Dwight Stroud (Nick Baldasare) is a dangerous psychiatric prisoner who breaks out of the asylum and assumes another man's life, but he's tortured and haunted by crazy visions that may or may not be delusions.
Writer/director Jay Woelfel has never gotten the budget or recognition of Croenenberg or Lynch, but like those filmmakers, he's got a unique style all his own. Most of his films are slowly paced, hallucinogenic, psychological mindforks with very low budgets, some amateur Ohio actors, and a Lovecraftian creature. If you're down with that, Asylum of Darkness is an enjoyable ride, but if you want a more "Hollywood" movie, look elsewhere for your entertainment.
Up front, I gotta say, the film's title and poster are misleading. Only a tiny fraction of the film takes place in an asylum, and the poster makes it look like some fast-paced monster movie. That's bad marketing, hence the low IMDb rating from folks who expected something very different.
The story and tone zigzag in a way that's engaging if you can roll with it. Every time it seems like the plot's settling into normality, something really weird happens -- but it feels a little long and could stand to be tightened by 15 minutes. The practical FX are generally very good, and the ones that aren't are serviceable.
Nick Baldasare has grown as an actor since "Beyond Dream's Door" and "Heartland of Darkness" (both shot in 1989), and he does a fine job in the lead. Amanda Howell is genuinely charming as his love interest, Richard Hatch camps it up as a crazed doctor, Tim Thomerson is Tim Thomerson, and likewise, you get what you'd expect from Tiffany Shepis.
All in all, I enjoyed it and don't feel like it was a waste of 2 hours, but I knew what I was getting into with this director.
