Bedlam (Mark Robson, US 1946, 79 min.)

In 1760s London, an actress campaigns to reform a horrific hospital for the insane, but instead finds herself committed to the institution by the corrupt head of the asylum. The final thriller from the Val Lewton production unit at RKO Studios, which gave us Cat People, Isle of the Dead and I Walked with a Zombie, Bedlam is one of the rare films in Hollywood history that acknowledges not a novel, play or short story as the source material, but a visual image: "Suggested by The William Hogarth painting 'Bedlam' Plate #8 The Rake's Progress."

Reviews:

“Several cuts above the average run of so-called horror films… As the sadistic chief warden of Bedlam, Boris Karloff is completely at home and is his usual sinister self.

--The New York Times

“Its tale of the celebrated 18th century madhouse is both intelligently written and admirably acted… Few Hollywood films ever had such ambition.”

--Time Out

“Creepy, atmospheric, yet underrated Val Lewton thriller.”

--San Francisco Examiner

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