Graves End

I read a few user comments about "Graves End" and was intrigued. When I read about Daniel Roebuck in the Pantagraph, I decided, what the hey, I'll go watch that movie. I was really surprised to see a lot of the cast at our local movie theater. It was so cool! Daniel Roebuck, Steven Williams and Fairly Tull were really the nicest people. The director, James Marlowe was hilarious and the producers were equally fun. I thought, wow, they sure are cool people, I hope they made a decent film. I can tell you this, "Graves End" was not only decent, it was EXCELLENT!!! The movie gets you going from the very beginning and the humor is terrific. There are a lot of twists and turns but that's half the fun. Eric Roberts is a fabulous actor but Steven Williams really steals the show. Okay, it's no big Hollywood blockbuster but it has something I haven't seen lately and that's a PLOT! When the movie ended there was a thunderous applause and the cast did a great Q&A with the audience. What a terrific time I had! I wished I'd gone with some friends! Now I want it to come out in movie theaters and tell my buddies I was there first. Go see "Graves End" and have a good time. DD in Bloomington, IL

Honestly, I wasn't sure that I would care for this movie based on some of the negative reviews. Lo and behold I enjoyed it! After seeing it the first time I showed it to a few friends and they loved it, too! This is a little film that makes no apologies for what it is. This movie is like the little Train that could; it grows on people who've seen it and it's entertainment value is better than most.

The idea is original and the execution is great for the obvious limited budget. I'm on the side of those who support this movie! I gave it a 10 because I can watch this many times in a row and love EVERY moment of it! That doesn't happen for me with very many movies; generally there are spots that lag for me or just don't seem right. This one pleases me, from opening to end credits. Those people who wrote negative things about this movie are obviously haters because I did not see the same movie they did. What were they expecting? "Life of PI"? This isn't a big time drama. It's more along the lines of a David Lynch or Quentin Tarantino movie but with more laughs.

Clearly this film is meant to be fun, funny, humorous, tongue-in-cheek, suspenseful, and action packed at the right times. If you are looking for something deep like "The Butler", you shouldn't be watching any movie like this anyway. It's clearly simple, fun, entertainment and that's what I'm looking for.

For my money, this one is a winner from top to bottom.

Living locally and finally getting to see this title years later makes this a nice time capsule piece for the San Lorenzo Valley. Content-wise this is a standard B-movie suspense thriller with some slight horror thrown in to add some depth. Eric Roberts, Daniel Roebuck and Mr. X (X-Files fame) give some decent performances in this story of an FBI agent tracking down some "missing" felons in the small rural town of Graves End. Through the course of several plot twists and murders we discover who the bad guys really are and who the saviors become.

Regarding the filming locations that come across on screen clearly: the Mountain Store, Bear Creek Rd, River Rd (Brookdale), Blake Hammond Manor, Boulder Creek Fire Station, Boulder Creek downtown, Big Basin area, and the Boy Scout Camp (Bear Creek Rd).

The catch is this film is only available on Region 2 DVD right now. The American distributor would not even give me a date for our region. Probably not worth the cost to get it shipped to you from the EU unless you live here in Santa Cruz County (CA).

I went to the video store on a Saturday and had a choice between Graves End and Nightmare Man, so I asked the video store clerk which one he would recommend, he said Nightmare Man sucked in general and Graves End was pathetic plainly put, and considering that my options were limited I asked him which one was the worst and he said Nightmare Man, so I left Nightmare Man and took Graves End. and it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

The film was actually quite good, I was expecting another cheap slasher flick but was treated to a great storyline with a few excellent plot twists and the performances by Eric Roberts, Steven Williams and Daniel Roebuck were dead on, the movie generated a lot of suspense mixed with a small dose of horror, so despite the video store clerk's opinion I enjoyed it fully, so I would recommend you check it out for yourself.

8 out of 10

I enjoyed the movie enormously. The plot was very interesting, and the acting was excellent--especially Dan Roebuck and my wife, Fairly Tull. Stephen Williams was wonderful in his role as well. The movie was a bit gory (but not overdone), and very suspenseful with delightful twists and a large dose of humor. The cinematography and sound were superb, as were the authentic locations and sets used. I was also impressed with the performances of the background actors who were all very much into their scenes. They gave their very best, which is a testament to the director's talent and his sincere interest in the wellbeing of his entire cast and crew. I saw the film twice and can recommend it to anyone who enjoys suspense thrillers done in a skillful, campy, funny, and scary manner.