Watch The Asylum Tapes

The Asylum Tapes is a 2012 American supernatural horror film directed by Sean Stone, who is also one of the movie's stars. The movie tells the story of a young psychology student named Samantha (Ella Lentini), who gets permission to conduct research in an abandoned mental institution. She enlists the help of her friends, Mark (Alexander Wraith) and Max (Sean Stone), and together, they venture into the asylum in search of paranormal activity.

This found footage movie perfectly captures the suspense, tension, and horror of exploring an abandoned asylum. The movie uses the visual style typically associated with found footage films, with most of the action being filmed through a camera these characters carry around with them. The low-budget nature of the film magnifies the sense of claustrophobia that builds as the movie progresses. The shaky camera movements, jerky movements, and off-kilter angles make it difficult to discern what is real and what is imagined.

From the start of the movie, Samantha, the lead character, seems obsessed with seeking out the paranormal activity rumored to be present in the asylum. Her fierce desire to prove the existence of the supernatural seems to drive her to do things usual people would not. The characters' grip on reality becomes more tenuous as the film progresses, leaving the audience to question whether what they are seeing is genuine or imagined.

The movie also does an excellent job of creating an eerie tone that heightens the feeling that what is happening is not normal. From glimpses of ghostly faces to strange noises and bumps in the night, the movie weaves an atmosphere of dread. The sound design plays a big part in this, with the ever-present hum of the building's AC providing a constant reminder that the asylum once teemed with people, and now it is eerily empty.

The characters are well-thought-out, and their performances lend credibility to the movie. Samantha, in particular, is a believably troubled and curious character, who becomes more frenzied as the movie progresses. While the characters' actions may seem irrational in some scenes, the sense of urgency they drive home makes their behavior believable.

The Asylum Tapes is a movie that uses a well-worn genre to great effect. The found footage format allows the film to showcase the mistrust between the characters, the isolation and paranoia of being trapped, and the feeling that the characters cannot trust their senses that is critical to horror films. The movie uses subtle visual and auditory clues to drive home the idea that the asylum is a haunted and dangerous place.

For lovers of horror films that use psychological tension, The Asylum Tapes is essential viewing. Although the found footage genre has been overused, the movie does enough new and interesting things to make it stand out among its peers. Moreover, it manages to create a genuinely creepy atmosphere that is typical of horror anime without overdosing on special effects or gore.

Overall, The Asylum Tapes is a solid indie horror movie that is all the more impressive for its low budget. It's not perfect, and it doesn't reinvent the horror movie genre, but it's an enjoyable, well-executed film that horror fans will fourish. With its combination of found footage, creepy atmosphere, and psychological tension, the movie stands out as one of the better horror films in recent years.