Grave Encounters (2011)

As we move into the second week of October, the spookiest month of the year, we also move on to the second entry in out horror-themed reviews; Grave Encounters. Will this film turn out to be a macabre masterpiece, or will it just be horrifyingly horrendous in all of the wrong ways. Well, there is only one way to find out!

Beware! For there may be (minor) spoilers beyond this point!

Well, first things first, Grave Encounters is another of the found footage horror films, the type that became a favourite amongst independent film-makers in the wake of The Blair Witch Project, because of how cheap they can be to produce. Although, major studios can, and have, cash in on this type of narrative framing in the past. Grave Encounters falls into the former category, being produced by a small group, on a relatively small budget.

The story follows the production crew of a reality television programme called Grave Encounters, which explore locations that are rumoured to be haunted. Then one night they go to explore an abandoned asylum, where a morally dubious doctor was murdered by some of his patients years ago. The resulting events may be more than just a few scary stories, and they may have bitten off more than they can chew.

The basic premise doesn't really give us anything new; the idea of having to spend the night in malevolent surroundings goes back to at least The Old Dark House from 1932. The use of asylums as a setting isn't exactly original either, and has been used in plenty of horror stories before. Even a cliché-ridden film can still be entertaining if the clichés are executed well. So, does Grave Encounters manage to make them entertaining? Well, sort of.

Whilst none of the actors particular stands out, all of the performances are very solid, and competent; even the bit parts. In fact, it may be because they are all so competent that none stand out above the others. You do get something of a decent feel for each of the characters, whether it be for Lance's cynical showmanship, or Sasha's ability to somehow be both jaded and earnest. On top of that, the actors are able to convey a sense of fear well, creating the impression that these people really are afraid for their lives. This helps with getting the audience to feel a sense of empathy for the people on screen, and builds dread from seeing them in danger.

The actor's performance is helped along by competently written dialogue. Everything sounds naturally when it needs to, and melodramatic when it needs to, such as when the characters are playing to the camera.

You may have notice I called the performances and dialogue “competent”, that is because it is good, but not great. Whilst it is all solid, it never really stands out, and none of it is particularly memorable. However, for the duration of the film it is suitable to keep the audience engaged, and never detracts from the experience.

Naturally, the film relies entirely of diegetic sound, that is, sound that is supposed to be originating from within the scene currently on the screen. The us not any real musical soundtrack at all, and thus no scare chords or creepy tunes in us as a crutch to prop up the scares. Although are sometimes sounds used to indicate ghostly activity, they are still ostensibly supposed to be coming from within the scene itself. It really works itself to try and get inside the heads of the audience.

Naturally, with this being a low budget production, there isn't much in the way of special effects, so we never actually see much of the ghosts. Despite this, Grave Encounters still manages to provide a good sense of tension in its build-up, with some good use of low key moments to indicate that something is amiss. Even the big scares manage to be subtle without being ambiguous, there is no doubt that something is actually in there with the main characters.

Personally, I find this to be a more effective use of horror than the big budget productions that show off every gory detail of their monsters. This is because most of the time, the monster on screen rarely ever matches what the imagination can conjure up. Not to mention that the threat that can't be seen is always scary than the threat that can be seen. So yes, I did enjoy these moments of “subtle” horror.

The pacing of the film is also well done, as it starts slow and builds up over the first thirty minutes, and after the horror starts it never really stops. There are some lulls in the action for the audience to catch their breath, but they never really become boring. Even the first thirty minutes, which is mostly build up with nothing spooky going on, can be considered entertaining, as they help bring the audience into the scene.

Visually, the film manages to remain interesting, by actually framing the scenes, rather than relying on creating a seemingly random, and erratic effect to try an create a sense of authenticity. The important action is very clean, and the audience can clearly define just what is supposed to be happening.

That said, there are some sections where things are blurry when the action ramps up, and the characters are running with the camera. During these moments the film falls prey to the usual drawbacks that plague shaky cam techniques, even in regular Hollywood productions. It becomes difficult to see what is happening, and can become disorienting for the audience.

Overall, Grave Encounters is a very solid horror movie. Whilst it never really brings anything fresh to the table, it executes some old concepts well. It embraces its style, and plays to its strengths, never trying to do anything outside the scope of its abilities; even if it might play it a little too safe at times. As such, whilst it will never be one of the horror greats, it's still a solid film, and a good experience for horror fans.

Until next time,

PhoenixAct.