Leigh Scott may not be a household name, but the kinds of movies he makes are in a memorable class that, while some may bristle at, others can’t help but adore. Scott began his directing career in 1996 with Beach House, a coming-of-age indie film. While Scott began to develop his visual style as a director on these early films, it wasn’t until 2004 that he began working on the types of movies he would end up being best known for starting with Syndrome of the Trespasser Island — that is to say, schlock horror and science fiction movies.

These films, many produced with the independent production company The Asylum, are in the vein of “so bad they’re actually good movies”. A writer, producer, and director, Scott has directed 30 movies, and while he’s dabbled in a variety of genres, he’s always returned to the well of grindhouse-esque horror and mockbuster films based on better-known blockbuster hits. They may not be for everyone, but there’s a real love of craft even if the budget isn’t there, and even Scott’s lower-rated ones can be a blast to watch on entertainment value alone.

10

Piranha Sharks (2017)

A Sharknado Mockbuster With A Hybrid Creature

In Piranha Sharks, great white sharks are engineered to be the size of piranhas so that the wealthy can have them in their aquariums. Of course, that idea results in miniature great whites being released into the New York City water system, wreaking havoc of the highest order. Like many of these horror movies, Piranha Sharks is a mockbuster based on similar films from the era, specifically Piranha 3D and 47 Meters Down. Piranha Sharks goes down another level of meta, as it is a copy of another mockbuster: the Sharknado series.

There are some fun moments in the film. It being a bizarre Christmas movie makes for the unique angle as the piranha sharks are delivered as gifts, leading to some memorable kills. The kills in general are great. Scott uses the sharks’ diminutive size to great effect and usually finds a creative way to get a hapless victim in the water with them.

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9

Art House (1998)

Scott’s Second Stab At A Coming-Of-Age Indie Movie

The first two films Scott directed were not horror movies; they were instead indie films, clearly looking at movies like Kicking and Screaming for inspiration rather than The Hills Have Eyes and Lake Placid. Art House is the second movie Scott helmed, and it tweaks and improves on what he was going for in his debut with Beach House. Scott’s sophomore film follows Ray McMichael (Dan O’Donahue), a struggling director who asks script doctor Weston Craig (Chris Hardwick) to punch up his writing and ends up losing control of his movie as it becomes an art house flick.

It’s a fairly strong and clever story that does drag in places, but it offers an interesting look into the world of filmmaking. It’s also a bit of a meta-commentary on Scott himself. After this film, Scott stepped away from his own indie-type movies and went on to direct horror and action films. It could be assumed Ray and Weston are both parts of Scott, pulling him in opposite directions about where his career should go.

8

The Beast Of Bray Road (2005)

A Werewolf Film With Impressive Creature Design

The Beast of Bray Road is based on the Wisconsin cryptid that’s said to haunt the rural farm road it was allegedly spotted on. Though the beast has not been officially identified, Scott decided that his creature would be a werewolf and the monster is the best part of his 2005 film. With such a strange-looking creature that is part-wolf, part-human, werewolf designs can be pretty lame at their worst. The werewolf in The Beast of Bray Road is unique-looking and fits the tone of the film, so its appearance isn’t too jarring.

This is one of the rare few The Asylum movies that isn’t based on another blockbuster hoping to benefit from the larger films release. As a standalone, original idea, The Beast of Bray Road works well. It’s a fast and clean story and the design and werewolf kills are surprisingly, and frighteningly, well done.

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7

Frankenstein Reborn (2005)

A Modern Retelling Of Mary Shelley’s Story

In this version of the classic Frankenstein story, a neurosurgeon, Dr. Victor Frank (Rhett Giles), becomes obsessed with the idea of reanimated flesh and begins killing his patients in the hopes of creating a living being from their corpses. Unlike many movies from The Asylum, Frankenstein Reborn does not have much in the way of camp or nods at the audience, which effectively makes this a darker entry in their horror filmography.

Once again in a Scott film, the creature design is impressive, even if some scenes make the low-budget nature obvious. Frankenstein Reborin is equal parts frightening and pathetic, and different enough from the lumbering green creature of the story that it feels like it’s brought something fresh to the franchise. The violence is visceral and though there is a convoluted flashback plot mechanic, the story still remains compelling.

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6

The Lost Girls (2014)

An Impressively Choreographed Action Film

The Lost Girls stars a trio of female vampires who travel through time to keep other monsters and vampires in check. When the leader of the group, Gracie (Eliza Swenson), begins aging, they race to find a cure and stop a vampire revolution from happening. This is one of Scott’s most action-packed films. While he’s no stranger to violence and monstrous gore, which there is plenty of, Scott has not directed too much in the way of sword fights and the like.

