The Asylum: Your Home for Mockbusters and SyFy Original Movies

Alright, this thread was probably inevitable, so I figure I'd be the one to start it. I'm surprised this forum has gone for so long without mentioning The Asylum.

The Asylum is a studio in Burbank, California that specializes in low-budget films, particularly cheap rip-offs of currently popular films (commonly known as "mockbusters", or as The Asylum calls them, "tie-ins") and those ridiculous SyFy Channel original movies featuring giant monsters (The most popular and famous of these films are the Sharknado flicks). They also produce a SyFy Channel original show that is essentially a mockbuster of The Walking Dead titled Z Nation.

Despite their poor reputation and generally low quality of their films, The Asylum has never lost money on a film and generally turn a sizeable profit. This is partly because of the super-low budgets combined with clever marketing strategies, as The Asylum is very much self-aware of their reputation and the quality of their movies.

More information can be found here....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Asylum

Personally, I enjoy these movies for the sheer stupidity factor. Sharknado and its sequels are hilarious, and I kind of enjoyed Mercenaries, Alien vs. Hunter, Clash of Empires, and American Warships unironically. Then there's the various borderline softcore fanservice comedy flicks made by The Asylum like Sex Pot and The 18 Year Old Virgin, which make for good snark material.

So, anyone else have any comments on The Asylum and their unique body of work?

 

Fun fact, we were actually watching a few Asylum movies in the KFMN the night when we learned the Farms was being V-Bombed.

In fact, I think we were watching Sinister Squad, which was Asylum's answer for Suicide Squad. It was decidedly low-rent fare, but it was actually a lot more fun than Suicide Squad ever was, so props to Asylum for managing to not trip over that low bar.

 

Yeah, Suicide Squad is pretty bad. I'll check out Sinister Squad though. Sounds like it'd be a fun romp!

 

From what I understand, you may need to watch "Avengers Grimm" first, which apparently works as the first first in that universe, because of course Asylum needs to have a cinematic universe as well.

 

I'll check it out.

 

The only Asylum film I could stand to sit and watch all the way through was Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, but that was admittedly forgettable outside of the "HOLY SHIT! *Mega Shark noms plane*" scene. Though I kinda wish that became a franchise instead of Sharknado, which is now my family's Thanksgiving tradition at this point. And with Sharknado 5 on the way...

 

I have the strong feeling those movies would feel more "so bad it's horrible" rather than "so bad it's good" if I tried to watch them... then again, I am not lucky with the usual "so bad it's good" movies that often just feel "bad" to me.

 

Honestly think they're not worth watching to be honest since intentionally writing shit removes much of the hilarity of a cheaply made piece of shit. It's often funnier to not be aware of the abortion and affront to God that you're making than if you know people think you make so bad it's funny films. Case in point:

This man's movies were made all the worst in terms of watcheability due to him becoming aware of how hilariously bad he is at making and starring in films.

 

When someone tries to make do a good movie but fails, you at least feel sympathy because you can feel the effort, even if it was clumsy.

When someone tries to be ironic and cool and tries to do an ironically bad movie... it has a strong possibility of feeling more jerkish.

This is even worse if the movie is not even enjoyable as a whole. And then the authors will use its "ironic badness" as an excuse for that. (*cough* Kickassia *cough*)

Oh, and it's kinda well described by "I Hate Everything" in this video:

 

I may or may not be very well acquainted with some of the gang at Asylum. I may or may not have been there this week, actually. (They also just recently moved from Burbank). '"nado 5: Europe"is shooting even as we speak. Say what you will about them, but they kept my friend on payroll during an emergency health crisis. He was in a coma for nine days. He had no insurance. Asylum, yup, THAT Asylum, instantly converted his freelance status to a staff position, paid him the entire time he was out in treatment and put him on their health plan. They just did it, no argument, he was in a coma. He was told he was in full remission in December. Thanks to Asylum and some amazing health care. I have a great time with Asylum's shows, trust me, they know they're stupid and they have a ball over there. I watch them whenever I can't sleep or I'm super sick. They make me giggle and I love my friend very much, and honestly, every once in a while they have a couple of good bits. They rush crap out the gate to beat the big budget film they ripped off on purpose, of course, but every once in a while they actually get the ending dead right totally by accident. Plus I have a badass pair of Sharknado sunglasses. Oh and get ready for "Five Headed Shark" coming soon! They are delighted by the way that they have a thread here.

 

One of the things I always liked about The Asylum is that they are very self-aware and have a good sense of humor about themselves.

 

I actually have a huge soft spot for Asylum films and Syfy. Majority of them are absolutely horrible, but there's something charming and still entertaining about them - likely do to Asylum's self-awareness. There's a small handful of their mockbusters that are actually passable for an entertaining movie night and a few of their originals too, if you're not looking for gigantic blockbuster realness. If I remember right, Battle of Los Angeles wasn't too bad.

 

I assure you they do. They roll their eyes and say "ooooKAY!" And make a lightningnado with boulder sharks flying around in it. They surf a pirate ship down the Vegas strip with a perfectly straight face. They put snakes on a train, they just don't care And like you said, they make money. Regardless of the amazing thing they did for my friend, I will always have a soft spot for Asylum. And yes they occasionally do a legit job that you don't even know about because it looks good. "Avenger Grimm" is actually clever. But I'd pick up a chain saw and join the Shepherds any day!

