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Asylum of Darkness

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4.8/10 • 6

2012-11-071h 57m

Horror

There Is Evil Inside Us All

Mental patient Dwight Stroud escapes from an asylum and is mistaken for a motivational speaker named Artemis Finch who has money and women at his command. Dwight accepts the craziness of the situation, but as strange faceless figures begin to hunt him down, Dwight must deal with an escalating spiral of supernatural danger and hallucinations.

Directors
Jay Woelfel
Writters
Jay Woelfel

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Nick Baldasare

    Nick Baldasare

    Dwight Stroud

  2. Amanda Howell

    Amanda Howell

    Ellen

  3. Richard Hatch

    Richard Hatch

    Dr. Shaker

  4. Tim Thomerson

    Tim Thomerson

    Detective Kesler

  5. Tiffany Shepis

    Tiffany Shepis

    Hope

  6. Frank Jones Jr.

    Frank Jones Jr.

    Van Gogh

  7. John Hawk

    John Hawk

    Artemis Finch

  8. Patricia McBride

    Patricia McBride

    Jackie

  9. Scott Summitt

    Scott Summitt

    Oscar Werner

Reviews1

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Wuchak Avatar

Wuchak

Mar 16, 2025

5/10

It’s, um, creative A murderer (Nick Baldasare), who has been assigned to a mental institution after being declared “not guilty by reason of insanity,” escapes the state hospital and assumes the identity of another man. Curiously, the man’s wife accepts him (Amanda Howell) and the hallucinatory story proceeds from there. “Asylum of Darkness” (2013) was originally called “Season of Darkness” when it was screened at a festival, but the distributor adjusted the title for its 2017 release. It was written, scored and directed by Jay Woelfel for $200,000, shot in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Despite the micro-budget, it’s artistic in its depiction of reality from the delusional mind of an insane person. The old school practical effects are mostly effective, but sometimes cartoonish and goofy. It's technically superior to Woelfel’s spare-change budgeted “Ghost Story” (2004); and the story is more compelling compared to his “Closed for the Season” (2010). Unfortunately, it’s overlong and Tiffany Shepis’ role is too small; she should’ve played the wife IMHO. However, if you like artsy indies and are patient, you’ll probably find something to appreciate. It's too puzzling for my tastes, but at least it’s different. Richard Hatch and Tim Thomerson appear in peripheral roles. It runs 1 hours, 57 minutes. GRADE: C

Media

  • Asylum of Darkness poster
  • Asylum of Darkness poster
  • Asylum of Darkness poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
escapesupernaturalmadnessescaped mental patient