For those hording toilet paper

Got in my first Amicus anthology of the Halloween season, deciding upon Asylum (1972) as my choice. It's funny, every time I watch it my favorite segment changes. It's never Mannikins of Horror, though! Nope, despite how watchable Herbert Lom might be, this little walking robot toy with his face is too unbelievably tacky to take seriously. I waffle back and forth, really, between Frozen Fear and Lucy Comes to Stay. FF is a hoot just because of how twisted the idea is, and the execution is clever, inventive, and effective. I mean packaged body parts of a wife (chopped up by her cheating husband so he can have her money and his lay on the side) moving on their own towards those responsible for her demise is visually incredible, if drummed up conceptually by a mad genius. But Rampling and Eklund together in their youth as dueling personalities in Lucy is always under consideration. Rampling does unstable addict sensationally and she's lovely, so lovely. Eklund was at her most delicious during the early 70s, and her Lucy is a mix of loyal friend and critic towards Rampling....this dynamic is fascinating. Being a Cushing fanboy, so saying his performance getting my vote for the best of the film might not have much merit. Just the same, watch as he tears it up sincerely while standing over his son dead in a coffin in a room of his darkened home while tailor Morse demands payment so he can shake off a creditor...it had me right at the heartstrings! The guessing game wraparound has fun casting with Macgee (Marat/Sade) offering Todd a psychiatric position if he'll determine who the hospital's former doc is among the patients locked up, as Bayldon takes him to each cell, not giving any evidence of who the mysterious Dr Starr might be. Bayldon has a great face, and he can turn on a dime impressively like flicking a switch from normal, typical orderly, just minding the boss , to maniac when Todd makes an unfortunate discovery.