Grave Encounters

Grave Encounters (2011)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: The Vicious Brothers (not to ruin the illusion or anything, but those two aren't even brothers, let alone have the surname Vicious)

Starring: Sean Rogerson, Ashleigh Gryzko, Merwin Mondesir, Juan Riedinger, Mackenzie Gray

From: Digital Interface Productions/Twin Engine Films

Tonight, I decided to finally go back to watching stuff on Netflix Instant; after all I have the service for less than 2 weeks until my month is up and I won't renew it and who knows when I'll next get it for another month. As it's been awhile since I've seen a horror film, I picked out one I've heard about pretty much ever since it was released. Most seemed to enjoy it. There's a sequel, and I plan on watching that later and reviewing it tomorrow, but I wanted to get up a review before midnight so that's why I'm taking a break between the two films.

Yeah, this is another found footage type movie; to steal the plot description from the IMDb... “Lance Preston and the crew of "Grave Encounters", a ghost-hunting reality television show, are shooting an episode inside the abandoned Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital, where unexplained phenomena have been reported for years. All in the name of good television, they voluntarily lock themselves inside the building for the night and begin a paranormal investigation, capturing everything on camera. They quickly realize that the building is more than just haunted - it is alive - and it has no intention of ever letting them leave...”

While I do think that the movie drags at times and I wonder if maybe if it should have been a little shorter, for a found footage horror movie and its tropes and the sort of things you come to expect from it, I thought it was pretty entertaining. At first, you see the 5 who are involved with the production of that TV show, and it's a standard ghost-hunting reality TV show, meaning that things are staged and the hosts are douches. I have only seen a small amount of those programs as I detest “reality” television with a passion, but you probably know what I'm talking about. They aren't so loathsome you can't stand them but you enjoy laughing at how douchy they are so you are amused when things go bad after they get locked in.

The movie is more thrilling than scary, although you may be startled a few times and there are some gross moments. I was entertained and I wasn't bored or insulted, which has happened in the past with certain movies of this style. I will note that once they get into the building at night things get real odd, as if time is warped and they're in an alternate dimension... or something like that. It's just speculation and it's a good thing that wasn't explained, you know.

Overall, like I said I was entertained by it. It isn't the best found footage horror movie but it still is fun to watch and it does have effective moments for sure. I will be back tomorrow afternoon as I talk about its sequel, which I've heard is rather odd.