.gif)
Asylum (2008 film)
Encyclopedia
Asylum is a horror film
from 20th Century Fox
released on DVD in 2008. David R. Ellis
, of the sequel
to Final Destination
and the movie Snakes on a Plane
, directed. Parts of the movie were filmed on the campus of Winthrop University
in Rock Hill, SC. The film stars Sarah Roemer
.
campus newspaper, The Johnsonian, a group of college freshmen with troubled pasts and nightmares are at Richard Miller University for orientation a couple of weeks prior to the beginning of classes. They stumble into an old restricted area and awaken the spirit of a mad doctor, who then proceeds to torture and torment the students in the same way he tortured the patients in 1939 at Burke Asylum. During the film, first String is killed, then Maya, followed by Tommy, Mackey, and Ivy. All are killed by the Doctor. In the end The Doctor chases Madison and Holt through a tunnel, an abandoned factory, and the woods until Madison kills him by stabbing him in the head, causing him to lose all his power and the souls that he has taken. The movie ends with Madison and Holt walking out of the forest finally being able to have closure with their pasts.
"There's no intelligence shown in the script for 'Asylum,' no original ideas and nothing to separate this film from dozens of others that've come and gone since Wes Craven's clever 'Scream' reinvigorated the genre more than a decade ago," the review continued. The paper gave the film a D-.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
from 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
released on DVD in 2008. David R. Ellis
David R. Ellis
David Richard Ellis is an American film director and former stuntman.-Life and career:Ellis was born in Hollywood, California. He began his career in the film industry as a supporting actor in juvenile roles; his big screen debut was in the 1975 Kurt Russell film The Strongest Man in the World...
, of the sequel
Final Destination 2
Final Destination 2 is a 2003 supernatural horror film and the sequel to the 2000 film Final Destination and was directed by David R. Ellis. It was written by Jeffrey Reddick, Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber. The film stars Ali Larter, A. J. Cook, Michael Landes and Tony Todd...
to Final Destination
Final Destination
Final Destination is a 2000 supernatural slasher film written and directed by James Wong. The film was co-written by Glen Morgan and Jeffrey Reddick, both of them having previously worked with Wong in the TV series The X-Files. The film stars Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith and Tony Todd...
and the movie Snakes on a Plane
Snakes on a Plane
Snakes on a Plane is a 2006 American horror-action-thriller film directed by David R. Ellis and starring Samuel L. Jackson. It was released by New Line Cinema on August 18, 2006 in North America...
, directed. Parts of the movie were filmed on the campus of Winthrop University
Winthrop University
Winthrop University is a public, four-year liberal arts university in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA. In 2006-07, Winthrop University had an enrollment of 6,292 students. The University has been recognized as South Carolina's top-rated university according to evaluations conducted by the South...
in Rock Hill, SC. The film stars Sarah Roemer
Sarah Roemer
Sarah Christine Roemer is an American model and actress. She is best known for her roles in the films Disturbia, Asylum, and Fired Up!.-Life and career:...
.
Plot
A college student discovers her dorm was once a notorious asylum. According to Winthrop'sWinthrop University
Winthrop University is a public, four-year liberal arts university in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA. In 2006-07, Winthrop University had an enrollment of 6,292 students. The University has been recognized as South Carolina's top-rated university according to evaluations conducted by the South...
campus newspaper, The Johnsonian, a group of college freshmen with troubled pasts and nightmares are at Richard Miller University for orientation a couple of weeks prior to the beginning of classes. They stumble into an old restricted area and awaken the spirit of a mad doctor, who then proceeds to torture and torment the students in the same way he tortured the patients in 1939 at Burke Asylum. During the film, first String is killed, then Maya, followed by Tommy, Mackey, and Ivy. All are killed by the Doctor. In the end The Doctor chases Madison and Holt through a tunnel, an abandoned factory, and the woods until Madison kills him by stabbing him in the head, causing him to lose all his power and the souls that he has taken. The movie ends with Madison and Holt walking out of the forest finally being able to have closure with their pasts.
Cast
- Sarah RoemerSarah RoemerSarah Christine Roemer is an American model and actress. She is best known for her roles in the films Disturbia, Asylum, and Fired Up!.-Life and career:...
as Madison - Carolina Garcia as Maya
- Ellen HollmanEllen Hollman-Biography:Hollman was born in Detroit, Michigan, and eventually moved to Troy, Michigan where she graduated from Troy High School. She made her television debut on an episode of Malcolm in the Middle in 2005, before going on to appear in fourth season of The O.C. as young Kirsten Nichol in a...
as Ivy - Randall Sims as Rez
- Travis Van WinkleTravis Van Winkle-Early life:Travis was born on November 4, 1982, in Victorville, California, the middle of three children of Sally and Charles Van Winkle. He remained in Victorville until he was two years old, and then moved to Oscoda, Michigan...
as Tommy - Jake Muxworthy as Holt
- Cody KaschCody Kasch-Early life:Kasch was born of Scottish heritage in Santa Monica, California and raised in Ojai, California on a working ranch until he was nearly fourteen, when he moved to Camarillo, California.-Movie career:...
as String - Lin ShayeLin ShayeLinda "Lin" Shaye is an American film, theatre and television actress.-Early life:Born in Detroit, Michigan, Shaye is the daughter of Dorothy , a homemaker, and Max Mendle Shaye, a painter and supermarket owner. Her brother is film executive Robert Shaye...
as String's Mother - Mark RolstonMark Rolston-Career:Rolston played PFC M. Drake in Aliens , Hans in Lethal Weapon 2 , Stef in RoboCop 2 , Bogs Diamond in The Shawshank Redemption , J. Scar in Eraser , Chief Dennis Wilson in Daylight , Wayne Bryce in Hard Rain and Special Agent in Charge Warren Russ in Rush Hour...
as The Doctor - Joe Inscoe as Mackey
- Ben Daniele as Brandon
- Caroline Kent as "young Madison"
- Brantley Pollock as "young Brandon"
- Crystal McLaurin-ConeyCrystal McLaurin-ConeyCrystal McLaurin-Coney, is an actress, model and host currently working in Los Angeles. She has worked in the industry for over 14 years with such clients as Goody's Headache Powder, UPS, Hanes Her Way and The NC College Foundation, to name a few...
as College Ambassador
University set changes
- Main Winthrop University name changed to Richard Miller University at entrance to campus.
- Tillman Hall changed to Tagert Hall.
- Tillman Hall changed to Burke Asylum, Public Institute for the Young for flashbacks.
- Winthrop Police car decals were covered with "Richard Miller University" decals.
- However, they kept Winthrop'sWinthrop UniversityWinthrop University is a public, four-year liberal arts university in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA. In 2006-07, Winthrop University had an enrollment of 6,292 students. The University has been recognized as South Carolina's top-rated university according to evaluations conducted by the South...
colors - garnet and gold.
Critical response
The film was not received well by critics. A review in The Herald of Rock Hill, where much of the movie was filmed, called the film "unoriginal, tiresome and unintentionally funny.""There's no intelligence shown in the script for 'Asylum,' no original ideas and nothing to separate this film from dozens of others that've come and gone since Wes Craven's clever 'Scream' reinvigorated the genre more than a decade ago," the review continued. The paper gave the film a D-.