Part thriller of containment, part horror movie, Asylum Blackout is a skillfully cobbled together little calling card of a film, suffused with a certain woozy dread. If in the end it’s a bit short on convincing payoff, its atmospheric spell should generally satisfy genre fans and also augur good things for all those involved.
Formerly known as The Incident, but re-titled in more forthright fashion, director Alexandrer Courtes’ movie centers on a group of friends and aspirant musicians who, between small gigs, work as kitchen cooks in a high security mental asylum in Washington State. When a big storm fries the wiring for the security system one dark and rainy evening, however, things take a turn for the worse.
Director Brad Anderson cut his teeth on stuff like this, moody sleights of hand in which small character ensembles grapple with unraveling sanity in grave and otherwise diminishing situations. Sound design and style matter enormously in such cinematic undertakings. So Asylum Blackout helmer Alexandre Courtes and cinematographer Laurent Tangy imprint a strong and frequently compelling visual scheme on the proceedings; in this respect, their film recalls Pontypool, another low-budget thriller that made unnervingly excellent use of its dingy, confined setting.
The movie’s big twist or revelation doesn’t completely come together in a coherent fashion. That said, its strong performances, effective production design and value, and technical polish make Asylum Blackout a moody treat for genre fans inclined to take a flyer on a movie with lesser known talent. For the full, original review, from ShockYa, click here. NOTE: In addition to its theatrical engagements, Asylum Blackout is available nationwide on IFC Midnight Cable VOD, and a wide variety of other digital outlets, including iTunes, SundanceNOW, Xbox Zune and Amazon Streaming. (IFC Midnight, unrated, 85 minute)
This movie Asylum Blackout had a good scare factor for me. Who was going to survive. The utter terror of the pursued was well portrayed.