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The Amityville Asylum

Name: The Amityville Asylum
Director: Andrew Jones
Released: 2013
Duration: 88 min

Representation Score

4.3/10

Fair

2013

Director

Andrew Jones

Runtime

88 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The Amityville Asylum operates as a standard genre piece, prioritizing atmospheric tension and supernatural clichés over social commentary. It relies on established horror frameworks rather than intentional storytelling that reflects multiple aspects of identity. While the film features a female lead driving the plot, it lacks depth in other areas of representation. The treatment of mental health is particularly problematic, as it uses psychiatric instability primarily to generate dread. Ultimately, the film functions as a conventional thriller. It does not seek to disrupt social hierarchies or provide nuanced portrayals of underrepresented groups, sticking instead to familiar genre archetypes.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Amityville Asylum have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film does not include any visible LGBTQ+ characters or non-cisgender identities. The narrative sticks to a traditional horror structure without engaging with queer identities.

How does The Amityville Asylum portray gender?

Fair

Lisa Templeton serves as a female protagonist with investigative ability to act. However, her role as a cleaner and her vulnerability suggest a traditional depiction of gendered labor.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Amityville Asylum?

Limited

The cast's racial and ethnic composition is not specified. The film likely follows conventional genre archetypes common in low-budget supernatural horror productions.

How does The Amityville Asylum represent religion and culture?

Limited

The story centers on institutional authority and individual sanity within a mental hospital. It follows a standard survivor arc rather than offering a critique of Western institutions.

Does The Amityville Asylum include disability representation?

Fair

Mental health and neurodivergence are central to the setting. However, these conditions are framed through terror and psychotic ramblings, potentially using illness as a horror device.

Present on Screen

Features a female protagonist who drives the investigative plot.
Uses the setting of a mental institution to explore themes of institutional secrecy.

Limited or Absent

Avoid using mental illness and neurodivergence merely as tools for horror and dread.
Incorporate more diverse racial, ethnic, and LGBTQ+ identities to move beyond genre archetypes.
Develop more complex characterizations that go beyond traditional gendered labor roles.

Official Synopsis

Lisa Templeton begins a new job as a cleaner at High Hopes Hospital, a mental institution in Amityville, Long Island. Initially delighted to get the job, Lisa soon realises that all is not as it seems. Intimidated by staff and the psychotic ramblings of the patients, she is further unnerved by apparent supernatural occurrences on the night shift. To preserve her sanity Lisa must uncover the mysterious history of the institution and it's inmates. But the truth is far more terrifying than she could ever imagine.

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