Plot: What’s it about?
The realm of television producers is lined with those looking for a break, which means someone else has to fall from grace, in order to open a vacant position. If Max is unable to come up with a dynamic idea soon, he’ll find himself on the way out and of course, that means desperate measures are needed. His concept is Chill Challenge, which he thinks will cash in on the reality television phenomenon and score massive ratings. The idea is to send five young hotties with ample breasts into an old mansion, one with a most unusual past. It seems an eccentric millionaire had once kidnapped a group of women and held them inside this home, planning to make them become his wives, by force if need be. The girls have to spend the night inside of his spooky old place, with cameras installed all over and the audience right in the middle of it all. After the morning comes, whoever remains inside will be given one million dollars, but they’ll have to overcome their fears, as well as get personal with the audience. Is the house truly haunted, or has Max just backed one last hack program before he’s shown the door?
This low budget satire of the reality television boom might not have a lot of funds involved, but it sure is loads of fun to watch. Yes, it is has some flaws and budget limitations are obvious, but let’s be honest, we know what to expect from low budget horror. I don’t mean some offshoot label of a major studio kind of low budget either, this is as independent as cinema gets and even so, Hell Asylum winds up being a fun, wild ride. The cast of young, very beautiful creatures has trouble with their lines, but since it is supposed to be reality television, we can assume they’re supposed to be geared this way, I think. I do wish to voice an issue I was let down on, which is the lack of naked women in this movie. I know not all movies need breasts, but I think Hell Asylum could have used some, without question. But instead of breasts, we’re given truckloads of gore and that balances it out, so I can’t complain much. The blood soaked effects look good and genre fans should be pleased, no doubt about it. I recommend Hell Asylum to anyone interested in horror movies and Tempe’s disc flat out rocks, from the transfer to the soundmix to the extras. If only more studios could give us such ambitious horror movies, as well as such masterful DVDs, I think the world would just be a much better place.
Video: How does it look?
Hell Asylum is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. I am impressed that Tempe is able to provide their films with anamorphic treatments, when much larger studios remain content with normal letterbox (or even full frame) treatments. But then again, I doubt any studio takes as much time and puts as much care into their releases, as Tempe seems raise the bar for themselves with each new release. As this was a very low budget production, some of the scenes look a little dim thanks to improper lighting, but on the whole, this is a solid, more than acceptable visual effort. I found no real issues with the print used, though as I mentioned, some production limitations are visible with this presentation. Even so, this is as good as this movie is going to look on DVD, so Tempe has done the best work possible here.
Audio: How does it sound?
As with the video, it seems like Tempe went all out on the audio, with a Dolby Digital 5.1 track included on this disc. You’ll be able to hear some of the limitations of the material, but this is still a solid track, to be sure. I mean, some of the dialogue isn’t looped as well as it should be, but the track covers all the bases. I was unable to find any real flaws with this mix, as any defects could be traced back to the production itself. In other words, this is as good as Hell Asylum can sound and of course, that is all we can ask Tempe to provide.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc is smothered in bonus materials, including a downright hilarious audio commentary with director Danny Draven and composer Josephine Soegijanty. Draven seems so laid back and natural in this session, just laying down his thoughts without hesitation, which is most welcome indeed. Soegijanty provides some insight into the score, while Draven drops comments about all kind of topics. I do wish the silent spaces weren’t so common, but even so, this track is a lot of fun and well worth a listen. A fourteen minute smattering of cast & crew interviews is found here too, as well as an eighteen minute production diary with Draven. As the production moves on, Draven provides us some of his thoughts on how the shoot is going and Draven remains candid, always willing to discuss the problems involved. In regard to film specific extras, this disc also contains a brief interview with Joe Estevez, a selection of still photos, a reel of outtakes & bloopers, and the film’s teaser trailer. In addition to all that, you’ll also find a bonus short film titled Mulva: Zombie Ass Kicker, which is a real hoot in every sense of the word. This low budget horror short supplies gore, pop culture references, and tons of laughs, if you’re a genre fan, that is. You can view an introduction to Mulva, as well as listen to an audio commentary track for the short, so not even the bonus short film is shortchanged on extras in this case.
