The Asylum are (in)famous for their ‘mockbuster’ releases. Essentially low budget versions of Hollywood blockbusters these have such memorable names as The Terminators and Transmorphers. Recently though The Asylum appear to have been branching out more with new lines such as a string of sex comedies (including #1 Cheerleader Camp and MILF) and with 8213: Gacy House they have an original horror film, albeit a pretty derivative one.
8213: Gacy House is presented as a found footage film and The Asylum have stuck to this conceit with the packaging and everything on their website. The DVD is allegedly actual crime scene footage edited into a narrative and released by The Asylum. The DVD even states:
BE ADVISED! This is not a Hoax, nor a Reenactment. This is actual crime scene footage released by law enforcement.
None of this is obviously true, as a cursory internet search and a bit of common sense will tell you, but the dedication to this conceit is reasonably entertaining and could perhaps even fool a few viewers.
The film follows the crew of a television programme called Ghost Trackers (think Ghost Hunters or Most Haunted) which is investigating paranormal activity at John Wayne Gacy’s old home at 8213 West Summerdale in Illinois. Real life serial killer John Wayne Gacy (often referred to as the Killer Clown due to his habit of dressing up as a clown prior to his arrest) was responsible for the murder of at least 33 mostly teenage males, 26 of which he buried at this house. The exploitative nature of the subject matter is treated with a distinct lack of taste that is actually pretty appropriate to the tone of the film. There is even a scene in which the group’s psychic offers up clothing to the spirit of Gacy which she says belongs to her neighbour’s 15 year old son.
Things predictably start escalating pretty quickly. Despite comments by the crew though, about how crazy things are getting, it is not till the last few minutes that the film really ratchets up. It’s at this point that the film gets into what is clearly horror territory. Up until then there is a lot of scenes in which the characters wander around the house getting scared by odd sounds. This isn’t really the stuff of great horror but it is very much in keeping with the kind of programmes that the film is riffing on. Herein lies the crux of whether an audience will find 8213: Gacy House enjoyable.
Every week television programmes such as Ghost Hunters or Most Haunted are avidly watched by fans who often get scared by what they are seeing and believe there are genuinely ghosts being contacted (despite a lack of any empirical evidence). There are also those fans of these series who take pleasure in watching it as comedy, with scenes such as this providing amusement for not only the audience but apparently the crew as well. 8213: Gacy House taps into the success of these series as there are a few scenes in the film that have the requisite jumps and scares that are quite poorly executed but still actually slightly better than those orchestrated in the real TV shows. There are also moments that are quite funny, especially near the end.
8213: Gacy House is weak in most areas but fans of the genre of television shows that it is inspired by will certainly find entertainment to be had. Coulrophobics should probably steer clear though.
8213: Gacy House is available on Region Free DVD now.
