Grave Encounters Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: A film crew that investigates paranormal locations discovers a rundown mental hospital is actually haunted.

Review: I really need to commend this film for accomplishing so much with a small budget, mostly just internet promotions, and a cast of unknowns in a tired genre. Once more we are dealing with a found-footage style film that is focused on a group of paranormal investigators in a similar vein to TV shows like "Ghost Hunters." There are actually quite a few humorous moments as they make light of these kind of TV shows and how they are more than likely staged. I think the thing I liked most about this film was that it took ideas and themes from other films and was effectively able to make them scarier through the handheld camera perspective. For example, all those shots of the characters walking down the long, dark corridors in the hospital puts the audience on edge about what could possibly leap forth at any moment. The special effects were also quite impressive given the low budget; you'd be surprised how some cheap CGI actually made for a scary looking ghost in this setting. There were also interesting and original scares that played with your perception about what direction the film was going in. The scares are aplenty which added more tension and made the pacing feel stronger and more thought out. Finally, the acting is decent and felt believable which enhanced the sense of realism; I will admit there were a few shoddy moments though. But despite this movie being an instance of entertaining found-footage, there are some notable detractors such as the ridiculously spoiler-laden trailer that ruins virtually every scary scene. The beginning with the producer talking about the events is similar to the "The Tunnel" in that it ruins a large chunk of the mystery to come revealing that the cast is missing. The biggest problem is probably the fact that the film loses its direction toward the end and you get that feeling that the writers weren't sure how to end the movie; I really do not like the ending because it's not scary and just felt weak. These complaints did lower the score significantly for me especially because I'm so tired of shitty endings to films in recent years. Overall, this is a solid entry that almost breathes some fresh life into a sub-genre on its last leg. The acting, effects, and story are all good and could have been phenomenal if it had the budget necessary for its more ambitious scenes. If you're a fan of these kind of films, you definitely need to give this one a view and can probably find it on youtube.

Notable Moment: When the crew finally breaks down the entrance doors only to find they lead deeper in the hospital. This was a creative scare tactic, and I like the immediate sense of dread it sends the audience.

Final Rating: 7/10