Tales That Witness Madness [Blu-ray]

Director: Freddie Francis Freddie Francis

Overview

Essentially a reworking of their earlier omnibus Asylum, this is another anthology of pulp horror tales from Amicus, this one helmed by the ever-reliable Freddie Francis. It features a quartet of eerie vignettes involving four patients in the care of psychiatrist Dr. Tremayne (Donald Pleasence), who is attempting to justify his strange theories to a colleague (Jack Hawkins, who died shortly after his scenes were filmed) by explaining the horrific events that drove the patients to their current state. The first tale centers on a young boy (Russell Lewis), whose parents' constant squabbling prompts him to conjure an imaginary tiger to devour them. The second involves a Victorian-era bicycle which allows its finder (Peter McEnery) to travel back in time and live as his own ancestor. The goofy third chapter pits a jealous wife (Joan Collins) against a strange rival for her husband's attention: a tree possessed by a human soul. The final segment stars Kim Novak (a last-minute replacement for Rita Hayworth) as a literary agent who must sacrifice her own daughter (Mary Tamm) to appease the restless spirit of her client's mother. Although certainly not the studio's best effort, this is still an amusing diversion, featuring the standard twist ending and a flamboyant approach suggestive of EC horror comics.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/26/2012
UPC:	0887090044202
Original Release:	1973
Rating:	R
Source:	Olive
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:30:00
Sales rank:	14,276

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jack Hawkins	Nicholas
Donald Pleasence	Prof. R.C. Tremayne
Georgia Brown	Fay Patterson
Donald Houston	Sam Patterson
David Wood	Tutor
Suzy Kendall	Ann/Beatrice
Peter McEnery	Timothy Patrick
Frank Forsyth	Uncle Albert
Beth Morris	Polly
Neil Kennedy	Moving Man
Richard Connaught	Moving Man
Joan Collins	Bella Thompson
Michael Jayston	Brian Thompson
Kim Novak	Auriol Pageant
Michael Petrovitch	Kimo
Mary Tamm	Ginny Pageant
Leslie Nunnerley	Vera
Leon Lissek	Keoki
Zohra Segal	Malia
Russell Lewis	Paul
Bernard Ebbinghouse	Composer

Technical Credits

Jay Fairbank

Jennifer Jayne

Freddie Francis	Director
Norman Priggen	Producer
Jay Fairbank	Screenwriter
Milton Subotsky	Producer
Jennifer Jayne	Screenwriter
Nolan Roberts	Sound/Sound Designer
Ken Ritchie	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Fans of horror anthology films will enjoy Tales that Witness Madness, a middling yet entertaining entry into that genre. As with almost all such omnibus affairs, it's an uneven excursion, as some segments simply work better than others, and the opinion as to which ones are the stronger (or weaker) will undoubtedly vary depending upon the tastes, experiences and expectations of the viewer. However, it's a fairly safe bet that the "living tree" episode will provide the most sheer entertainment, and the "lewd luau" the least. The former is in most ways the most ludicrous of the bunch, but that actually counts in its favor: after all, how seriously can one take a tale in which the chief rival is from the plant family? Joan Collins gets a great deal of mileage out of the part and is enormously fun to watch. By contrast, poor Kim Novak in the luau segment turns in a performance that is self-conscious and embarrassed, which only helps to sink the already-poor sequence. This viewer thinks that the time travel story is the most interestingly told and rewarding, but readily admits that many will find it slow and obvious. And while the tiger piece holds few surprises in terms of plot, the image of the boy calmly playing his piano as his parents are brutally disposed of is decidedly chilling. While Freddie Francis' direction is fairly standard for this kind of film, he does work with his cinematographer to create some striking visuals.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler