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The folks like me that couldn’t go to the
film festival of the “8 Films to Die For” are finally being able to
watch what many horror fans were talking about. And that is why reviews
for the film festival’s library are popping up all over websites and
magazines. People are genuinely curious to see what the big deal was. If
there was even a big deal to begin with, mind you. If the rest of the
films are as great as “The Gravedancers” is, I’m psyched, I have to tell
you. One of the appealing aspects of this horror entry is that the
characters are as smart as the genre would allow. They go out the front
door instead of upstairs, install security devices once mysterious
break-ins begin, call police at the drop of a dime, and in one scene as
our character Allison looks down at a bleeding body, she instantly calls
for a doctor. I was surprised. I enjoyed “The Gravedancers,” I have to
say. It’s hard to find great ghost movies these days, especially ones
like these.
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Sure, there are old factory movie devices,
but hell, there are sight effects that are horrifying, and
most of the sequences are dripping with pure terror. I even
felt my heart racing at one moment. I’m not exaggerating,
and I’m not fibbing to hype this up. I was soaked in “The
Gravedancers,” and I was entertained from the frantic
beginning to horrifying end. Mendez is able to grab us with
the hook opening and then immediately segues into a story
about three friends mourning the death of their best friend. |
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A night of mourning and digging up skeletons
from closets leads to a party in the cemetery. After reading an odd
inscription, the threesome party and get drunk waking up the next
morning hung over. But as the nights wear on, they each
discover a mysterious force is stalking them. Mendez is able to create a
satisfactory ghost story that uses sounds and shadows to properly bring
us into a state of pure imminent danger, then bringing the story into a
much more realized perspective as two ghost hunters help the group
identify what exactly is haunting them. And then the screaming starts.
Mendez’ wonderful direction is perfectly paired with some solid
performances that help each character develop their own traits that make
them unlikable and sympathetic at the same time. And as the tension is
increased minute after minute, the tension is amped with pure nihilistic
moments. “The Gravedancers” morphs constantly from one story to another,
and it’s a fitting product of pure talent.
One thing about “The Gravedancers,” is that
it’s a ghost film without much of a story to it. Sure, there’s the
general set-up, but beyond that, there’s little to nothing about it
besides watching people being scared shitless. Characters walk into a
house, there’s a bump, thump, and a creak, and we move onto to even more
ghostly mayhem. Only in the second half does the movie finally pick up
with plot progression, but we have to wait a good while for it.
Meanwhile, Dominic Purcell is expected to drag most of the movie on,
with a performance that’s awfully wooden. Aside from failing to convince
me he was generally frightened about a demonic entity stalking him, he
never really seemed tense, disturbed, or destroyed by the whole notion
of a demon trying to seal his fate. When he’s supposed to be angry or
tense, he just seems bored, and he really didn’t keep up with his
responsibility as a principal character.
Its rare modern horror movies have me
looking behind my back while watching. I have to give it to Mendez, “The
Gravedancers” is a scary, well directed, and frantic gem, even with its
flaws.
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