- DIRECTOR:
Mark Robson
- ACTORS:
Boris Karloff, Anna Lee, Billy House, Richard Fraser, Glen Vernon, Ian Wolfe, Jason Robards Sr., Leyland Hodgson, Elizabeth Russell, Skelton Knaggs
- PLOT:
A lord's protégée (Lee) pushes for the reform of the infamous lunatic asylum Bedlam only to find herself trapped within it by its diabolical master (Karloff).
- EVALUATION:
Despite decent performances from Karloff, Lee, and Wolfe, this is honestly one of producer Val Lewton's worst horror movies, only picking up near the end when the "loonies" take over.
- WRITING:
The "thees" and "thous" may be Quaker-accurate, but they are incredibly grating to modern ears, and the entire script sounds like it was adapted from a stage play (but was not).
- FILMING:
A few of the scenes inside Bedlam feature impressively dim lighting, but the rest is unremarkable.
- BEST PART:
Ian Wolfe, the best lawyer in all of England.
- TRIVIA:
Perhaps I'm the only person who hadn't realized that Bedlam was short for Bethlehem, as in Our Lady of Bethlehem.
- STINGER:
Karloff waking up just before the final brick is placed.
