Stonehearst Asylum

Last updated

Stonehearst Asylum
Stonehearst Asylum poster.jpg
Teaser poster
Directed by Brad Anderson
Written by Joseph Gangemi
Based on"The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether"
by Edgar Allan Poe
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Thomas Yatsko
Edited byBrian Gates
Music by John Debney
Production
companies
Distributed by Millennium Films
Release date
  • October 24, 2014 (2014-10-24)(United States)
Running time
113 minutes [1]
Countries
United States
Bulgaria
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3.2 million [2]

Stonehearst Asylum, previously known as Eliza Graves, is an American psychological horror film directed by Brad Anderson and written by Joseph Gangemi. It is loosely based on the 1845 short story "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" [3] by Edgar Allan Poe. The film, starring Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, Michael Caine, Ben Kingsley, and David Thewlis, was released on October 24, 2014. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Plot

In 1899, an Oxford University professor demonstrates a patient with a case of female hysteria, Eliza Graves, before his class, including a young man. Though the patient protests that she is sane, the professor points out that all mental patients claim to be sane. The young man later arrives at Stonehearst Asylum, where he desires to take up residency. A group of armed men, led by Mickey Finn, allow him entry. Finn escorts him to the office of the superintendent, Dr. Silas Lamb, where he introduces himself as Dr. Edward Newgate from Oxford.

Lamb's unorthodox methods surprise Newgate. Lamb says that he does not believe in drugging or incarcerating patients, and he encourages their delusions when he feels it will bring them greater happiness. Newgate becomes infatuated with Graves, who is a patient at Stonehearst. During the Christmas Eve feast, Newgate and Finn argue and, as a truce, Finn proposes a toast. Before Newgate can drink it, Graves causes him to spill his drink and quietly insists that he flee the asylum, but Newgate refuses to leave without her.

Newgate discovers the actual asylum staff locked in the boiler room, who explain that Lamb and Finn drugged their drinks and led a revolt. Dr. Salt and Mrs. Pike warn Newgate that Lamb is a dangerous madman—a surgeon who murdered his patients during wartime, while Finn killed his mother and sister. Lamb makes Newgate examine volatile Arthur Timbs, whose family sold him to a sideshow, without any sedatives but just using his eyes, with Newgate managing to calm Timbs down by referring to him by his name, which is scrawled on the cell walls. Newgate attempts to recruit Graves, but she declines and tells him of Salt's abuses. Staff members Paxton and Swanwick escape, but are hunted down and slain by a posse led by Finn. When Newgate sneaks into Lamb's office to retrieve Salt's notes, he overhears Lamb and Finn conspire. Lamb forces Newgate to perform electrical shock treatment on Salt. When Salt suffers amnesia as a result, Lamb proclaims him cured of his delusion.

During the New Year's celebration, Finn murders a female patient, who is carried away by Timbs. Convinced that something must be done, Newgate attempts to spike the champagne with chloral hydrate. He is caught, and Lamb prepares Newgate for shock therapy. Newgate reveals to Graves that he came to the asylum to rescue her after he saw her at the Oxford demonstration. Lamb grants Newgate a final request: to look at a picture of Graves that he keeps in his pocket. When the picture turns out to be of one of Lamb's victims, the shock causes Lamb to stagger out of the room. Finn attempts to take control, but Graves and Newgate lead a revolt against him, as the other patients have become scared of his violent nature.

As Finn is electrocuted to death by Arthur, he bursts into flames which cause a fire to break out. Graves leads the patients out of the building, and Newgate leaves to find Lamb, who is near-comatose from the guilt over his actions. Flashbacks reveal that Lamb, a military doctor, executed his patients who were suffering from horrific war wounds as a form of mercy killing. After they rescue the others, Newgate asks Graves to leave with him, but she says that she cannot be with him because he is normal. Newgate says that he is not normal, as he is in love with her, and has a secret to tell her.

Some time later, Graves' husband and the Oxford professor arrive to be greeted by Timbs, now the new gatekeeper. The professor asks for Mrs. Graves' release, but Mrs. Pike says that Newgate already released her. The Oxford professor reveals that he is actually Dr. Edward Newgate, and the man they knew is an escaped mental patient with pseudologia fantastica. Upon hearing this, Lamb (playing chess with Salt) becomes amused and stifles a laugh in front of both visitors. Eliza and the imposter Newgate are shown in Tuscany, Italy, where they are known as Dr. and Mrs. Lamb. The two dance happily and embrace in the garden of another asylum, run peacefully by nuns.

