The Asylum

Lore & Background

The Asylum was founded in 1997 by David Latt, David Rimawi, and Sherri Strain. Initially a distribution company for low-budget drama films, it switched to in-house productions in the mid-2000s. Its first release was Bellyfruit in 1999. The company's first hit film was Vampires vs. Zombies in 2004, considered its first mockbuster. In 2005, it released H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds the day before Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds, after Blockbuster ordered 100,000 copies. Its greatest success came in 2013 with Sharknado, which went viral and spawned a franchise. In response, Syfy commissioned the zombie television series Z Nation, which ran for five seasons.

In Their Own Story

The rain hammers against the broken windows of the Asylum, each drop a drumbeat on the tin roof. Max moves through the corridors, his footsteps echoing in the silence. The air is thick with the smell of rust and decay, and every shadow seems to move with a life of its own. He hears whispers—his wife's voice, his daughter's laughter—but they are only memories, twisted by the Valkyr in his blood. He finds a room filled with old patient files, scattered across the floor like fallen leaves. One file is open, its pages yellowed with age. It contains a single photograph: a family, happy, whole. Max knows that face. It is his own, before the bullet. He closes the file and moves on, the weight of his mission pressing down on him like the building itself. A door creaks open ahead, and a figure emerges from the darkness. It is a man in a white coat, his face a mask of madness. 'You shouldn't be here,' the man says, his voice a hollow echo. Max raises his gun, but the figure dissolves into smoke, leaving only the sound of distant laughter. The Asylum is not just a place—it is a state of mind, and Max is trapped inside it.

Reader's Guide

The Asylum produces as many low-budget films as quickly as possible, spending around four to six months per film. Films usually have a budget of $250,000 to $500,000 and earn $150,000 to $250,000 in profit. The company says it has never lost money on a film. It is not affiliated with any industry guilds other than SAG-AFTRA, and employees sometimes work up to 22 hours a day.

Did You Know?

• The Asylum's first release was the comedy drama Bellyfruit in 1999.
• The Asylum's first mockbuster was Vampires vs. Zombies in 2004.
• Sharknado, released in 2013, is the Asylum's biggest success and went viral with over 387,000 mentions on social media.
• The Asylum partnered with Syfy to produce the zombie series Z Nation, which ran for five seasons.