The Gravedancers - Ruhe nicht in Frieden

I didn't know what to expect from the so called horror fest this weekend but I liked the trailer for The Grave Dancers so I picked this one to go see at the theater. I liked the way the movies characters both live and ghostly inter acted together and how the story moved and flowed through different characters' personal issue. The film had really good make up and the camera work and shooting was a real eye opener. It was well done. The story at times was predictable at times but the last few scenes really kicks it into high geared as the ghosts let it be known that they are not happy and become completely visible. At times it was a actually funny but I like to be positive and not just trash films because you have to have a level of respect for anyone who creates a film and gets it into a theater of any kind. I did like the fact that the writers didn't feel they needed to be a complete gore slasher type film, so often now blood and guts is king and I don't always need to see all that if it isn't needed to pull off the story. I recommend this film to anyone looking for a good horror type film that doesn't have to have blood coming from all angles to make you feel a little spooked.

The former friends Harris (Dominic Purcell), Kira (Josie Maran) and Sid (Marcus Thomas) reunite for drinking after the funeral service of an old friend that died in a car accident. When the bar closes, Sid proposes to go to the Cresent View Cemetery to say farewell to his friend and drink more. Once there, Sid finds a letter in a tombstone, reads it and they dance on three graves. On the next days, weird things happen in the house of Harris and his wife Allison (Clare Kramer), but Allison believes it is Kira, who has a crush on Harris, stalking them. They go to Kira's house and find her wounded in a completely destroyed place. Later Sid calls them and they are introduced to the paranormal investigators Vincent Cochet (Tcheky Kayro) and Frances (Megahn Perry), who tell them that Sid read an ancient spell that cursed the trio and brought back the ghosts of the graves from the damned sector of the cemetery where they danced. He also discloses that Harris and Allison are being haunted by an insane ax murderer pianist; Kira by a sadistic rapist; and Sid by a pyromaniac. They have to break the curse or survive for an entire cycle of the full moon when the curse would finish, while the ghosts are getting stronger and stronger.

Yesterday I saw "The Gravedancers" on cable and I really liked this horror movie. The supernatural ghost story is original and scary, having right doses of humor and funny moments, and the acting is reasonable. This is the first time that I see the idea of bringing ghosts back from hell through the disrespect to the grave of the dead, and I found it great. This movie is highly recommended to fans of the genre. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Carta Para a Morte" ("Letter to the Death")

Three friends curse themselves by dancing on graves.

This has a simple plot. There's not a lot of depth but there's enough information for the viewer to invest into some characters more than others. The special effects are ok seeing as how this was released in '06 but not overly impressive.

I actually liked the story. It was a solid concept. I may never watch it again but I'm glad I checked it out.

Let me first state that this had a amateur feel to it. However, keeping in mind that it is a horror movie, it much better than 90% of the direct to video garbage out there.

The movie uses a combo to makeup effects and CGI to create the most out of the obvious limited budget. I appreciated the makeup effects more than the CGI gone mad conclusion of the movie.

The acting was tolerable and the side story about the friends honestly didn't bring much to the table. The fact that the ghost story actually had some creepy moments as well as funny moments.

I gave the movie 6 out of 10 which is high for me for this type of production. The bottom line is while the movie has the drawbacks that I listed above, it is still a entertaining horror flick. If you like horror or supernatural thrillers then you could do much worse.

Wow! I get to see Tchéky Karyo (The Patriot) two days in a row. I just watched him with Nick Nolte in The Good Thief, and now here he is as a ghost hunter (yeah, right) with a beautiful assistant Megahn Perry. But, they come in later.

First, there is the grave dancing - and grave pissing. I am sure everyone has at least thought about pissing or dancing on someone's grave. Well, you might want to rethink that after seeing this film, especially if you are the type that watches "Ghost Hunters" on TV. Hee Hee.

After doing the drunken deeds, our heroes: Dominic Purcell (Primeval, Equilibrium), Josie Maran (Van Helsing) and Marcus Thomas (Edmond), are getting their reward - crazed spirits after them.

This spooky film has it all: creaky sound, apparitions, super special effects, blood and gore, and perversion in what i would call a traditional horror film. There is enough to keep your interest throughout, and certainly enough to keep you jumping out of your seat.

And, hey, I wonder who did the casting here as I see a couple of more people from The Patriot?