Cast

Production

Principal photography began in Bulgaria on June 21, 2013. [12] On July 31, 2014, the film's title Eliza Graves was changed to Stonehearst Asylum. [13]

Music

On November 25, 2013, John Debney was set to score the music for the film. [14] The soundtrack was released digitally on October 14, 2014, and was released physically on November 11. [15]

Reception

Box office

Stonehearst Asylum has earned a total worldwide gross of $3.2 million. [2]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 54% based on 56 reviews, and an average rating of 5.44/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Stonehearst Asylum offers over-the-top fun for genre aficionados; for others, however, it's likely to prove a dull disappointment." [16] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [17]

Common criticism for the film centered upon what the reviewers felt was the film's failure to live up to its full potential, considering its atmosphere and all-A-list cast. [18] [19] The Los Angeles Times wrote, "On the surface, Anderson seems to have all the necessary pieces for a surreal psycho pop. But the fear factor eludes him, leaving Stonehearst Asylum more insipid than insane." [20]

Film Journal International and The A.V. Club both praised the film for its themes; [21] the reviewer for Film Journal International wrote, "While the film lacks the macabre humor of the original story, it does an excellent job of conveying the creeping horror of Victorian medicine." [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Allan Poe</span> American writer and critic (1809–1849)

Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely regarded as one of the central figures of Romanticism and Gothic fiction in the United States and of early American literature. Poe was one of the country's first successful practitioners of the short story, and is generally considered to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre. In addition, he is credited with contributing significantly to the emergence of science fiction. He is the first well-known American writer to earn a living by writing alone, which resulted in a financially difficult life and career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pit and the Pendulum</span> Short story by Edgar Allan Poe

"The Pit and the Pendulum" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1842 in the literary annual The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1843. The story is about the torments endured by a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition, though Poe skews historical facts. The narrator of the story describes his experience of being tortured. The story is especially effective at inspiring fear in the reader because of its heavy focus on the senses, such as sound, emphasizing its reality, unlike many of Poe's stories which are aided by the supernatural. The traditional elements established in popular horror tales at the time are followed, but critical reception has been mixed. The tale has been adapted to film several times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annabel Lee</span> Poem by Edgar Allan Poe

"Annabel Lee" is the last complete poem composed by American author Edgar Allan Poe. Like many of Poe's poems, it explores the theme of the death of a beautiful woman. The narrator, who fell in love with Annabel Lee when they were young, has a love for her so strong that even angels are envious. He retains his love for her after her death. There has been debate over who, if anyone, was the inspiration for "Annabel Lee". Though many women have been suggested, Poe's wife Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe is one of the more credible candidates. Written in 1849, it was not published until shortly after Poe's death that same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Anderson (director)</span> American film director (born 1964)

Brad Anderson is an American film director, producer and writer. A director of thriller and horror films and television projects, he is best known for directing The Machinist (2004), starring Christian Bale, psychological horror film Session 9 (2001) and The Call (2013), starring Halle Berry. He also produced and directed several episodes of the Fox science fiction series Fringe. Earlier in his career he directed the romantic comedies Next Stop Wonderland (1998) and Happy Accidents (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berenice (short story)</span> Short story by Edgar Allan Poe

"Berenice" is a short horror story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in the Southern Literary Messenger in 1835. The story is narrated by Egaeus, who is preparing to marry his cousin Berenice. He tends to fall into periods of intense focus, during which he seems to separate himself from the outside world. Berenice begins to deteriorate from an unnamed disease until only her teeth remain healthy. Egaeus obsesses over them. When Berenice is buried, he continues to contemplate her teeth. One day, he awakens with an uneasy feeling from a trance-like state and hears screams. A servant reports that Berenice's grave has been disturbed, and she is still alive. Beside Egaeus is a shovel, a poem about "visiting the grave of my beloved", and a box containing 32 teeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Allan Poe Museum (Richmond, Virginia)</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

