TWO New Asylum Flicks on DVD TODAY!!!

For the first time maybe ever, today marks the release of not one, but TWO new Asylum movies on DVD: Zombie Apocalypse and The Amityville Haunting.

Zombie Apocalypse - written by Craig Engler and Brooks Peck and directed by Nick Lyon - is about pretty much what the title would lead you to expect: a group of survivors in a zombie wasteland try and fight their way to salvation. The film stars Ving Rhames, Taryn Manning, Gerald Webb, Lesley Ann-Brandt and scores more, and did right well in its World Premiere on SyFy back in October.


And then there's The Amityville Haunting, the latest found-footage project from the studio, this time concerning an ill-fated family that chose the wrooooong house to move into.


Both of these films are definitely worth a watch - Zombie Apocalypse boasts some of the best effects, writing and acting the studio's ever put out there, and Amityville Haunting will scare the living crap out of you, believe me. Jump to the links above for more info, including production stills and trailers, then go wherever you go to procure DVDs these days and get your hands on this fun and frightening double feature.
  

outside the walls: December DVD Releases

So I'll admit it, there are films not produced by The Asylum. There always have been, always will be. These glasses I wear are not rose-colored. They are clear, and occasionally smudged with fingerprints. A sampling of non-Asylum films due soon and news that might spark the interest of Asylum fans. Just remember, Sweet 'n Low ain't Sugar.

December 6

Alien Armageddon

The Bait

Point Blank

Psychic Experiment

December 13

Kill Katie Malone

Little Deaths

The Undying

December 20

Burke & Hare

Saint Nick

December 27

Zombie Apocalypse

written by Craig Engler & Brooks Peck

directed by Nick Lyon

starring Ving Rhames, Taryn Manning, Lesley-Ann Brandt & Gerald Webb

The Amityville Haunting

found-footage film

Apollo 18

Armed & Deadly

Chop

Final Destination 5

The Hunters

Hostel Part 3

In the Name of the King 2

The Tunnel

observation notes: Zombie Apocalypse

Tonight was big for Asylum fans, as the studio's biggest film of the year - Zombie Apocalypse starring Ving Rhames, Taryn Manning, Eddie Steeples, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Johnny Pacar, Gerald Webb, Gary Weeks, Anya Monzikova, Lilan Bowden, Robert Blanche and scores more - got a World Premiere on the SyFy network. Now, as the film won't be on DVD until December 27th, and so far there's only one replay on the books, November 15th at 7pm, I won't give away any spoilers here, only my own personal and heavily-biased opinions. 

Let's start with the plot, shall we? I know that these days the kids like their concept's high but I've always been a believer in simple storylines and complex character interactions; sometimes an apocalypse is just an apocalypse. And that's what we have here, a full-blown, end-of-the-world scenario, rife with brain-gobbling, rotten and smelly zombies. We come into this world six months after the plague hit; the planet's human population has been reduced by 90% and those that are left are fodder for the hungry undead. But among the chaos there is one band of survivors still fighting, cutting a bloody swath across America on their way towards a rumored sanctuary on Catalina Island. 


This concept comes courtesy of writers Craig Engler and Brooks Peck, and is the debut script for both. You'd never know it, though, for the expert pacing and suspense-building storytelling going on. The action starts right at the beginning and skulks through the film like a "straggler," a constant potential threat to our ragtag band of survivors, portrayed by an ensemble cast firing on all cylinders.


Ving Rhames as "Henry" is, as expected, an all-around badass, in that strong, silent, stoic way he practically invented. Simultaneously, though, he imbues the film with heart using that fuzzy teddy-bear charm he can turn on at will. He's just the ultimate warrior/protector, and when you put a sledgehammer in his hands, it's fucking on.


Taryn Manning as "Ramona," however, I think serves as the film's true heart. Easily the character one can most relate to, she's more muted here than usual, in a good way, in a way that causes you to see the effect of this insane situation on the frail human spirit. She's strong but she's frazzled, hopeful but haggard, hanging on but only by a thread, the way anyone would be.


The real standout for me was Lesley-Ann Brandt as "Cassie," the sleek, swift, graceful but no-less-deadly yin to Ving's yang, his brazen lieutenant with the same heightened sense of caution but laced with a healthy dose of attitude and alluring femininity. She's an alpha female, that over-achiever you could never hate no matter how much you wanted, and now she's got a sword. Ms. Brandt commanded the screen, and conquered her role like a pack of flesh-eaters.


