Rent Tales That Witness Madness (1973)

3.1 of 5 from 66 ratings
1h 27min
Rent Tales That Witness Madness Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Stroll down the corridors of a mental asylum, where your mind won't believe what your eyes see. In the tradition of Tales from the Crypt and Creepshow...this anthology of pulp horror tales, helmed by the ever- reliable horror master, Freddie Francis. The film features a quartet of eerie vignettes involving four patients in the care of psychiatrist Donald Pleasance, who's attempting to justify his strange theories of colleague, Jack Hawkins.
Actors:
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Directors:
Producers:
Norman Priggen
Voiced By:
Charles Gray
Writers:
Jennifer Jayne
Studio:
Fabulous Films
Genres:
Classics, Horror
Collections:
inema Paradiso's 2023 Centenary Club: Part 2
BBFC:
Release Date:
29/02/2016
Run Time:
87 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles:
None
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
Colour
BBFC:
Release Date:
04/04/2016
Run Time:
90 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles:
None
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B

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Reviews (2) of Tales That Witness Madness

Bizarre but not quite horrific .... - Tales That Witness Madness review by NP

Spoiler Alert
09/04/2020

Amicus were a film company who threatened to topple Hammer’s crown as the UK’s foremost horror specialists in the 1970s. They specialised in anthology films, and nothing proves their dominance in this field more than ‘Tales that Witness Madness’ – produced by World Film Services.

Not that ‘Tales…’ is particularly bad. It features a terrific cast, and is directed by the prolific and acclaimed Freddie Francis. The budget, while clearly not spectacular, is adequate to convey the stories being told.

For me, it is a combination of lacklustre stories and lack of pace that lets things down a little here. In order:

Dr. Tremayne (Donald Pleasence) explains to his colleague Dr. Nicholas (a dubbed Jack Hawkins in his last filmic appearance) how he has cured four special cases.

The first involves young Paul (a fine performance from Russell Lewis) who imagines he has a pet tiger to sort out his ever bickering parents.

The second sees antique dealer Tim (Peter McEnery) inheriting a penny farthing bicycle that transports him back in time.

Thirdly, the mighty Joan Collins plays Bella, who grows increasingly jealous of her husband Brian’s (Michael Jayston) obsession with a tree.

Finally, Auriol (Kim Novak) embarks on a relationship with dashing Kimo (Michael Petrovitch, who is far more invested here than he was in the previous year’s quietly wonderful ‘Neither The Sea Nor The Sand’). However, he seems more interested in her daughter Ginny (Mary Tamm) for his own grisly reasons …

The stories are quite happy to live within their ludicrous premises, but somehow they – and the equally preposterous umbrella theme – miss the mark and it is difficult to pinpoint why. Perhaps it is because all stories feature events that cross the line between what is horrific and what is fantastic, with no variation from that. There is a feint psychedelia to the denouement that adds to the proceedings’ sense of unreality – and there is nothing wrong with that. It just doesn’t quite come off with the situations taking place in the identifiable drudgery of the real world. My score is 6 out of 10.

3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.

Tigers, evil trees, haunted penny farthings and cannibilism. What more could you want! - Tales That Witness Madness review by Spoons

Spoiler Alert
27/01/2019

Tales That Witness Madness is one of the weaker anthology movies that came out during this period, however that's not to say it's still enjoyable and entertaining hokum even if some of the tales border on the ridiculous. Well worth watching for sexy Joan Collins and the delicious Mary Tamm who is sadly no longer with us. As footnote I would like to say a big thank you to Cinema Paradiso for having films like this in their library. I love delving back into the archives to find old films like this and CP serves this purpose perfectly. Long may you continue. In my eyes DVD/BLU RAY rental is still the best way to watch films. Thank you.

2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

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