Review of Open Grave (2013) by Jonathan B — 19 Oct 2014

I'm not generally very good with this kind of movie and wasn't really expecting the traumatic viewing experience it provided. I thought this was going to be a drama/thriller rather than the full blown hiding-behind-a-cushion horror that it turned out to be.

The basic plot is that Sharlto Copely wakes up in a mass grave and has no memory of how he got there or who he actually is. He soon meets up with a group of strangers who are similarly suffering from amnesia but all seem to be linked by a mute asian girl.

The woodland in which they find themselves is littered with badly mutilated bodies in various states of decay and the only other living people that the group encounter are homicidal maniacs with horrific wounds.

As the story unfolds, the group gradually uncover the mystery of what is going on and their individual roles in the proceedings. Now this movie has some terrible reviews and maybe, compared to other gory horrors, this one doesn't hold up well.

For me, being a bit of a wimp where such things are concerned, I found it enjoyable but was glad when it was over and that I wasn't alone when I was watching it. It is quite grim and I have to say, I genuinely had to cower behind my fingers on a number of occasions as the grisly tale unfolded but, it certainly got the adrenaline pumping and who doesn't like a good scare now and again?