Shlocky Blockbuster Ripoffs (neat article on Asylum films)

[BTM]

So, I was surfing the net and I found this rather interesting article from Wired magazine about Asylum films.  The name may not sound familiar, but if you've heard of b-movie blockbuster ripoff "gems" like Snakes on a Train, Transmorphers, The Day The Earth Stopped or Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus, well, they're the company that made them.

The article starts talking about their new movie Sherlock, which has the famous detective battling (among other things) a steam powered robot and a dinosaur. 

No, I didn't make that up.

It goes from there to discuss the secrets behind the companies success, and it's creative process (such as it is), and it's changing marketing strategies with the continuing decline of video stores.

You can check it out at http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/12/ff_the_asylum/

[feiyen]

Must..rent..pretty..box. I must say I've passed these titles many titles with the thought of "do I dare?" Strangely its working for them. I would like to think (although a small percentage) most of there films are picked out accidently like Transmorphers thinking its related to Transformers. It could happen! 

[Jack]

I'm quite a fan of the Asylum's films.  If you go over to their website, they're really a bunch of good guys who know their films are crap and have no problem making fun of them.  They're trying to sell Asylum T-shirts and they say "The only thing more useless than owning an Asylum movie is owning an Asylum Tshirt (or mug, or poster, or panties)."  On 3-D films, they say "Sure, the majors make 3D movies all the time. But how often do you see such cutting edge technology from a fourth rate B movie studio?"

Anyhow, some of their stuff is very entertaining from a bad movie perspective.  I get a kick out of them anyway    Yes, some of my favorite films bad movies of all time are by them.

[nilbog]

Yeah i read this article a few months back. It's a really good read. The Asylum's movies are entertaining in all their crappiness. Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus was great, and Snakes on a Train is good also - in a crap way of course. Their movies suck, but thats why I find I quite often like them :)

[InformationGeek]

Asylum sures make a lot of weird and crappy movies.  I'm hoping for some fun times with their version of Pirhana 3 and this Sherlock Homles movie!

[Vik]

I really need to see Mega Shark VS. Giant octopus

[metalmonster]

I Actually Think That A Lot Of The Movies THE ASYLUM Makes Are Actually Better Than The Movies They Rip Off!