Exeter ( The Asylum )

Let´s go back into the year 2003. This was the year where Limp Bizkit released their 4th studio album Results May Vary. This was also the year Metallica returned with a new album, after many years, called St. Anger. This was also the year we got to experience the film Matchstick Men, where Nicolas Cage did a surprisingly good performance as con artist Roy Waller. Of course we had more great films released this year, but one film that actually surprised me alot, was the new remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. When i heard about it online, i was not sure if this was a good idea. But director Marcus Nispel proved himself, to be the right man for the job. Very brutal, very gory, and actually some good performances. Critics praised the remake, as well as fans of the original film. And i still enjoy it very much, even today. Marcus moved on to direct more films, including 2 remakes more. First one of these remakes was Friday The 13th. I did not enjoy this remake, and there are several reasons why, but let´s move on. In 2011, Marcus released his remake of Conan The Barbarian. It became a box office bomb and was seen as an awful remake. I would say that Jason Momoa, as Conan, did a descent job. The problem was that the film was quite messy. Nice to see Ron Perlman though as Conan´s father, at least he gave the film some fun moments. After the terrible box office numbers, Marcus took a break, and you really did not hear much from his future projects. Until i saw that his latest film Exeter ( The Asylum ) got a dvd release. I did not pick it up at the release, but eventually got a chance to see it. Is this another great horror release from Marcus Nispel since his Texas Chainsaw remake, or is this even worse than his Friday The 13th remake ?

Father Conway ( Stephen Lang ) is in charge of volunteer work, restoring an abandoned asylum, that used to lock up mentally insane people. Patrick ( Kelly Blatz ) is one of the volunteer workers, who have agreed to help fix up this building. Father Conway is disappointed that Patrick have not applied for college, but he still have hope for him. When Patrick´s friends discover where he works, they begin to plan a party at the asylum. Patrick is not happy about the idea, but agree to let them arrange the event. Amber ( Gage Golightly ) suggest that they should levitate Patrick´s younger brother Rory ( Michael Ormsby ). As they do the ritual, at first nothing seems wrong. Until Rory seems to be possessed. This is just the beginning of a nightmare, that never seems to end.

Since there are so many horror films released every year, i only pick out a certain amount of films to watch. Sometimes, you can get a sense if some films looks really bad, but then again, you could also be wrong. I usually try and look for something original, or classic influenced films, that might have something to offer. So when i found out that director Marcus Nispel have released a horror film called Exeter ( or The Asylum as the title is in the UK ), i thought i might as well check it out. The plot is very basic, young teenagers party in an abandoned mental intitution, and everything goes straight to hell. From here, we get demon possessed people, gory scenes and hysterical people, trying to handle the situation. The plot is not very interesting, but in a film like this, you really care more about the gore, and the demonic bodies. The cast is not completely awful, some of the characters fit into the enviroment. So what is the bad side of this film? Since it is very basic, and we have seen this before, you don´t really get any surprises. When Marcus Nispel directed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, he did manage to throw in a few unexpected twists. In Exeter, he makes things much more easy, and go with the traditional style. if you have at least some surprises, the film might become more interesting. Apart from this, i would say that Exeter is that tries to blend classic horror elements. You can laugh at the special effects, and just enjoy some of the gore scenes. Nice to see legendary actor Stephen Lang as Father Conway, the priest who tries to help teenagers work for a good cause. He is the most interesting personality in this film, and manage to make a pretty solid performance. Is there anything fresh about Exeter ? Not at all.  But that´s ok, this is more of a drunk horror film, that fits when you are having a party. Are you tired of british costume films and just want some flesh wounds and demons ? Then you might give this film a try, besides, if you plan to have a party, nothing works better than demon possessed people going nuts.

Rating: DDD