The Poe Museum or the Edgar Allan Poe Museum, is a museum located in the Shockoe Bottom neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia, United States, dedicated to American writer Edgar Allan Poe. Though Poe never lived in the building, it serves to commemorate his time living in Richmond. The museum holds one of the world's largest collections of original manuscripts, letters, first editions, memorabilia and personal belongings. The museum also provides an overview of early 19th century Richmond, where Poe lived and worked. The museum features the life and career of Poe by documenting his accomplishments with pictures, relics, and verse, and focusing on his many years in Richmond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Premature Burial</span> Short story by Edgar Allan Poe

"The Premature Burial" is a horror short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, published in 1844 in The Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper. Its main character expresses concern about being buried alive. This fear was common in this period and Poe was taking advantage of the public interest. The story has been adapted to a film.

<i>Lunacy</i> (film) 2005 film

Lunacy is a 2005 Czech animated horror comedy-drama film written and directed by Jan Švankmajer. It is loosely based on two Edgar Allan Poe short stories, "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" (1845) and "The Premature Burial" (1844), and partly inspired by the works of the Marquis de Sade. The film was shot between October 2004 and April 2005, on location in the village of Peruc close to Prague, and in Švankmajer's studio in the village of Knovíz.

<i>Unheimliche Geschichten</i> (1932 film) 1932 film

Unheimliche Geschichten, titled The Living Dead in English, is a 1932 German comedy horror film, directed by the film director Richard Oswald, starring Paul Wegener, and produced by Gabriel Pascal. It is a remake of Oswald's 1919 film of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum</span> Historical house in Baltimore, Maryland, USA

The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, located at 203 North Amity St. in Baltimore, Maryland, is the former home of American writer Edgar Allan Poe in the 1830s. The small unassuming structure, which was opened as a writer's house museum in 1949, is a typical row home. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Allan Poe in television and film</span>

American poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe has had significant influence in television and film. Many are adaptations of Poe's work, others merely reference it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether</span> Dark comedy short story by Edgar Allan Poe

"The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" is a dark comedy short story by the American author Edgar Allan Poe. First published in Graham's Magazine in November 1845, the story centers on a naïve and unnamed narrator's visit to a mental asylum in the southern provinces of France.

"O alienista" is a satiric novella written by the Brazilian author Machado de Assis (1839–1908). The story ran in Rio de Janeiro's newspaper A Estação, then was published in 1882 as part of the author's short-story collection Papéis avulsos. An English translation was published in 1963.

<i>The Premature Burial</i> (film) 1962 film by Roger Corman

The Premature Burial, also known as Premature Burial, is a 1962 American horror film directed by Roger Corman and starring Ray Milland, Hazel Court, Alan Napier, Heather Angel and Richard Ney. The screenplay by Charles Beaumont and Ray Russell is based upon the 1844 short story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe. It was the third in the series of eight Poe-themed pictures, known informally as the "Poe Cycle", directed by Corman for American International Pictures.

Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe is a musical that was written, composed, and directed by Jonathan Christenson and designed by Bretta Gerecke. It follows the life of Edgar Allan Poe and the internal and external struggles he faced which are depicted as inspiring his writings. In the play, Poe struggles with tragedies such as death, abandonment, addiction, poverty, and loss. The script contains many references to Poe's poems and short stories. The script fictionalizes true events that took place in his life while also incorporating his creative works and poems. It was originally produced at the Catalyst Theater in Edmonton, Alberta, for an 11-week production that then went on to be performed at theater festivals, theaters across Canada, to the Barbican Theater in London, and the New Victory Theater in New York City.

<i>The Raven</i> (2012 film) 2012 film by James McTeigue

The Raven is a 2012 American crime thriller film directed by James McTeigue, produced by Marc D. Evans, Trevor Macy and Aaron Ryder and written by Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare. Set in 1849, it is a fictionalized account detailing the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life, in which the poet and author helps the police pursue a serial killer, whose murders mirror those in his stories. While the plot of the film is fictional, the writers based it on some accounts of real situations surrounding Edgar Allan Poe's mysterious death. Poe is said to have repeatedly called out the name "Reynolds" on the night before his death, though it is unclear to whom he was referring. The film stars John Cusack, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson and Luke Evans. Its title derives from Poe's 1845 poem "The Raven", in a similar manner to the earlier unrelated 1935 and 1963 films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. M. Turner</span>

Thomas Memory Turner was an American composer, band leader, and music professor. He was known to his friends as "Mem".

