A Damned Shame
Added 6/26/2005
This movie seemed like it was going to be better than it ended up being. The cinematography is good, the acting seemed solid, the dialogue wasn't too stiff... but then about twenty minutes in there's this long scene with a Doctor who you know is actually a patient at the asylum pretending to be a Doctor - and it just goes south from there.
On top of that, the demon is about the silliest looking hellspawn since the Godzilla-looking thing in Curse of the Demon. There's also some odd demon worshippers who wear masks that look like the exploding teens from the beginning of Logan's Run.
In the end, the cinematography couldn't save this movie. Despite some pretty solid performances by the actors, the story just doesn't go anywhere. I think "Hellbored" would have been a better title for this.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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SETTING CANNOT SAVE IT FROM BAD ACTING
Added 2/28/2005
When it comes right down to it, there's nothing much more creepy than an old mental hospital and Asylum of the Damned does a wonderful job of providing a set with a real sense of horror and forboding, but once you get past that you have a film with a rather weak plot and weaker performances and a stupid looking monster to boot.
Matt Stasi is James Bishop, a resident psychologist who begins a new job at the St. Andrews mental hospital. He soon learns that residents are being killed and learns of some evil creature called "The harvester" who steals their souls for the devil. James tries to uncover the evil but then has to deal with his idiotic girlfriend showing up to make matters that much worse.
The creatures is stupid looking and looks like one of those old Paul Blaisdell creature designs from the 1950's. Cheap and not scary in the least. The fact that the film co-stars Tracy Scoggins and Tiny Lister should tell you everything you need to know about the acting performances...especially when Tiny Lister is the best actor...
A movie that looks good and had good atmosphere but done in by bad acting and weak plot.
2 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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DEVILISH DOINGS
Added 2/23/2005
ASYLUM OF THE DAMNED is an okay horror flick, having some intense sequences and featuring a nice heroic performance from Matt Stasi. Stasi plays a young psychiatric intern who does his residency at St. Andrew's Asylum. From the opening scene, we know all is not quite right at this institution. A doctor screams into the camera that he is not insane and is soon dispatched by a ferocious looking demon. Anyway, Stasi wants to make a difference in the world and he is rather appalled at the manner in which the hospital's director (the infamously frightening Bruce Payne) runs the place. No cures here. Just containment. Stasi soon finds that many patients have died from apparent heart attacks, but with the help of a giant orderly (Tommy Tiny Lister) and a crusty patient who manages to escape every once in a while, Stasi stumbles onto something quite more frightening than he could have ever imagined.
Tracy Scoggins (so lovely on DYNASTY) plays a mousy looking and malicious nurse. The movie has some good production values even though it sort of falls apart plotwise by the end. But Stasi keeps you interested, as does the villainous Payne.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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