 

I'll have to check out Avenger Grimm, that one looks fun.

 

I have never seen an Asylum movie, maybe someone could recommend some?

 

Personally, I've never hated Asylum movies, but I've never watched one all the way through except for the Transmorphers movie they made. I only watch the more hilarious scenes that are recommended to me by friends and people on forums. Personally, they always felt a bit like Wesley Willis. He knew that his music wasn't very good, but he also was completely aware of why people enjoyed his music, and he had a great time playing his music for people even though it wasn't very good. More importantly, Wesley and Asylum actually achieved a level of fame and success that many 'serious' musicians and filmmakers will never achieve, which has to count for something.

On that subject, after I wrote a story called Streetcleaners, I was told that it was too angsty to be enjoyed by anyone. When I received that little bit of criticism I had completed the first two chapters of another story that I was working on, which you guys will know as Bluebird. I ended up watching Transmorphers all the way through and deciding to add a little WTF-comedy to the story after taking inspiration from the Asylum film. This is why Bluebird has things like a chapter near the end where Lucinda has sex with her adopted mother (the titular bluebird) and kills her when they have sex. It's also why I edited the two chapters after I had wrote them to feature the bluebird who can only say "Manko," and why I inserted the lesbian scenes in the book.

Side-note, the reason why Chris seemed a little more animated while reading the third chapter is kind of funny. Basically, the only reason why he read Bluebird was because he was told that there were scenes where "Pretty lesbians" kiss each other. I believe that he was actually planning to stop reading after the second chapter, but he continued because he was told that the third chapter would have a scene with lesbians. I wonder if he would watch Transmorphers because of the same logic. It has lesbians, therefore he would watch it and like it.

The most depressing thing about this story is that this story which I wrote primarily as a joke after the more serious Streetcleaners, ended up being read completely by accident by Chris. Which ended up making it my most popular work. Basically, something that I made as a joke became more popular than anything I made with a serious mindset. Which, honestly made me empathize with Asylum, who made careers out of making joke movies while more serious filmmakers struggle to find work and make audiences care about their work. For me, in order to make my work matter to people I connected it to Chris by having him read it, for Asylum they manage to get people to care about their work by making silly shark movies and cheap rip-offs of popular films.

Man, that got really ranty and powerlevelly. I blame it on tiredness.

 

"Avengers Grimm" is their "Once Upon a Time" ripoff and is actually badass. For sheer What's the deal with Asylum? I recommend "Sharknado", it is spectacularly bad, just give yourself permission to watch it and when you get to the point in your head where "this CANT get stupider". It does. And then it does some more. Just enjoy it. I have BEGGED to be some random 'Nado victim, I hope it happens.

I loved what you wrote here. And had no idea that was you. I knew EXACTLY what "Mahn-coo" meant the second I heard it and I laughed my ass off! And good for you! 'asylum' it up any time you want, they do, I assure you. It's pretty much "oooooo here's the title, you guys go figure out what happens." Spielberg used to do the same thing in meetings, it went like this ... "uhhhhhh Steven, HOW do we get a house sucked into a weird Indian burial ground void?" Pause .... "Well, ILM will do that part." I am not kidding you, that was a word for word meeting. I promise you, Hollywood does not give a single damn who you are, turn in a picture that makes more money than it cost to make and promote it and you are A-Ok! (I will admit that I didn't sit through your story all the way through, it wasn't the material, it was the "talent", but I did hit some of the highlights, and yeah, believe it or not Asylum is very happy to show inter-racial and same-sex relationships as not a big deal at all, just as it should be.). I'd get you guys all a shirt but they don't have any. Sadly, I will divulge that Asylum does fail at gift shop. Lucasfilm has a great one!

 

I couldn't say I've ever seen an Asylum movie. When I was in high school (because I had shitty internet) me and my friend would talk on the phone all night long and watch tv together. Sci fy original movies were always a highlight. Shit, there was one circa 2007 or 2008 I don't remember the name of but it was an alternate history with wolfenstein-like cyber-nazis and it had the worst CGI I had ever seen. Can't even find it on wikipedia

Edit: S.S. Doomtrooper. (2006).
As WWII is winding down, the Nazi's have developed the uber weapon, a super soldier, a blueish pink version of the Incredible Hulk. A team of Allied soldiers, including a snooty Frenchman, "Brooklyn" (with the heaviest of fake accents) among others is sent behind enemy lines to destroy this secret Nazi weapon. Written by Cobram
just reading this gives me cancer

 

I used to do the same thing because Mama Cats is old and there was no internet. "Twilight Zone" Marathons on LA's ch 5 saved us (now famous as 'Kit-la' on MST3K). Asylum is the modern day answer to every bad D-picture about people eating trees and shit that was rushed out for drive ins and 'your kid spends all of Saturday at the shitty kid triple feature' (which was a thing even when I was wee and you just dropped them off because it was totally safe and you went to the country club and drank four old fashioneds before you went to go get them). I just think of Asylum as carrying on a proud tradition, the fact that they can legit say "they ripped off OUR ending!" From time to time is just bonus overtime. Theres actually sort of a need for Asylum and that's one of the reasons I love them.

 

Probably the only thing Asylum ever put out that bored me were the Sharknado sequels. They just sucked out all of the fun of the first movie by overkilling the joke