The System of Doctor Goudron is a 1913 French short silent horror film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Henri Gouget, Henry Roussel and Renée Sylvaire. It was adapted from a 1903 Grand Guignol play by André de Lorde, which was itself based on the 1845 short story The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether by Edgar Allan Poe. It has been called the first French feature-length horror film.

<i>Athiran</i> 2019 Indian film

Athiran is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language psychological thriller film directed by Vivek and scripted by P. F. Mathews from a story by Vivek. It was produced by Raju Mathew through his production company Century Investments. The film stars Fahadh Faasil and Sai Pallavi with Atul Kulkarni, Renji Panicker, Shanthi Krishna and Sudev Nair in pivotal roles while Prakash Raj makes a cameo appearance. The film features original songs composed by debutant P. S. Jayhari and a musical score by Ghibran. The story is set in a psychiatric asylum.The film has similarities with the 2014 Hollywood film Stonehearst Asylum.

<i>The Mansion of Madness</i> 1973 film

The Mansion of Madness is a 1973 Mexican horror film directed by Juan López Moctezuma, in his directorial debut, and starring Claudio Brook, Arthur Hansel, Ellen Sherman, and Martin LaSalle. Set in 19th-century France, the film follows a journalist visiting a rural insane asylum in which he uncovers that the inmates have overtaken the doctors and staff, and implemented a series of gruesome treatments. It is loosely based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether.

References

  1. "STONEHEARST ASYLUM (15)". British Board of Film Classification . February 18, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Stonehearst Asylum (2014)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  3. Kate Beckinsale in Talks for Edgar Allan Poe Adaptation ‘Eliza Graves’
  4. "'Athiran' review: An enticing movie that falls short of expectations". The Hindu. April 13, 2019.
  5. "Athiran review: An engaging psycho thriller". Sify . Archived from the original on April 16, 2019.
  6. "Athiran movie review: A mystery thriller".
  7. "Kate Beckinsale in talks to lead psychological thriller 'Eliza Graves'". digitalspy.co.uk. March 16, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  8. "Jim Sturgess Joins Kate Beckinsale in Eliza Graves". movieweb.com. April 2, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Michael Caine & Ben Kingsley Joining Brad Anderson's 'Eliza Graves'". firstshowing.net. April 12, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  10. 1 2 "David Thewlis And Brendan Gleeson Join Millennium's 'Eliza Graves'". Deadline Hollywood . June 17, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  11. 1 2 3 "'Stonehearst Asylum' Commits to Boredom For Eternity". Deadline Hollywood . June 17, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  12. "Eliza Graves is scheduled to begin shooting in Bulgaria on June 21st". screenrant.com. March 16, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  13. Polowy, Kevin (July 31, 2014). "Ben Kingsley and Michael Caine Meet Again in 'Stonehearst Asylum' Trailer Premiere". yahoo.com. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  14. "John Debney to Score Ivan Reitman's 'Draft Day'". filmmusicreporter.com. November 25, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  15. "'Stonehearst Asylum' Soundtrack Details". filmmusicreporter.com. October 2, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  16. "Stonehearst Asylum (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  17. "Stonehearst Asylum Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  18. Catsoulis, Jeannette (October 23, 2014). "Caution: This Institution Processes Nuts". The New York Times . Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  19. Cooper, Patrick (October 26, 2014). "[Review] Atmospheric 'Stonehearst Asylum' Is a So-So Period Thriller". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  20. Sharkey, Betsy. "'Stonehearst Asylum' has gothic air, can't lock in the terror". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  21. Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (October 23, 2014). "Brad Anderson goes back to the madhouse with Stonehearst Asylum". The A.V. Club . Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  22. McDonagh, Maitland. "Film Review: Stonehearst Asylum". Film Journal International . Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  23. Kate Beckinsale in Talks for Edgar Allan Poe Adaptation ‘Eliza Graves’
  24. Kate Beckinsale in Talks for Edgar Allan Poe Adaptation ‘Eliza Graves’