PopHorror Let's Get Scared
What drives a person to the edge? Would they become insane seeing things that are not there? Would that person be tempted to hurt or even kill someone? Insanity is a big question in Jay Woelfel’s new film Asylum of Darkness. The ideology of what is sane and insane has been seen in many horror movies. If we see something strange that we are not supposed to see we are labeled as insane. This movie starts off in an asylum and will answer the questions of sanity and how far one is willing to go to prove that they’re not insane.
Distributed by Wild Eye Releasing, Asylum of Darkness is directed and written by Jay Woelfel and stars Nick Baldasare, Richard Hatch, Amanda Howell, Frank Jones Jr., and Tiffany Shepis. I also discovered while researching this film that it was initially released in 2012 with the title Seasons of Darkness, but was later on reshot with a bigger budget.
The story follows Dwight Stroud (Baldasare), a patient at the asylum, who is trying to convince himself that he is not insane. He sees monsters in the hospital; he does not know if they are real or not until he escapes. Stroud escapes the crazed asylum but as he returns to the world he is not the same man, he takes the place of another man and begins to have his memories.
Although story for Asylum of Darkness is unique it can also be confusing at points. Now, maybe this is intentional to show the confusing parts to reflect insanity. Along with this, the images are very much of Cronenberg and body horror, which is pretty awesome. There were many moments in the film that were full of blood and gore which is always a plus for some viewers.
The effects are all practical, no green screen here. I love when horror movies use practical effects versus CGI, it gives it more of a realistic feel and it suited this film perfectly. One of my favorite effects was seeing a character who had both his eyes ripped out.
Final Thoughts
The effects were what I enjoyed most. The images were very gory and detailed. The only thing I thought that could have been better is the story. As a viewer, it was confusing to follow and I didn’t like the ending. I think they could have done so much more with it. If you are a fan of body horror and practical effects this is the film for you. Asylum of Darkness is being released today April 11th, 2017 on VOD.
