For this review, I've decided to do one set post for both movies. I figured that way was easier instead of knocking out 2 seperate posts for the same film essentially and didnt really feel like repeating myself, lol. Today's post will be about Grave Encounters and it's sequel, which revolves around a group of paranormal investigators doing an investigation in an old mental hospital, which for the cast, doesnt bold too well...let's begin
Ahh yes, more found footage horror for you to shake a stick at. This film takes inspiration from shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, but with the added addition that you actually SEE and HEAR what the cast comes across. Some of it can go really slow, like the television shows I have mentioned, but when the paranormal activity picks up, it REALLY picks up. You get a feel for the cast as their lives actually become in danger as one by one they all start to lose their minds.
For an indie horror film, the spirts are pretty well done. Demons such as the Bathtub Demon, and the Toothless Demon look pretty damn terrifying when you see their forms, especially the demon girl in the picture above. When i first saw the image of that character and then saw it in the trailer, I got spooked as I'm not a big fan of people or whatever else that can distort their faces to look terrifying. I guess that's what makes these movies that much more special as the effects arent over the top but they still work in the long run.
The story overall is well done I thought. Lance Preston as the host of the show is clearly the main star of the movie. His character can get you to feel like you're actually watching a ghost show even though it's revealed almost midway through the movie that all of the cast are actors and they arent really paranormal investigators. It was a nice touch that showed "oh hey, we REALLY dont know what we're getting into" when they start to experience all the paranormal occurences. Overall I give this film a 5 out of 5. The acting was terrific and the special effects were great.
Moving onto the 2nd film in the series, this one focuses on a bunch of film students that are shooting their own horror movie, but the director decides he wants to revisit the location of the Grave Encounters film. This is nearly identical to the first, as it's also in found footage and the cast are also trying to portray paranormal investigators. This one shows what caused the patients to lose their minds and the doctor that performed all kinds of twisted operations on them (If you've watched A House on Haunted Hill, the doctor scenes are kinda like that).
The demons, again, are top notch, though they arent as truly terrifying as the ones from the first film. I dont know what it is, but constantly seeing them all with gaping mouths and all black eyes eventually does away with the terror, but it still works if you prefer jump scares. Seeing the director in this film slowly but surely lose his mind, like Lance in the first, is a nice touch. Eventually we run into Lance again and he essentially takes over the rest of the movie...still insane i might add. Overall, the house wants the first film completed so i guess the demons can show that everything is "real".
I'd give this film a 3 out of 5 simply because it's not exactly as great as the first one. The cast is decent but they dont really show the fear that the first cast did because they think it's just a harmless movie when in fact, it turns out to be the complete opposite. The head honcho at the movie studio tries to play it off like everything you see is real, and from a viewer's point of view, I almost wish it was, heh. I recently read that there's a 3rd one in development and I assume it's going to start at the very beginning, when the hauntings first happened, and I, for one, am very excited for that.