Woodyanders Psychiatrist Dr. R.C. Tremayne (the always fine Donald Pleasence) and colleague Dr. Nicholas (Jack Hawkins in his final film role) investigate the case histories of four inmates being kept in an experimental asylum. 1st and most whimsical tale, "Mr. Tiger" - Little boy Paul Patterson (cute Russell Lewis) can't convince his constantly bickering parents (played to snarky perfection by Georgia Brown and Donald Houston) that his "imaginary" tiger friend is actually real. 2nd and most offbeat yarn, "Penny Farthing" - Timothy Patrick (likable Peter McEnery) purchases an antique bicycle which enables him to go back in time to the Victorian era where he meets fair maiden Beatrice (the extremely charming and comely Suzy Kendall). 3rd and most perverse segment, "Mel" - Jeolous, possessive housewife Bella Thompson (the ever classy and lovely Joan Collins) becomes really upset when her husband Brian (solid Michael Jayston) becomes infatuated with a sensuous, but lethal sentient tree (!). 4th and most twisted vignette, "Luau" - Stuck-up rich lady Auriol Pageant (a wonderfully radiant Kim Novak) holds a big bash in which the surprise ingredient in the meat turns out to be none other than her sweet virginal daughter Virginia (the stunningly gorgeous Mary Tamm). Director Freddie Francis, working from a witty and inspired script by British fright film scream queen Jennifer Jayne, handles the macabre material with his customary crisp and polished assurance, punctuating the grisly anecdotes with a nice, dry line in quirky black humor and offering up a fair amount of gore. Norman Warwick's slick, sparkling cinematography gives the picture an attractive glossy look. Bernard Ebbinghouse's alternately groovy and spooky score likewise scores a bull's eye. Deliciously droll fun.

The_Void Freddie Francis directed a lot of the best omnibus films that Amicus had to offer; but unfortunately, this isn't one of them. It would seem that the studio was running out of ideas after the likes of The House that Dripped Blood and The Vault of Horror, as every story in this film feels like an afterthought. The wraparound revolves around a mental home, where Doctor Tremayne is showing someone around his various patients. We then get treated to the story behind how they all got there. These films normally start off with a lacklustre tale, and this one is no different as the first features a young kid with a tiger. Nothing particularly of note for this tale, except for the fact that you'll be hoping it gets better. It does, but only slightly. The second story is completely stupid and also rather boring as we follow an antique store owner who gets a penny farthing bicycle and finds that it's a time machine and he can go back into the past, under the watchful eye of a painting of 'Uncle Albert'. Again, there's nothing particularly of note here and the way it plods out is far from interesting.The third tale is undoubtedly the best, and is the weird story of a man who falls in love with a tree stump. Aside from the obvious fact that you simply wouldn't bring an old piece of wood into the house (even if you are in a film about madness), this story is pretty good; it's funny enough and interesting in all the right places. It's not enough to save the film in its own right, but had all the segments been as good as this one; Tales That Witness Madness would have been a decent film. The final tale is extremely tedious and succeeds only in bring a slow end to the movie. The final tale follows a weird bloke who is involved in some kind of devilish sorcery. I know I won't remember what happened for long. These films almost always conclude their wraparound stories, and Tales That Witness Madness is no exception. However, like the rest of the film; the conclusion to the wraparound feels a lot like an afterthought and doesn't succeed in bringing any intrigue to a film severely lacking in it. Overall, Tales that Witness Madness features one decent story and three limp ones, and Amicus have certainly done a lot better.

BaronBl00d Although lacking the genuine chills of other Amicus anthology pictures such as Tales From the Crypt, Asylum, and Vault of Horror, Tales That Witness Madness is still a rather enjoyable romp in the land of the macabre. Once again we have a framing story of some patients being observed by two doctors of sorts...Donald Pleasance and Jack Hawkins, in his last screen role. We are then entertained with four tales...each extraordinary and containing some element of the supernatural. The first story deals with a boy and an invisible tiger. Pretty decent little effort. The second story details how a picture has powers to empower the living to its bidding. I felt this story was set up very nicely and then just left flat, so much more could have been done with it. The third story was an entertaining one about a husband putting aside his wife(Joan Collins no less) for a hunk of a tree. The last story is easily the best. All I really can say is that dinner is served at the luau, voodoo style. The acting is decent throughout and the sets and cinematography is very good.

Mike-263 Despite an excellent cast and good production values this (supposed) horror film commits the ultimate sin: it doesn't scare... It's like watching some sit-com level "Twilight Zone" rip-off episode(s)... If you want to enjoy the real thing see one or all of the following: "Tales from the Crypt" (1972) "Asylum" (1972) or "Vault of Horror" (1973)