Review of Grave Encounters 2 (2012) by Carl M — 10 Mar 2013

Alex and his fellow film school friends receive a mysterious video link that suggests the frightening images from the GRAVE ENCOUNTERS film may have been for real. The group gathers their cameras and heads out to the old insane asylum where the film was originally shot to investigate, only to fall victim to the same insatiable spirits! GRAVE ENCOUNTERS 2 shares all of the first film's weaknesses without finding any of its strengths. At first, it seems like the makers may be parodying the "found-footage" genre just as they had done with the popular ghost hunting TV shows from before. By the end of the the first act, however, we come to the frightening realization that the atrocious acting, idiotic characters, and recycled plot points are all being taken seriously. The story borrows generously from Dave Parker's THE HILLS RUN RED with a touch of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY as John Poliquin and the Vicious Brothers prove to us that they have nothing new to bring to the table in this second installment. The same cheap effects and obnoxious scare tactics are employed once more, but what is the point of using the "found-footage" format when the images on screen are exaggerated to such an extreme? It then becomes impossible to accept any of the footage as being "authentic," thereby destroying the illusion and rendering the film a complete failure. A little subtlety goes a long way, which is a lesson that the makers of GRAVE ENCOUNTERS have yet to learn.

-Carl Manes.

I Like Horror Movies.