Of all the (many) paranormal investigation shows on TV these days, 'Ghost Adventures' is easily the most infuriating & annoying of the bunch. With its ridiculous equipment, overly "impressive" evidence, and block-headed frat boy host, who is the amateurish professional I've seen on reality TV, 'Ghost Adventures' is a show that needed a spoof. Here, 'Grave Encounters' did just that, but not in the overtly comedic way most send ups offer. It did have a decent amount of humour, especially for those who detest 'Ghost Adventures' host Zak Bagans as much as me. The film's version of Bagans, Lance Preston (Sean Rogerson), mocks him in a way that is insulting, but still leaves room for Zak to sit at home and watch the movie thinking, "Man, that is one cool dude, bro."
To get in the horror side of the film, the story takes us to an abandoned Collingwood Asylum in Maryland, which is one of the creepiest locations I've seen in horror cinema since 'Session 9,' (which this film does borrow from on occasion, especially with the stranded wheelchair in the lonely hallway. As Preston's film crew navigates their way through the hospital, faking evidence and mocking the expedition, they begin to notice something that was not accounted for: actual paranormal activity. As the night progresses, the asylum begins to transform into a nightmarish labyrinth of endless corridors and different horrors trapping them with some of their worst fears imaginable.
Had I written this review about forty-five minutes into this film, my thoughts would be in glowing praise of a job well done by a group of amateur filmmakers on their first feature. However, as the last half of the film played out, nothing but disappointment grew realizing what could have been and how sadly wickedly named Vicious Brothers (who co-wrote, co- directed, and co-edited the film) squandered the enormous potential this little film had. The main problem 'Grave Encounters' has is that it overcomplicates an idea that, on its own, is very, very creepy and has more than enough chances to be genuinely scary. It seemed that the film, which borrowed heavily from a lot of other horror movies like 'Paranormal Activity,' 'The Blair Witch Project,' and the 'House on Haunted Hill' remake (only for one scene, thankfully), decided that it didn't want the "simplistic approach," which worked so well for, say, 'Paranormal Activity.' The writers wanted something more complex, something that could work on a different level, like 'Session 9' or 'Blair Witch.' This was obviously the wrong choice because the first half of the film, which is merely a simple haunted-house story, is easily the better of the two segments. It's only when the film decides to add in extra twists and mysteries that it becomes head-shakingly unfortunate.
Another issue the film had came from its silliness. Now, the story's not silly at all. In fact, the idea of it is actually very disturbing and is very reminiscent of Mark Z. Danielewski's novel 'House of Leaves,' which is one of the scariest books in recent memory. However, the execution of some of the film's effects was just plain lame. Take, for example, one of the first times we're shown a spirit (in a very 'Blair Witch'-ish way), it's ruined by a cheesy looking demon face that looks like it was stolen from one of those "scary" online mazes. This was the case for almost every spirit, ghost, and demon in the film. They all had some kind of strange half-makeup, half-CGI look to them that just looked funny instead of scary.
Overall, 'Grave Encounters' isn't a terrible first attempt at low-budget horror. However, the botched second half from the overly complex story paths really brings the film down. And, while it may not be as bad as a lot of indie horror these days, this one will live on as just a precautionary tale of what could have been.
Final Verdict: 5/10.
-AP3-
To get in the horror side of the film, the story takes us to an abandoned Collingwood Asylum in Maryland, which is one of the creepiest locations I've seen in horror cinema since 'Session 9,' (which this film does borrow from on occasion, especially with the stranded wheelchair in the lonely hallway. As Preston's film crew navigates their way through the hospital, faking evidence and mocking the expedition, they begin to notice something that was not accounted for: actual paranormal activity. As the night progresses, the asylum begins to transform into a nightmarish labyrinth of endless corridors and different horrors trapping them with some of their worst fears imaginable.
Had I written this review about forty-five minutes into this film, my thoughts would be in glowing praise of a job well done by a group of amateur filmmakers on their first feature. However, as the last half of the film played out, nothing but disappointment grew realizing what could have been and how sadly wickedly named Vicious Brothers (who co-wrote, co- directed, and co-edited the film) squandered the enormous potential this little film had. The main problem 'Grave Encounters' has is that it overcomplicates an idea that, on its own, is very, very creepy and has more than enough chances to be genuinely scary. It seemed that the film, which borrowed heavily from a lot of other horror movies like 'Paranormal Activity,' 'The Blair Witch Project,' and the 'House on Haunted Hill' remake (only for one scene, thankfully), decided that it didn't want the "simplistic approach," which worked so well for, say, 'Paranormal Activity.' The writers wanted something more complex, something that could work on a different level, like 'Session 9' or 'Blair Witch.' This was obviously the wrong choice because the first half of the film, which is merely a simple haunted-house story, is easily the better of the two segments. It's only when the film decides to add in extra twists and mysteries that it becomes head-shakingly unfortunate.
Another issue the film had came from its silliness. Now, the story's not silly at all. In fact, the idea of it is actually very disturbing and is very reminiscent of Mark Z. Danielewski's novel 'House of Leaves,' which is one of the scariest books in recent memory. However, the execution of some of the film's effects was just plain lame. Take, for example, one of the first times we're shown a spirit (in a very 'Blair Witch'-ish way), it's ruined by a cheesy looking demon face that looks like it was stolen from one of those "scary" online mazes. This was the case for almost every spirit, ghost, and demon in the film. They all had some kind of strange half-makeup, half-CGI look to them that just looked funny instead of scary.
Overall, 'Grave Encounters' isn't a terrible first attempt at low-budget horror. However, the botched second half from the overly complex story paths really brings the film down. And, while it may not be as bad as a lot of indie horror these days, this one will live on as just a precautionary tale of what could have been.
Final Verdict: 5/10.
-AP3-