The Mansion of Madness main backdrop
The Mansion of Madness main poster

The Mansion of Madness

Visit website

4.7/10 • 37

1973-08-101h 39m

Horror

The Newest Edgar Allan Poe Horror Thriller!

The inmates of an insane asylum take over the institution, imprison the doctors and staff, and then put into play their own ideas of how the place should be run.

Directors
Juan López Moctezuma
Writters
Juan López Moctezuma, Carlos Illescas
Editors
Juan López Moctezuma, Carlos Illescas, Federico Landeros

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Claudio Brook

    Claudio Brook

    Dr. Maillard / Raoul Fragonard

  2. Arthur Hansel

    Arthur Hansel

    Gaston LeBlanc

  3. Ellen Sherman

    Ellen Sherman

    Eugénie

  4. Martin LaSalle

    Martin LaSalle

    Julien Couvier

  5. David Silva

    David Silva

    Cult Priest

  6. Mónica Serna

    Mónica Serna

    Blanche

  7. Max Kerlow

    Max Kerlow

    Dr. Maillard

  8. Susana Kamini

    Susana Kamini

    Cult Priestess

  9. Pancho Córdova

    Pancho Córdova

    Pseudo-Marshall

Reviews1

View Reviews
Wuchak Avatar

Wuchak

Jun 22, 2025

6/10

Surrealistic sanatorium of lunacy In southern France, 1845, a journalist returns to his home country (Arthur Hansel) to visit an asylum that, reportedly, uses revolutionary techniques to treat the mentally ill. The head doctor (Claudio Brook) gives him a tour of his vast institution, but will he make it out alive and sane? A Mexican production shot in the summer of 1971, “The Mansion of Madness” is also known as “Dr. Tarr’s Torture Dungeon,” based on a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. It combines the Star Trek episode “Whom God’s Destroy”—which was also no doubt inspired by the same Poe yarn (albeit unofficially)—and mixes it with a standard story set-up of Hammer and AIP horror flicks (a visitor arrives at a remote mansion or castle and learns the horrors thereof, à la Jonathan Harker going to Dracula’s castle). There’s a sequence reminiscent of Fritz Lang’s duology "The Indian Tomb" and "The Tiger of Eschnapur.” I’m talking about Debra Paget’s dance sequence in both films. Yvonne Craig had a similar scene in the aforementioned “Whom Gods Destroy” whereas this movie features Ellen Sherman in the dance episode as Eugenie. While Sherman has a certain appeal, she just can’t compete with either Paget or Craig IMHO. The visuals are superb with vibrant colors and a flair of surrealism. It’s worth seeing just for this. Unfortunately, the first half, which consists mostly of a tour of the fascinating sanatorium, is more compelling than the second, which devolves into lunatic goings-on. I suppose that’s to be expected, given the nature of the tale, but the script needed fine-tuning to make the last act more compelling. "Silent Night, Bloody Night" was filmed six months prior and was more imaginative with the basic plot, not to mention transferring the story to the modern day, but isn’t as visually mind-blowing. Still, it is the superior film IMHO, yet it’s worth seeing both. It runs 1 hour, 24 minutes, and was shot at Estudios America in Coyoacan, Mexico City. GRADE: B-/C+

Media

  • The Mansion of Madness poster
  • The Mansion of Madness poster
  • The Mansion of Madness poster
  • The Mansion of Madness poster

Recommendations

  • Free Willy main backdrop

    Free Willy

    6.2

  • The Slayer main backdrop

    The Slayer

    5.3

  • Danyka main backdrop

    Danyka

    6.3

  • The Great Wall main backdrop

    The Great Wall

    6.0

  • Parasite main backdrop

    Parasite

    8.5

  • Oppenheimer main backdrop

    Oppenheimer

    8.1

  • Fight Club main backdrop

    Fight Club

    8.4

  • Grease main backdrop

    Grease

    7.4

  • Wonder Woman 1984 main backdrop

    Wonder Woman 1984

    6.4

  • The Beach main backdrop

    The Beach

    6.5

  • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull main backdrop

    Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

    6.0

  • The Godfather main backdrop

    The Godfather

    8.7

  • Rear Window main backdrop

    Rear Window

    8.3

  • American Beauty main backdrop

    American Beauty

    8.0

  • In Time main backdrop

    In Time

    7.0

  • Zombieland main backdrop

    Zombieland

    7.3

  • Big Fish main backdrop

    Big Fish

    7.8

  • Inception main backdrop

    Inception

    8.4

  • Fantastic Mr. Fox main backdrop

    Fantastic Mr. Fox

    7.8

  • 1917 main backdrop

    1917

    8.0

Status
Released
Original Language
Spanish
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
mental asylum