|
 Asylum
(2007)
R1 / NTSC DVD
20th Century Fox / 2008
Directed by David R. Ellis
Written by Ethan Lawrence
Cast: Sarah Roemer, Lin Shaye, Jake Muxworthy & Mark Rolston
Review by Brian Harris
Setting aside the tragic events surrounding the suicides of
her troubled father and brother, Madison decides it’s time
to move on and head to college. As misfortune would have it
though, her new dorm used to be a mental hospital with a
nasty history and it’s inhabited by a bunch of co-ed basket
cases and a bloodthirsty, undead doctor looking for new
patients to “cure.” Let the mayhem begin!
Admittedly we’ve all seen the “mental institute with a
tragic story” films, “crazy doctor” films and “troubled
teens being stalked by an otherworldy killer” films but
Asylum takes all the clichés and pretty much does absolutely
nothing new with them and still manages to be watchable.
Instead of something original, we’re given the same old,
same old and, for some strange reason, it worked. Yeah, I
was entertained, what can I say? I shouldn’t have had so
much fun watching college students meet their bloody, and
predictably ironic, ends at the hands of a ghostly butcher
but I did…god help me…I did.
The story was predictable, safe and all too familiar,
comparisons to the Nightmare on Elm Street series are on
point, but the acting and FX helps things out considerably.
The characters go back and forth from mildly likable to
complete cannon fodder but it’s doubtful you’ll continue
watching this for their sparkling personalities anyhow. No,
chances are you’re going to want to see these cardboard
crazies offed in grisly ways by a cool supernatural stalker
and that’s exactly what you’ll get, nothing more or less.
I can’t really say I was disappointed in a film that
promised absolutely nothing but more of the same so to end
up getting a bit more was a plus for me. The only thing I
had a real problem with here was the horrible outfit worn by
Doctor Burke, the killer, it was a cross between The Village
People and a Cenobite. Now that gave me chills! |
