 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
HELL ASYLUM
Produced by Tammi Sutton and J.R. Bookwalter
Directed, Edited, and Photographed by Danny Draven
Written by Trent HaagaMax - Tim Muskatell
Amber - Tanya Dempsey
Paige - Debra Mayer
Stacey - Stacey Scowley
Stan - Joe EstevezDanny Draven's HORRORVISION marked a new direction for Full Moon Pictures. Tired, gothic formula was traded for high-tech, amphetamine-induced energy, and the result was fresh breath of pure fun. This time around Draven gives us the EC Comics' version of a Dario Argento film with HELL ASYLUM, a tale about the cutthroat nature of television, the fairer sex, and spectral mass murderers.
Max, played by Tim Muskatell, is a shmuck of a television producer trying to put together the pilot for a reality horror program titled CHILL CHALLENGE. His idea is to put nubile hotties in a supposedly haunted house and then scare the hell out of them with their own darkest fears. The one who stays through the night wins a million dollars. Picture NBC's Fear Factor with the Gen-X glam replaced by a set of balls.
For the participants, Draven goes stereotype and hits pretty much all of the female horror roles: Goth Chic, Urban Street Chic, Uppity Chic, Virginal Farm Girl Chic, and Bitch Chic (not to be confused with the before mentioned Uppity Chic - the difference being Bitch Chic retains no likeable qualities). Through two-minute interview clips we learn all we need to know about each gal. One by one Draven kills them off with the same misogynist glee he brought to HORRORVISION. While not as overtly degrading as HORRORVISION, the premise alone downgrades women to tits and long legs for the gore-obsessed fanboys to drool over.
John Carpenter once took responsibility for single-handedly ending the sexual revolution with his film HALLOWEEN.. Draven isn't doing much for our recovery. God bless him for it! PC horror pretty much sucks the goats ass and should just keep on trucking. It's great to see someone actually bring a point of film to his movies. I might not agree with Draven's take on the world, but at least the guy isn't kissing the ass of the corporate dealmakers (okay, so I don't know that last part for sure, but I would like to think he's not).
As for the film itself, I'm hit and miss. Tim Muskatell is the most charismatic male lead Full Moon has had in a while, and it's apparent he's having fun with his role. It would be a shame not to use this guy again. And how can you not like the hotties? At the risk of going all fanboy myself, Tanya Dempsey and Stacey Scowley are reason enough to check this movie out. The pair blonde and sunny examples of cuteness.
My issues with the movie stem from the structure, and it's there problems I'm been having with a number of recent horror films. There's no middle act to build upon. You've got 30 minutes of opening and 35 minutes of climax. Even without the second and third acts, Draven also isn't allowing any time to create tension. The pace moves so quickly once the game begins that there's no time to build on the atmosphere to produce real chills and scares. Consequently, the viewers become numb to the cavalcade of gore and it loses it's punchy value.
But if gore is only what you want, then you won't be disappointed. There's plenty of decapitations and gut-munching disembowelments for the gore-fans to enjoy. I just wish there were some scares for the horror fans to enjoy.
The DVD for HELL ASYLUM is another winner for Tempe Video as they keep putting the major studios to shame. While not as densely packed at WITCHOUSE 3 or HORRORVISION, there's still plenty to tool around with including cast and crew interviews (including a standalone impromptu with Joe Estevez), bloopers, and a fascinating production diary where Draven randomly shares his thoughts throughout production. There's also the Tempe standards: still gallery, trailers, and director commentary. The true highlight is the addition of a second feature, the geekily wacky MULVA: ZOMBIE ASS KICKER, complete with commentary.
While HELL ASYLUM isn't perfect, it's still an above-the-average Full Moon release. There might be flaws, but there's still plenty to enjoy as the pro's outweigh the con's. At the risk of sound cliched, this is where I tell you to do yourself a favor and pick up the discounted DVD from www.TempeVideo.com . You should listen to me.