Stonehearst Asylum Movie Poster Image

Stonehearst Asylum

age 14+
(i)

 

Atmospheric, slightly disturbing adaptation of Poe story.
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  • Review Date: October 22, 2014
  • Rated: PG-13
  • Genre: Thriller
  • Release Year: 2014
  • Running Time: 112 minutes

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What parents need to know

Positive messages

Shows how far kindness and patience can go, although there's more than a little deception and trickery mixed up with them. Otherwise, characters merely wish to assert power over one another.

Positive role models

One character appears to be selfless and helpful, and he is, to some extent, but there's some deception involved with his motivations.

Violence

A woman has a disturbing hysterical fit. A man hurls himself off a cliff. Dead bodies are shown. Characters fight and try to strangle one another. Knives and guns are drawn. A man is buried in a coal bin. Broken bottles are used as weapons. Characters catch on fire. Disturbing images of an asylum, with strange behavior, diseased and damaged patients, and general misery. "Cures" include electroshock therapy, water torture, and "nausea machines." In a flashback, many characters are shot and killed. Descriptions of violent events, a woman biting a man's ear off, a man killing a woman with a hammer.

Sex

A female patient seduces a male guard, allowing him to kiss her and then kissing him back. A man pats a nurse on her bottom. Some flirting and affection between the male and female leads. Drawings of a woman's anatomy on a chalkboard in the background of a classroom. "Chronic masturbation" is mentioned.

Language

"Shite" (English pronunciation) and "fecking" (English pronunciation) are used. "Jesus, Mary & Joseph" is used as an exclamation. Obscene finger gestures.

Consumerism
Not applicable
Drinking, drugs, & smoking

A sick character is said to have been given "four grains of heroin." Some characters drink in a casual, social way. (Some drinks are spiked with knockout drugs.) Characters smoke cigars in a casual way.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Stonehearst Asylum is a thriller based on the Edgar Allan Poe story "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether." Violence isn't particularly gory or extreme, but the movie does have some disturbing images of the inside of an asylum, as well as some fighting, death, weapons, and extreme "cures" (including water torture and a "nausea machine"). A female patient seduces a guard with kisses, and the moment leads to violence. There's some general flirting and affection between the male and female leads. Set in 1899, the language is archaic and includes the English affectations of "shite" and "fecking." Characters drink and smoke cigars in a background way, and knockout drugs ("Mickey Finns") are used in alcoholic beverages. Heroin is mentioned as medicine for hysteria. The movie is OK for stalwart teens, though horror hounds will be disappointed by the lack of gore; this movie is more about atmosphere and ideas than screams.

What's the story?

In the year 1899, Edward Newgate (Jim Sturgess) arrives at the remote STONEHEARST ASYLUM, hoping to become a resident doctor. He meets superintendent Silas Lamb (Ben Kingsley) and his thuggish right-hand man (David Thewlis), as well as beautiful inmate Eliza Graves (Kate Beckinsale), who has "hysteria." Newgate has a gentle way with the patients and gets on well, but he begins to discover that something strange is afoot. He finds a dungeon full of people, one of whom claims to be Dr. Salt (Michael Caine), the true superintendent of the facility. Newgate begins to concoct an elaborate escape plan, but who in this place can be trusted?

Is it any good?

QUALITY

Brad Anderson (Happy Accidents, The Call) is one of our most reliable genre filmmakers; he rarely makes anything great, but, likewise, he rarely makes anything truly bad. Adapting the Edgar Allan Poe story "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" with screenwriter Joe Gangemi, Anderson creates an immersive universe in the beautifully designed asylum. It's much like the modern-day asylum in his terrific Session 9 (2001), a three-dimensional space with a grim, sinister personality of its own.

All of the performers, including Brendan Gleeson in an small but crucial role, seem to be having a great time savoring the tricks and treats hidden within their characters. Anderson clearly takes delight in all the proceedings, which is one of the reasons his films feel fresh instead of lazy. The story's twists may not be all that opaque, and many genre fans could feel disappointed at being able to figure out what's going to happen, but that discredits the overall fun that can be had at Stonehearst Asylum.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about Stonehearst Asylum's violence. How gory is it? How disturbing is it? Can a movie be disturbing without being gory? What's the difference?

  • Is the movie scary? How is it different or similar to other horror movies you may have seen?

  • How does the movie differ from Poe's story? Did the changes make for a more interesting movie? How would you have told the story?

  • What does it mean that the asylum itself is a character in the story? How can a place be a character?

Movie details

Theatrical release date:October 24, 2014
DVD release date:December 16, 2014
Cast:Jim Sturgess, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Kingsley
Director:Brad Anderson
Studio:Millennium Entertainment
Genre:Thriller
Topics:Book characters
Run time:112 minutes
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:disturbing and violent images, sexual content and language

This review of Stonehearst Asylum was written by

Jeffrey M. Anderson
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are conducted by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Quality

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  • Best: Really engaging; great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging; good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging; good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging; OK learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Adult Written byvictorianmermaid August 6, 2015
age 16+

Loved it

I love things like this but it's not for everyone. There is a lot of violence and discussion about sexual activity. For mature teens, which a love for creepy things(like me), it is a interesting movie.
What other families should know
Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
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Teen, 15 years old Written bynuala2404 March 20, 2016
age 12+

Really Good

I opened up this film to watch with my brother and sister and I was quite pleasantly surprised. There are drug references in this movie however it is not taking them but simply about administering them to patients (which would have been accurate). I do not believe there are many sexual references however this can vary from person to person, but I would say there is not many sexual references, There is drinking to be seen and some forms of torture are administered, things like electrolysis. They also label a lot of mental conditions with old fashioned names, none of which are inappropriate to be heard. This is a slightly violent movie, but nothing a young teen couldn't handle.
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