The Graveyard

This film is one of the more stupid slasher flicks I've seen in a long time, if not ever. There are some major problems with key plot elements, among them:

#1) A person will not be charged and convicted of manslaughter when they did not in no way, shape or form commit manslaughter.

Yet, were are expected to believe that is exactly what happened. Prior to that, we are supposed to believe that just by running, you can impale yourself - all the way through your entire body - on some metal rods. Not falling from a few stories, not being thrown into them or anything, just general running - and apparently you wouldn't instinctively stop, or avoid the rods, or anything else. Then, because of this impossible impaling, the guy's friend gets 5 years for manslaughter - even though he never touched him! MORONIC! At least there is some nice nudity, a few times. But just about everything these characters do and say makes no sense whatsoever.

A bunch of high school idiots sneak into a graveyard late one night. They decide to play hide and seek but one dies in a tragic accident. Bobby (Patrick Scott Lewis) is accused and sent to jail for it. Five years later he's released and his former friends take him to a summer camp near the graveyard to help him get over it (???). While there they are attacked by a masked killer who kills them one by one. Is it Bobby or someone else? Seriously you won't care!

The plot is insultingly stupid with cardboard characters--there's the slutty girl, the obnoxious over-sexed guy, the now clichéd lesbians, the nerd and the ever present good girl and good guy. There's also a LONG needless shower scene that the straight guys in the audience will enjoy. Also the plot is stupid with some real pointless twists that add nothing to it. Plot inconsistencies abound--night changes to day almost immediately, the graveyard STILL has a hole in its wall five years later and is there really a summer camp that's 10 MILES away from civilization? There are plot holes galore and the explanation at the end doesn't really make a bit of sense. Two of the actors--Leif Lillehawgen (as Jack) and Lewis (as Bobby) are pretty awful. Also the VERY end was a groaner. To make it worse this was shot direct to video and the image is very soft and fuzzy.

On the good side there IS some good acting by Lindsay Ballew (as Michelle and especially Markus Potter (as Peter). The other actors are OK. The killings are bloody, violent and well done. There are a few cute lines here and there too like "Nothing good ever comes of a girl going into a dark basement". But, all in all, a pretty by the numbers slasher.

A teenage prank at a cemetery results in the death of a friend. Five years later, the group reunites at the camp near the cemetery after their ringleader is paroled from prison in an attempt to put the past behind them. Unfortunately, a (surprise!) masked killer arrives to make sure that doesn't happen. On the plus side, the film has decent production values. It looks okay, and the direction is smooth and professional, as evidenced by the simple but adequate shot selection. There is also enough gore and gratuitous nudity to satisfy fans of the genre. However, the script dooms the production. As a mystery, the film has the complexity of an episode of "Scooby Doo." What we're left with is a boring "Friday the 13th" ripoff, but without the thrill of discovery we experienced when the first cycle of masked killer films arrived. That said, there is always room for good ripoff, but this isn't one. The problem is the writing. I never believed any of the characters for a second. Their only bond, other than the accidental killing, seemed to be their antipathy for each other. I don't believe these people would have gotten together for a reunion to "help" their "friend" who went to jail. Their motivations were inconsistent at best. And, boy oh boy, were they stupid. Not one of them exhibited even a modicum of common sense. Worse still, the characters were so bland that I could hardly tell them apart. By the end of the film, I could only associate names with one or two of the characters. If the writing exhibited the professionalism of the cinematography, this film would have had potential, but alas....

I was also disappointed by the box art. I picked this film up because I was in the mood for a creepy cemetery film, but so little of the film took place in the cemetery that I felt ripped off.

I was disappointed. I expect a little more from Lion's Gate. This film had a decent look, but, overall, it had the script and mentality of a York or Maverick release.

My work received a screener pack from Maple for movies released in June. Through past experiences most of the films in them were, well just plain appalling. And I would end up turning them off within the first few seconds. But this movie caught my eye from the very start. The art for the cover was rather dark and somewhat scary looking, so of course I loved it! I found myself relating to the film really quickly. Just brought me back to when I was a teenager and playing hide and seek in a graveyard, good times. So most people can find themselves relating to this movie, which in return makes it much more freaky, cause you start to think about this stuff happening to you, which in all respects it can. Its not one of those movies that are far fetched and just unbelievable.

You get a Friday the 13th vibe in this movie from the very start, mostly from the surroundings and the kills in it. Not to mention the fact that it is based in a summer camp. The one down fall is that the killer is easily guessed. Within the first ten minutes I had a good idea of who it was and why they were killing.

I would defiantly recommend this film to a horror fan. It has all the factors of a good horror film, blood, knives, those characters who you hate and would like to kill yourself, some laughs, but not too many, a straight to the point plot, no extremely unbelievable stories. And finally the whole fear with being able to relate to the story, there is nothing more scary then that.

Truly worth a watch.

I was really impressed with the cover of the page instead of many horror movies I have selected this to watch how the four dudes in summer camp fall in trap and have killings...I would review it as average good movie because there are instances in the movie where I would connect to the movie but I have lost with the few characterizations in the movie...the connectivity was missing for the entire movie...the fall on the graveyard was superb...photography of the graveyard was realistic..the city view was superb..

Other then this the movie has great picture quality sound and story narration was absolutely superb....I liken Michael Feifer thought process the way he narrated the story..