Drama Cult Classic

Christopher Lee presides over a madhouse where fortunes and lives slip away under mysterious care.

THE KEEPER

Christopher Lee, master of the macabre, takes you and his patients to the brink of insanity.

1976 · 1h 28m · NR · Drama / Horror / Mystery · IMDB TMDB

The Keeper of an insane asylum, Underwood Asylum, controls everything from a console, as a private eye finds out. The kooky manipulative head of a lunatic asylum, putting all the patients under heavy drugs and way-out psychedelic hypnotism.

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Quick Answer

What is The Keeper about?

The Keeper is a 1976 Canadian drama, horror, and mystery film directed by T.Y. Drake about a sinister asylum administrator whose unusual therapies connect to a string of deaths among wealthy families, investigated by a private detective.

Programmer's Pick

With Christopher Lee at the helm of a psychedelic madhouse, The Keeper stirs up a cocktail of inheritance, insanity, and hypnosis-fueled control. Expect a dash of psychotronic weirdness with your murder mystery.

— SassyFlix Programmer

Overview

In the secluded Underwood Asylum of 1947 British Columbia, Christopher Lee commands the screen as The Keeper, a manipulative and physically impaired administrator entrusted with the care of society’s most troubled upper-crust relatives. His controversial methods—including heavy sedation and psychedelic hypnotism—create a chilling atmosphere where the boundaries between therapy and control blur. As the heirs of wealthy families begin to perish in bizarre ways, their fortunes pass into the hands of the asylum’s deeply disturbed patients. When private investigator Dick Driver is hired to look into the deaths, he soon finds disturbing links between The Keeper’s radical treatments and the tragic fates of the local elite. The setup delivers a stylized blend of gothic horror and macabre mystery.

Details & Specs

Director: T.Y. Drake
Writers: Donald Wilson, David Curnick, T.Y. Drake
Release: 1976
Runtime: 1h 28m
Language: English
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery

Why This Matters

This Canadian comedy-thriller features Christopher Lee in the title role and is notable for having bypassed theatrical release, going straight to television.

— SassyFlix Curator

Cast & Crew

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Director: T.Y. Drake Writers: Donald Wilson +2 more

Christopher Lee The Keeper TS Tell Schreiber Dick Driver SD Sally Drake Mae B. Jones RV Ross Vezarian Inspector Clarke

Ian Tracey The Kid BJ Bing Jensen Denny JL Jack Leavy The Biggs Twins LL Leo Leavy The Biggs Twins MB Malcolm Britton The Homicide Squad MM Michael Meade The Homicide Squad BL Burke Lundy The Homicide Squad DE David Engleman Inmate WW Wendy Who Inmate VM Victor Mallia Inmate LT Laura Thaw Inmate

Alex Kliner Inmate VV Vikki Vogel Inmate PW Paddy White Inmate EP Edith Powell Inmate CB Christian Bruyère Cop DC Denton Coates Cop RP Rod Padmos Cop TJ Tom Jesse Cop / Ambulance Attendant AR Anthony Roy McKinley Cop / Glazier MB Margee Bruyere Lady JM Jeanie McKinnon Lady LG Linda Grabler White Lady

Joyce Williams Lady PH Peggy Hart Lady IN Ian Newby Ambulance Attendant BH Bob Hetherington Newspaper Vendor PM Phillipa Malczewska Hotel Guest RK Richard Keymar Hotel Guest VD Victor Dela Lux Off Screen Voices

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