Review of Grave Encounters (2011) by Christopher E — 04 Dec 2016

A decently written horror story that's entertaining enough.

Lance Preston and the crew of "Grave Encounters", a ghost-hunting reality television show, are shooting an episode inside the abandoned Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital, where unexplained phenomena has been reported for years. All in the name of good television, they voluntarily lock themselves inside the building for the night and begin a paranormal investigation, capturing everything on camera. They quickly realize that the building is more than just haunted - it is alive - and it has no intention of ever letting them leave. They find themselves lost in a labyrinth maze of endless hallways and corridors, terrorized by the ghosts of the former patients.

What I like most about this film was the well written blend between TV and film. In a movie that focuses on a reality show TV crew, I felt like it really captured that aspect and reality well. The personalities of the crew and the things that happen behind the scene felt so necessary and vital to the story. If anything, it was also really good at taking shots at reality horror TV shows today. Off the camera, you see the true personalities and motives of these characters, and it makes it that much better.

This movie isn't the scariest but it's certainly entertaining. The first half of the film has the most to offer and is the most attention grabbing. It's enough to keep the movie running but by the time we reach the second half, the movie loses a lot of its substance.

The actors in the movie were actually pretty solid for the most part. There were some moments where these guys were giving it there all, particularly Sean Rogerson.

In the end, "Grave Encounters" is a solid horror flick with an intriguing plot, even if it isn't the most substance filled movie.