Review of Graveyard Shift (1990) by Thequietgamer — 13 Oct 2017

Low-budget, B-movie schlock it may be, but darn is it pretty fun. It's depiction of the difficulties of shift-work and slimeball bosses make it a horror flick for the working class. It's ability to keep things moving and get right to the point, along with it's pretty good cast, helps the film elevate itself above it's noticeable flaws. Among which are cheap scare tactics and budgetary restraints.

It's a pretty straightforward affair. You can tell director Ralph Singleton wants to show off his monster more, but just didn't have the money to make that happen. So we get some really flat moments that should have been more brutal and frightening. Some shots come off as a touch amateurish, but overall the quality of the realistic horrors the characters have to put up with from their boss and working conditions mostly make up for it. Stephen Macht is perfect as the mill's scumbag foreman. The rats and grime are all used well to sell the setting. It suitably dark, dirty, and gross. When the mill's basement-dwelling beast is able to come out into the light a bit, it's a reminder of how much more effective and interesting practical effects can be in comparison to CGI, even if things do look a little cheap. Kind of a dorky creature-feature that just so happens to have a little extra something to it that came from being adapted from a Stephen King story. You get some blood and guts, but what will really keep you watching is the look into the life of blue-collar workers, something the movie captures to very well. The stuff with the monster? Well, that's just a little something extra. Graveyard Shift might not ever be destined to go down as a horror classic, but there's still some fun to be had with it.

6.