It's not very often that a film will put my wife on edge and scare her enough to watch it from behind a blanket. She was completely unphased by the recent Nightmare on Elm Street remake that we watched the other night but then again who was? Blair Witch Project and both Paranormal Activity movies have managed it in the past so I slipped this promo disc into the dvd player with abit of a grin on my face, knowing that Grave Encounters would scare her to death!
The plot is suitably simple. A group of so-called paranormal investigators, led by ghost sceptic Lance Preston are filming a reality tv show called 'Grave Encounters'. Five episodes into the series and they have yet to unearth anything of interest. The latest episode is to be set at the Collingwood Mental Hospital which was built in the late 1800's. It was famous for experimental treatments and has been an epicentre for unexplained phenomina since it was closed in the mid-sixties. As with previous installments of the show the crew are to spend a night on 'lock-down' inside the building recording any suspicious activity but before you can say 'Who you gonna call' the team are running for their lives from less than benevolent spirits and levitating furniture.So far and everything sounds alot like 'Most Haunted' right? Well thats exactly what Grave Encounters is. The film is shot entirely from first-person perspective using the 'surviving' footage from the crews cameras. If you've seen Blair Witch, Cloverfield, and the Paranormal's and you will be in over familiar territory. It's nothing you haven't seen before and if you don't like shakey camera work then this film will do nothing to persuade you any different. That being said Encounters is very good at creating a menacing atmosphere and there are plenty of scares. Alot more happens in this movie!
I really enjoyed Grave Encounters and would take this movie over a bunch of the usual tripe that passes off as horror these days. The visual effects are minimal but of a good standard considering the low budget and the cast are pretty good at playing hopeless individuals. Its a pretty sombre affair to say the least and the only laugh I can think of was from a straight-faced and frankly brilliant grounds keeper. Its unlikely that I will want to see the film again for a long time but any movie that gets my wife wanting a comfort cuddle can only be a good thing! 7/10 Recommended!
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