I could go on and on about every single member of the cast; for me, there were no misses: rounding out the rest of the main pack we had Eddie Steeples as "Billy," the Everyman counterpart to "Ramona," Gary Weeks as "Mack," the affable and confident quarterback of the gang, Johnny Pacar as "Julian," the playful wildcard of the bunch, the smirking idealist to "Mack's" noble pragmatist, and the always great Gerald Webb as headstrong and protective "Kevin." Not to mention Anya Monzikova, Robert Blanche and Lilian Bowden as "The Archers," another tough-as-nails survivor clique that adds stunning beauty and stealthy brawn to the fight.


Overall then, what you have here is a smart, fresh, innovative and thrilling entry into a tired genre. As much as people say there's nothing new in zombie movies, Zombie Apocalypse manages to do just that, thanks to a thoughtful and epic script from Engler and Peck. If this is what they can accomplish right out of the gate, I can't wait to see their 2nd, 3rd, and 25th efforts. The visual effects from Joe Lawson and his Awesome Team (feel free to put that on the back of satin jackets, guys) pull not a single gory punch. Kudos too to the make-up department for making not only believable zombies, but believable dead zombies. That's usually the first thing to derail movies like this, crappy effects. Zombie Apocalypse doesn't come close to having that problem. I bet Halloween with these dudes is rad.


Chris Ridenhour provided the score, and once again it's out-of-the-park. I want to hire him to score my life, the way people hire personal chefs; with his accompaniment, everything is more exciting and important, I'd never do the dishes the same way again.


And bringing it all together is director Nick Lyon, who here has crafted a visually-stunning and violently-beautiful film. The fight scenes are manic yet graceful, the kills are spectacularly bloody, the image of a ruined world is fully-realized and realistic, the story moves naturally and myriad other aspects that add up to an intense, intimate and atmospheric film full of thrills, kills, chills, hills, blood, guts and gore. Easily the best non-theatrical zombie film I've seen in a while, heck, maybe ever. And I say that not as an Asylum-fanatic, which I am, but as a zombie film freak. Helluva good time, this one.


Try to catch the re-run on November 15th at 7pm, because after that it's six weeks or so until the DVD release.

A Couple of Asylum Tidbits

photo from the BBC

Couple of interesting news items pertaining to The Asylum today, this first bit coming from the fine folks at Adult Swim, who interviewed two of the three Asylum head honchos - Paul Bales and David RIMAWI (the third, of course, being David Michael Latt)- about what exactly it takes to make a mockbuster succeed. I get a lot of questions - and by a lot, I mean like half a dozen, I run in small circles - about how The Asylum works, and to date this is the best article out there, well, articulating it. And I can personally attest to the speed with which they work: both of the scripts I've written for them - A Haunting in Salem and 2 Headed Shark Attack - I composed first drafts in about five days. Don't let that stop you from believing in these scripts' utter awesomocity, by the way, in both instances they were an inspired five days. Anywho, take a look at the article, it might be the most thorough in-print interview with the studio higher-ups to date; and their enthusiasm is contagious. 

Secondly, today SyFy announced their Fall programming schedule, including the air-date for The Asylum's next foray into the realm of the undead, Zombie Apocalypse, starring Ving Rhames (hell yeah!) and Taryn Manning (also hell yeah!): October 29th, two days before Halloween and the crown jewel in the network's "bloodcurdling programming" block for the month. SyFy exec Craig Engler co-wrote the script with Brooks Peck, and the film is being directed by Nick Lyon (Species: The Awakening). I'm super excited about this one, not only because of the stellar cast - which includes Lesley-Ann Brandt ("Spartacus"), Eddie Steeples ("My Name is Earl") and Gerald Webb ("Law & Order: L.A.," Battle of Los Angeles, 2012 Ice Age, A Haunting in Salem, 2 Headed Shark Attack) - but also because the story - rugged band of survivors fighting through an infested L.A. to a supposed sanctuary on Catalina - sounds kinda like a Zombie Judgment Night, which to me at least is kick-ass. Catch this one when it airs, or suffer the two-month wait until its DVD release December 27th.