The three lead characters, Gracie, Sadie (Alexandra Turshen), and Trixie (Robin Rose Singer) are all excellent physical performers. Scott proves he can stage fight choreography fairly well, and the sword, gun, and vampire battles throughout The Lost Girls keep the proceedings from feeling dull. The visual effects do not always keep up, but the action is still a joy to watch.

5

A New Lease On Christmas (2021)

Scott’s Fantastical Take On A Christmas Romance

A New Lease on Christmas owes a lot to the Hallmark Christmas movies it’s clearly using as inspiration, but there are enough unique flourishes in Scott’s film that it feels like a fresh take on the classic genre. A rare non-horror entry in his filmography, A New Lease on Christmas follows Becky (Claire Coffee), a real estate agent who falls for a coffee shop owner, Jake (George Stults), before she realizes he’s the one she’s supposed to evict.

It’s a much more dynamic issue than what some relationships face in similar movies. There is excellent chemistry between Coffee and Stults’ characters, and Scott adds a dash of supernatural with the inclusion of the real Santa, who seems to be orchestrating some of the events, making A New Lease on Christmas feel just that much more whimsical.

4

Dorothy And The Witches Of Oz (2011)

A Dark But Family Friendly, Alternate Future For Dorothy

The Wizard of Oz has spawned many adaptations and spinoffs since L. Frank Baum wrote the series in the early 1900s. One of the most unique is Scott’s Dorothy and the Witches from 2011. Besides having the distinction of two Lord of the Rings hobbits in the film, Sean Astin and Billy Boyd, Dorothy and the Witches is also an enjoyable, dark, family-friendly tale about Dorothy’s (Paulie Rojas) later years. Dorothy is a best-selling novelist who discovers her books are actually based on repressed memories of her time in Oz.

The contemporary take on the classic story breathes some life into what is at times a cheesy plot and the ensemble cast sells it well. A longer version of the film was released as a miniseries called The Witches of Oz in 2011. Scott clearly loves this story and treats it with respect, eschewing the violence his films are known for to ensure the story remains for kids, as the original 1939 film was intended.

3

Flu Bird Horror (2008)

Carnage, Blood, And Birds Make This Film A Blast

In Flu Bird Horror, a group of teenagers takes a trip to the mountains where they encounter a flock of mutant, flesh-hungry birds. When they flee to a nearby village, the birds follow and wreak havoc on the villagers. It’s as over-the-top as Scott’s movies tend to get and is filled with the cheesy dialogue and poor special effects many similar low-budget horror movies are known (and loved) for. Flu Bird Horror makes the wise decision to start the carnage early and doesn’t let up until the final moments of the movie.

Films like these can be dragged down by cramming in emotional sequences or character development moments, but Scott knows what kind of movie he is making and never strays too far from the action-packed main story. The bird effects don’t hold up in every frame, but the creature design is impressive and unsettling and works well with the plentiful gore in the film.

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2

Dracula’s Curse (2006)

An Action Packed But Complex Vampire Tale

Despite the name, Dracula’s Curse is not a mockbuster of the classic Hammer Horror Dracula movies or Bram Stoker’s story; it’s instead an acolyte of films like Van Helsing, the Blade trilogy, and the Underworld films. In Dracula’s Curse, Rufus King (Thomas Downey) and Jacob Van Helsing (Rhett Giles) are monster hunters who discover that Countess Bathory (Christina Rosenberg), a vampire, is stepping up her killing to acquire the power of Dracula and seize control of the world.

Scott’s previous outings may make viewers expect a lightning-fast, non-stop action ride, but Dracula’s Curse is much slower and requires more patience to get to the fighting, which is as impressive as ever. Allowing Scott to make an original story, The Asylum manages to mine something different out of a well-used story. With complex character interactions, Dracula’s Curse feels like one of Scott’s most well-rounded movies.

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1

Transmorphers (2007)

A Memorable Transformers Rip-Off

The Asylum made its name ripping off more successful blockbusters, adding a low-budget twist with violence, schlock, and wild storylines to make them their own. One of the most famous examples may be 2007’s Transmorphers, which came out the same month as Michael Bay’s Transformers film. Like that major blockbuster, Transmorphers features mechanical alien robots who can take the form of ordinary objects and are set on ruling humanity.

Transmorphers led to a prequel and sequel film, and the fun moments and ridiculous dialogue make up for any acting shortcomings and noticeable VFX problems. There is a joy in watching these The Asylum knock-off movies and figuring out how they relate (or mock) their source material, and Transmorphers is one of the best examples of their style, ensuring Leigh Scott always has an important place in the studio’s history.

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