Grave Secrets

Renée Soutendijk was a very popular actress in The Netherlands and Belgium, where I grew up during the 80s and early 90s, and a beloved sex-symbol thanks to her roles in local cult-classics like "Spetters" and "De Vierde Man". At the end of the 80s, she aspired an international career, but it was over very quickly, and I still don't fully understand why, because the few movies she made in the US were interesting; like this "Grave Secrets" and the Sci-Fi thriller "Eve of Destruction". She's a good actress, and her English is almost completely accent-free, which can't be said from most Dutch performers trying their luck in Hollywood.

That being said, "Grave Secrets" is a sorely lacking and disappointing horror. Especially for being produced in the late 80s, the film doesn't nearly deliver enough in the gore and sleaze department, and this despite numerous shocking & controversial themes in the plot (incest, rape, baby murder, ...). The main and obvious problem is that all the good stuff is saved up until the final 10-15 minutes. The first 70 minutes are far too dull, vague, and bloodless. The most exhilarating thing happening for a long time is a ghostly force throwing a raw egg in the face of paranormal investigator Paul Le Mat, go figure! The climax is fun, with a glorious over-the-top role for stunt man Bob Herron, but it comes too little too late to fix everything.

I feel like now that this film is available on blu ray in awesome quality some people will re-evaluate it. I remember seeing it on tv in the 90's. Possibly on USA up all night. I think it's a pretty good and effective little ghost story. The only thing i would change would be that Paul LeMat's charcter needed more enthusiasm. Any movie with David Warner and Lee Ving is at least worth a watch. Give it a shot.

A woman tormented by ghostly apparitions and a professor of psychic phenomena (Paul LeMat) investigate other-worldly disturbances and unlock the secret of a malevolent force reaching out for vengeance from beyond the grave.

Oh, Paul LeMat, how the almost mighty have fallen. You went from being a star in "American Graffiti" to doing this film and "Puppet Master". You could have been a contender! Now, I am not trying to be rude, Paul. You are a fine actor and have a strong screen presence. How did you start getting these offers rather than blockbusters? Why did Harrison Ford get to be Han Solo instead of you?

The story and effects here are not bad, sort of like a toned down "Ghost Busters" (and not nearly as funny). Except here you sort of have to coax ghosts out rather than capture them. (In "Ghost Busters" they seem to be eternal and can only be stored. Here they "cross over" if wrongs have been put right.)

I cannot say this is the best film about a haunting. Not by far. But it is not bad, either. Watch this only if you have already seen "Changeling" -- that is a far superior film.

Grave Secrets is a fairly routine paranormal mystery with some dated ghostly special effects, but it does develop into a deliciously twisted tale towards the end, so hang in there: Iris Norwood (Renée Soutendijk) is bothered by spooky occurrences at her bed and breakfast home, so she enlists the help of paranormal expert David Shaw (Paul Le Mat). Staying at the B&B for a few days, David witnesses the strange events first hand and slowly unravels the mystery behind the haunting - it transpires that Iris is being terrorised by the headless ghost of her abusive father Kurt, who raped her and made her pregnant, and then buried her baby alive after she gave birth!!! That's some seriously unhinged stuff right there!

Since much of the film is rather sedate, with the spooky stuff limited to floating books and records, patience is definitely required, but there is a modicum of fun to be had along the way with David's dippy fashion disaster PA Darla (Olivia Barash), who tries to attract her boss's attention by bending over in front of him in a short skirt, and with David Warner as a medium, who conducts a seance in the haunted house. The final act finally delivers the more demented stuff, as David and Iris follow Kurt's ghost to find out where he buried baby Brian; however, they must do battle with her zombified father when a local guy inadvertently reunites the spook with his missing head! Naff '90s visual FX abound.

There are three writers credited with the script. None of them seem to know how a normal human being would react in any given situation and the director doesn't seem to care. At least one of them wanted this to be a comedy.

The actors aren't bad ones, but their performances are so forced that it's painful to watch. Then again, they are playing unrealistic, idiotic characters speaking ridiculous dialogue, so it's difficult to blame them.

You'll want to strangle each one of them personally while watching this. David Warner's part in this is small, so be warned if you're hoping to see a lot of him. You won't.

If it hadn't been for the general premise, the camera work and lighting, the passable effects, and a half-decent score, I would not have kept watching. I don't know how many times I said, "Oh dumb," and "This doesn't make any sense!"

If you make it to the end, you'll be shaking your head in disbelief, wondering how something like this got made, and potentially laughing your ass off at the ridiculousness of it. I can't recommend this mess to anyone.