Trailer for Stonehearst Asylum Starring Jim Sturgess, Kate Beckinsale and Ben Kingsley

Posted on August 3, 2014

It's time for a good dose of Victorian horror in the new trailer for Stonehearst Asylum, which his based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether."

The film is set in the mid 19th century in France. Jim Sturgess plays a young medical school graduate named Edward Newgate who makes the monumentally bad decision of accepting a job at the notorious mental institution called Stonehearst Asylum. The asylum has been known for its revolutionary "soothing treatment" of patients, which was unprecedented for that time period. Patients were treated humanely and not locked up.

The institution's director (Ben Kingsley) says that recently they have had to make some changes to the treatment protocols. Kate Beckinsale plays a beautiful patient who plays the piano to soothe her nerves. The more Dr. Newgate learns about the asylum, the more concerned he becomes. And why is Michael Caine's character locked in the dungeon? Is he telling the truth that he is the real director of the asylum?

When Poe wrote the short story, the treatment of the mentally ill was a hot political issue with reformers demanding that the patients be treated humanely. In fact, many publications would not even print Poe's story although eventually it was published. This adaptation looks quite a bit more serious than the short story and has much more of a psychological thriller bent to it. The acting is superb, needless to say. And who doesn't love a good asylum story?

This one hits theaters and will also be available on demand on October 24, 2014. Take a look:

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