Weekly Review -- Hiding in darkness

Grave Encounters (2010) -- One would be hard pressed to find a more tongue-in-cheek titled horror film than this indie. Coming from the aptly monickered Vicious Brothers, the found-footage chiller is a fun and terrifying novelty, if a little derivative.

A paranormal phenomena reality show crew arrives at the abandoned Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital. Led by self-professed ghost hunter Lance Preston (Sean Rogerson), the group settles in, setting up equipment and discussing possible sightings. As the night drags on, bizarre events start occurring, making the crew realize that they might be in too deep this time around...

The main problem with Grave Encounters is that it borrows generously from other similarly themed films, namely House on Haunted Hill and The Blair Witch Project. The narrative offers nothing that we have not seen before. Stock skeptics? Check. Demented psychiatrists? Check. Asylum rebellion? Check. Cackles and howls instead of silence? Check. Sure, we jump here and there, but the story could have used more ingenuity and not relied on the aforementioned efforts to this extent. Cinematic pilfering aside, I have always maintained that the isolation of dark forests and the gloomy quality of run-down asylums provided the best ambiance for horror films. Anticipation is the name of the game in this tale and the decrepit location is indisputably menacing -- for example, the too literal writing-on-the-wall sequence is one of the best moments. In fact, I found the intensely oppressive atmosphere a lot scarier than the apparitions themselves, which were the most predictable aspect of the piece. Not knowing what is chasing you is truly worse than actually seeing it.  

The acting is competent, though there are no standouts to speak of; then again, in a film that mostly counts on quick thrills to entertain, any acting skills will get lost in the shuffle. Rogerson is appropriately cocky as Lance, whose know-it-all attitude slowly gives way to pure, disbelieving panic. Ashleigh Gryzko renders a sensible portrayal of Sasha Parker, an occult aficionado and first crew member to suspect that the hospital is responsible for more than bad therapy. There is good chemistry between the actors, with the highlights being a few comical touches in the beginning and some notable reactions to the haunting.

The fact that Grave Encounters is not a genre breakthrough does not translate into a lack of harmless fun. Judging by the joy that they take in exploring and exploiting fear, The Vicious Brothers are creating a work from the fans and for the fans. Sly and prank-oriented, they are yelling "boo" and loving it, and why not? If you do not expect too much originality and are a horror enthusiast, you will enjoy this film.

6/10