THE ASYLUM is a film that's so predictable that the plot is almost mind-numbing to write out: a group of teenagers decide to hold a debauched party at an abandoned old asylum, only to mess with the occult and inadvertently summon up some demonic forces.
Such a story has been the basis for countless forgettable horror B-movies, so this film needs to do something special to stand out from the crowd. Needless to say it doesn't. Marcus Nispel is the director (you may remember him from the old Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE remake) but fails to do much with the material, which looks and feels like your usual US B-movie.
The characters are irritating, the dialogue rings hollow, the acting isn't up to scratch. The demonic possession stuff feels very low key and unscary, with the EVIL DEAD remake an obvious inspiration. The only stuff I liked was that the special effects are pretty decent, especially when things get gruesome in the second half, but they're not enough to make this a good film. Stephen Lang (AVATOR) plays a priest caught up in the madness.
Such a story has been the basis for countless forgettable horror B-movies, so this film needs to do something special to stand out from the crowd. Needless to say it doesn't. Marcus Nispel is the director (you may remember him from the old Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE remake) but fails to do much with the material, which looks and feels like your usual US B-movie.
The characters are irritating, the dialogue rings hollow, the acting isn't up to scratch. The demonic possession stuff feels very low key and unscary, with the EVIL DEAD remake an obvious inspiration. The only stuff I liked was that the special effects are pretty decent, especially when things get gruesome in the second half, but they're not enough to make this a good film. Stephen Lang (AVATOR) plays a priest caught up in the madness.