After Dark Films has a large library of films from the past few years of doing the Horrorfest series. As I have said in many of my past reviews of these films, some are great, and some are not. The Graves is a film that looks promising with its veteran cast, yet fails on many levels.
On their last weekend together, sisters Megan and Abby Graves go on a trip though the remote Arizona desert. The sisters want to go on an adventure that will take them to unknown places. After eating at a small diner in the desert, the two are directed to a tourist trap known as the Skull City Mines. However, what looks like an old-fashioned desert town is, in fact, a real-life tourist trap where a small group of god-fearing people are killing off anyone who comes wandering through town. The odd thing is that they seem to be doing it for their God. Megan and Abby soon learn that there is no way out of this place. Their car has been destroyed, phones are not working and so on. Now the pair must fight for their lives, and they soon learn that their arrival there also has some purpose.
I can respect the independent filmmaking style, and the use of shots and angles, set design and production value. The filmmakers obviously know how to use a camera and put together a film. The style of filmmaking echoes the style and approach Rob Zombie uses, and as a fan of House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects, I can respect that. In some respects, one can say that this film is the bastard child of those films, done for less money, but with the same style. However, my problem with this film is with its story.
The Graves plays like a video style action piece. The film has a lot of running around with the bad people chasing the girls all over the desert and Skull City village. The purpose for all of this is then explained less in action than in words and to be honest, the story lost me. The plot has no sense of direction, and while I had my theories, I was unimpressed with the results I got from watching the film.
The DVD has many special features, such as filmmakers’ audio commentary with writer, producer, director Brian Pulido and director of photography Adam Goldfine and producer Francisca Pulido; behind-the-screams featurette on the making of the film, as well as a featurette about the films sound design. There is also a feature called Plan to Actual, a Spot the Gnome game, Audition Footage, A music video by Calabrese, Original Script, and the producers’ trailer are also featured, along with a widescreen presentation with 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio and English and Spanish subtitles.
In the end, I figured that a film with genre vets such as Bill Moseley and Tony Todd in it would make for a great little horror flick. The actors who played the Graves sisters are not only great-looking, but also do well in their parts. Yet, though all the pieces seem to fit together with the acting and production value, it is ultimately the way the story is presented that just doesn’t do it for me. The film has its high and low points, but it is just one of those films with a story that I just could not get into.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
