside the walls lies a secret. Once you discover the truth there is no escape... On Christmas Eve 1899 young doctor Edward Newgate (Jim Sturgess) arrives at the imposing gates of the remote Stonehearst Mental Asylum in search of an apprenticeship. He is greeted by the seemingly brilliant superintendent Dr Lamb (Ben Kingsley) and a mesmerising woman by the name of Eliza Graves (Kate Beckinsale). Edward is intrigued by Lamb's modern methods of treating the insane - until a series of unusual events leads him to make a horrifying discovery deep within the bowels of the asylum. As the facade of Lamb's utopia begins to crack and his deadly past is exposed a dawning horror engulfs Edward and pushes him to the limits of his conscience. Inspired by a riveting short story by Edgar Allan Poe and featuring an all-star cast including Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, Ben Kingsley, Michael Caine and David Thewlis, Stonehearst Asylum is a tale in which nobody is who or what they appear to be. (Roadshow Entertainment)
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Reviews (7)
An interesting cast and interesting source material, but ultimately nothing to hold my attention. The film is beautifully stylized, and the sanatorium is wonderfully eerie, but even so, Stonehearst Asylum doesn't quite fall into the category of films that are truly worth seeing. I found it incredibly tedious.
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I've been looking forward to Stonehearst Asylum since the first trailer and I'm even more surprised at how great it is. We can count the number of insane asylum thrillers on one hand, and for that reason alone we have to appreciate this very atmospheric, superbly directed and acted thriller, which throws so many twists and turns at the audience in the last half hour that I slowly started to squint with joy. A truly awesome cinematic experience with an amazing cast and one of the best final twists in recent times, it put a smile on my face. 80%
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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.
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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.
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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?
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