DVD Releases: Trapped in the Insanitarium Asylum
Johnny Butane
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It’s all about the traps this week. Check out what horror flicks are hitting DVD on Tuesday, July 15th, 2008…
Asylum (2008)
Directed by David R. Ellis
It seems all the madness surrounding Ellis’ last effort, Snakes on a Plane, popped something in his head and he decided the only way to follow it up would be with the most generic, bland, impotent kind of horror film. Enter Asylum, the story of a group of new kids at college who find out their new dorm is adjacent to the former stomping grounds of a doctor who got off on conducting experiments on kids their age. Lameness follows. Be sure to read our “>Asylum DVD review for more! Buy it here!
Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell (2007)
Directed by Kevin Wheatley & Jonny Gillette
How strange; I remember when this film first was getting festival play it was the talk of the town because of how odd it was. Then National Lampoon swoops in to put it out on DVD? Weird. The film follows the power struggle between two groups of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world full of mutants and flesh-eating women, though apparently it’s a biting satire at the same time. Go figure. Buy it here!
Guardians (2006)
Directed by Drew Maxwell
A group of occultists think the best way to take over the world via monsters is to start off small, so they summon over some hideous creatures in the small town of Twilight Cove to watch the effects. Unbeknownst to them, there’s a group out there called The Guardians whose mission is to stop monster infestations, and Twilight Cove will be no different. But can they stop the creatures before it’s too late? Probably. For the full scoop, check out our “>Guardians review right now! Buy it here!
Insanitarium (2008)
Directed by Jeff Buhler
How ironic that the directorial debut of Midnight Meat Train writer Jeff Buhler was shot, edited and released before MMT? Not that Insanitarium is bad, but there’s something wrong with that order of events. The story follows a loving brother who has himself committed to the same mental institution the state sent his sister to in order to get her out, believing something very bad is going on inside. And boy is he correct. Check out our “>Insanitarium DVD review for more! Buy it here!
Poison Sweethearts (2008)
Directed by Andrew Campbell
Six stories of women in Cleveland who just can’t take it anymore. I guess I’d last about 20 minutes in Cleveland before that happened to me. The film purports that it’s actually educational, but I think only in the capacity that you will truly see what happens when women are pushed to the edge … and beyond! Great, now I’m starting to sound like a bad back-of-box description. Women. Revenge. What more do you need to know? Buy it here!
Shutter (2008)
Directed by Masayuki Ochiai
Yet another tepid Asian remake, though this time it’s a remake of a tepid Asian original. Everyone was freaking out about how great the original Shutter was, but I just didn’t get it. No matter, Joshua Jackson swoops in to Americanize this remake, which moves the action from Thailand to Japan. On a honeymoon/fashion shoot gig with his wife he hits a woman in the middle of the road, and pretty soon all sorts of spooky stuff is happening to his photography. Some very uncomfortable truths are brought to the surface shortly after. Check out our “>Shutter DVD review for more! Buy it here!
Steel Trap (2008)
Directed by Luis Camara
New Year’s Eve. Five party guests are given an invite to go from one rather lame party to one that promises to be far more interesting in a high-rise building. Once they all gather on the 27th floor, however, they realize they’re now trapped by a sadistic killer who forces each of them play a game that eventually leads to their own death. Believe it or not, I’ve been to worse New Year’s Eve parties. Give our Steel Trap review a read to learn more! Buy it here!
Swamp Thing: The Series Volume 2
Directed by Various
This is somewhat confusing to those of us who never watched the show. Apparently there were 50 episodes of a third season made for “Swamp Thing”, and this DVD set contains the first 25 of them. Not sure if the third season was ever aired, however, and doesn’t 50 episodes seem like a lot? Now, if The Foywonder is to be believed, the show really started to hit its stride after the first seasons, though by then it was too late and the ratings were never really the same again. So since there is only half of the third season on this, I guess a Volume 3 isn’t too far away? Buy it here!
Trapped Ashes (2007)
Directed by Various
Joe Dante, Ken Russell, Sean Cunningham, Monte Hellman and John Gaeta got together for this anthology film that tells five supposedly terrifying stories. Dante directed the wrap-around segment, which finds five people trapped inside a house being used for a horror movie, the only way out to tell a very scary story. It’s surprising that any of them make it out considering some of the things I’ve read about the tales in here. Check out our “>Trapped Ashes DVD review to learn more! Buy it here!
Voice (2005)
Directed by Choi Ik-Hwan
A young singer stays late at school one night to practice, but something very bad happens to her and she disappears. Her best friend is now the only one who can hear her, so it’s up to her to solve the mystery of what happened and try to save her friend’s soul before it’s too late. Though it doesn’t purport itself to be so, this is part of the “Whispering Corridors” series of films. Give our “>Voice DVD review a read for more! Buy it here!
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