DoomAsylum

Doom Asylum (1987)

Ah the 80s were a time for so many bad low budget movies to be made and Doom Asylum definitely fits into that category. The movie opens with a lawyer and his latest client driving along in a convertible. He apparently has taken her ex-husband for a ton of money and they are celebrating. But while getting a bit frisky in the car there is an accident and she is killed. He on the other hand ends up waking up in the morgue while they are doing an autopsy on him! This sends him over the edge and he becomes a crazed killer. Years later his girlfriend’s daughter (the dead lady from the beginning) shows up at the abandoned hospital to party with some friends and all hell breaks loose. Well not really, but some people do get dead.

I’m really hoping that those involved in making Doom Asylum were in on the joke because this is one of the worst made movies that I’ve ever seen. The story is paper-thin and smacks of being written around the movie’s one big asset, the abandoned hospital location. Really the story is very awkward and consists of a bunch of characters showing up and wandering around the location alone until their death set piece is ready. Not only that but this is the kind of movie where you have a victim see the killer coming towards them and instead of running away they sit down in a chair and scream while he slowly comes across the room towards them! There are also several old Todd Slaughter movies that are cut into the film. Not because they seem to have anything to do with it, but because the crazy killer occasionally takes a break to watch some television (obvious filler to pad the runtime). Before I finish here I did want to say one more thing about Doom Asylum. This movie has some of the funniest dialogue that I’ve ever heard uttered on film. But much like the acting I don’t know if this was intended or not. Either way I will say that intended or not it does get old after a while.

The only thing dumber than the plot are the performances of the cast. Now that sounds a lot meaner than I meant it to. Honestly the performances here are either the worst that I’ve seen or are pure genius. I almost get the vibe from the movie that at least the cast knew what kind of material they were working with and just sort of went for it. I say this because I found myself enjoying the characters and the situations, in spite of how bad the movie was. But then again maybe they were just really bad and really lucky.

The one thing that I’m sure of is that Doom Asylum does boast some decent effects. Now be warned these aren’t the greatest that you will ever see, but for the obvious low budget of Doom Asylum they did a decent job. You have a pretty good drill to the noggin’, some toe chopping, a hippy meeting a vat of acid face first, and a strange contraption called the body processor. Again not the best effects, but I give the movie an “A” for effort.

I picked this movie up from 42nd Street Pete’s table at a Cinema Wasteland and paid 5 bucks for it. That seems about right, so if you can pick up Doom Asylum on the cheap then I recommend you do so. It has enough fun moments that most fans will get a few laughs out of it.

2 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer