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- Avishay Artsy
Among the horror film formulas of gothic monsters, aliens, slashers and the undead is one that now stands out as unfeeling: the insane asylum. Little wonder, given that these mysterious architectural giants loomed behind iron gates in dozens of American towns. Hollywood brought us inside, painting mental institutions as places of misery and despair. Think of "Shock Corridor," "The Snake Pit," or the more recent thriller "Session 9." Hollywood trumped up the terror of insane asylums, but they were originally built for healing, as places of safety as well as madness. Among the earliest of the mental hospitals was the New Hampshire Asylum for the Insane in Concord. An acute psychiatric care facility and a children’s unit still operate there. About half of the old buildings have been converted to state offices or storage units, while the rest sit empty. Producer Avishay Artsy went to unlock the history of this decaying institution.
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Piece Description
Among the horror film formulas of gothic monsters, aliens, slashers and the undead is one that now stands out as unfeeling: the insane asylum. Little wonder, given that these mysterious architectural giants loomed behind iron gates in dozens of American towns. Hollywood brought us inside, painting mental institutions as places of misery and despair. Think of "Shock Corridor," "The Snake Pit," or the more recent thriller "Session 9." Hollywood trumped up the terror of insane asylums, but they were originally built for healing, as places of safety as well as madness. Among the earliest of the mental hospitals was the New Hampshire Asylum for the Insane in Concord. An acute psychiatric care facility and a children’s unit still operate there. About half of the old buildings have been converted to state offices or storage units, while the rest sit empty. Producer Avishay Artsy went to unlock the history of this decaying institution.
Transcript
"That’s a huge keychain you have there, Doug."
"These are the old criminally insane keys. For securing the heavy doors and gates. Watch your step through here."
We’re in one of the original wings of the state insane asylum. My guides are Doug Burnham, the campus engineer, and photographer Christopher Payne. The room we’re in was converted into a very modern-looking fluorescent-lit office, filled with computers and printers.
"But you open a door, and all of a sudden, you’re going back like 30, 40 years," Payne said. "There’s no heat in here. The floors are kind of caving in. There’s a dampness in the air. It has that feeling of abandonment, like these things, these articles will never be used again. And this is that threshold, that black and white difference, is something I experienced in a l...
Read the full transcript
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exit Music for a Film | Brad Mehldau | Songs: The Art of the Trio, Vol. 3. | Warner Bros | 1998 | 00:00 |
