Editorials
‘Grave Encounters 2’ – Reevaluating the Horror Sequel 10 Years Later [The Silver Lining]
In this edition of The Silver Lining, we’ll be covering John Poliquin’s underrated sequel, Grave Encounters 2.
Maybe it’s the fear of madness, or perhaps it’s the uncomfortable history of how mental illness used to be treated, but there’s definitely something about psychiatric hospitals that makes them such a compelling location for scary stories. From Dracula to Shutter Island, there’s no shortage of horror yarns featuring spooky asylums, and one of the most entertaining of the bunch has to be the Vicious Brothers’ 2011 Found Footage flick, Grave Encounters.
Breaking online records when its trailer went viral and earning back nearly forty-five times its production budget despite a limited theatrical release, calling Grave Encounters a success is something of an understatement. That’s why it’s no surprise that the film soon spawned a sequel. However, by the time the project had been greenlit, the Vicious Brothers had already their eyes set on other endeavors. That’s why prominent music video director John Poliquin was invited to helm the follow-up, with the brothers remaining onboard as writers and producers.
Pre-production on the proposed Grave Encounters 2 began only a couple of months after the original film hit theaters, but that doesn’t mean that this was meant to be a run-of-the-mill sequel. Wanting to play around with the meta-reality elements of found footage filmmaking, the Vicious Brothers decided to have the follow-up focus on an aspiring filmmaker (Richard Harmon) who becomes obsessed with the original Grave Encounters once he’s convinced that the film depicts real events. Soon enough, the young film student finds himself at the real location that inspired the original movie’s “Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital” and things take a turn for the worse.
Promising a unique take on horror sequels and directed by a filmmaker known for his unique style, not to mention being overseen by the creative team responsible for the original film, it’s easy to see why fans thought that Grave Encounters 2 was shaping up to be just as fun as the first one.
SO WHAT WENT WRONG?
Surprisingly, Grave Encounters 2 made a lot more money than its predecessor, earning over $8 million at the box office on a $1.4 million budget. However, this financial success doesn’t necessarily translate to critical success, as the film also garnered an abysmal 18% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics almost unanimously complained about the film’s slow pace and generally unlikable lead characters, as well as some cheap visual effects work.
Even the few media outlets that enjoyed the flick pointed out some of these flaws. After all, it’s hard to defend the insufferable protagonist and his “I’m the next Wes Craven” shtick, as well as the fact that nearly half the movie is over by the time we finally get to see some paranormal action. In fact, a sizable chunk of the flick’s runtime consists of characters talking about the titular Grave Encounters instead of actually living them. And once the ghosts do show up, it’s mostly a rehash of scares we saw in the first film.
Several critics also pointed out the film’s overreliance on cheap jump scares and demonic CGI-enhancements, with the distorted faces and guttural animal noises becoming oversaturated after a while. This is a shame, as the evil hospital’s supernatural mind-screws are already frightening enough without the addition of generic demon faces and lackluster frights.
Of course, there was also the issue of the film lacking a cohesive format to tell its story. While the ghost-hunting parody of the first film allowed for some quick and easy exposition without taking away from the experience, the sequel relies on a mix of YouTube footage, unmotivated amateur recordings and a student documentary to chronicle Alex’s journey, making the entire thing feel slightly unfocused.
THE SILVER LINING
Much like Joe Berlinger’s Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows, I believe that much of Grave Encounters 2’s bad rap is due to the film taking a different approach to diegetic filmmaking when compared to the original. While some of its creative decisions were a little misguided (like how long it takes to get to the asylum), in a world where internet reactions dictate much of popular culture, seeing a story focus on the horrific aftermath of scary movie was actually quite refreshing.
Not only does the idea of recognizing the first film as an in-universe cinematic phenomenon make the Found Footage gimmick that much more believable, but it also allows for some sly satire of arm-chair critics who constantly berate the horror genre without actually offering up any new ideas. This novel approach doesn’t always work, but I’m glad that the filmmakers didn’t simply offer up a rehash of the original movie.
The film’s fourth-wall-breaking shenanigans also retroactively make the previous movie even scarier, reframing the original flick as a “cursed film” that was edited and digitally enhanced in order to cover up a paranormal conspiracy, with the implication that the same thing happens with the footage comprising the sequel. That idea alone is worth the price of admission, though there are plenty of other scares to be had here.
It may take a while to get there, but things get legitimately spooky once our characters become trapped in the abandoned hospital, with the larger budget allowing for more elaborate scares. Sure, some of these are simply reiterations of things we’ve seen before, but there’s no denying that the film has plenty of night-vision-enhanced nightmare fuel. I especially appreciate the 1408-style fake-out sequence, as well as Sean Rogerson’s return as a traumatized Lance Preston.
If you can stomach some iffy pacing and unlikable characters, you might be pleasantly surprised with Grave Encounters 2 and its unexpectedly clever take on meta-filmmaking and cinematic obsession. It may not be as iconic as its predecessor, but this 2012 thriller is a smarter movie than most folks give it credit for. That’s why I think it’s still a worthy sequel even a decade later, and I’d recommend giving it a watch alongside the original as part of a fourth-wall-breaking double-feature.
Watching a bad movie doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad experience. Even the worst films can boast a good idea or two, and that’s why we’re trying to look on the bright side with The Silver Lining, where we shine a light on the best parts of traditionally maligned horror flicks.
College kids, strippers and vampires—those were Donald P. Borchers’ only requirements when he approached Richard Wenk about writing and directing a movie for New World Pictures. As requested, Wenk cooked up Vamp (1986), a tailor-made blend of the decade’s teen movie craze as well as its horror boom.
Grim and earnest stories were still very much a part of the ’80s horror landscape, yet Vamp is something of a comedy. One difference between it and, say, Saturday the 14th, though, is the former avoids using schtick. Wenk’s movie proves that horror comedies also don’t have to subtract thrills from their recipes. Of course, it takes a minute before reaching that point; college antics and culture shocks preface this one macabre misadventure.
Vamp‘s initial setup is apt for a typical college-set, sex-driven comedy; to bribe their way into a fraternity house, two pledges (Chris Makepeace, Robert Rusler) go looking for some adult entertainment. Without wasting time on any further exposition, the characters embark on an all-in-one-night trip that quickly detours into terror.
To procure their elusive MacGuffin—a stripper willing to gyrate for some frat boys—Keith (Makepeace) and AJ (Rusler), plus a third wheel named Duncan (Gedee Watanabe), trade the safety of their remote college campus for the seediness of some unnamed city. The setting is recognizably L.A. by day, but as soon as night falls, downtown, along with the characters, slips into a kind of surreal universe. Director of photography Elliot Davis gave this early entry on his prolific résumé an unusual yet distinctive look; that Mario Bava-esque, magenta-green lighting is omnipresent, so much so that it’s almost its own character.
Chris Makepeace and Robert Rusler in Vamp
The faint comparisons to Martin Scorsese’s After Hours are merited, although not just because of Vamp’s distinguishing nighttime aesthetic. Save for the primary characters, the supporting roles in Wenk’s movie are also quite colorful and transactional in their behavior. The difference here, though, is the additional urge to ruin Keith and his friends at every turn. Some of that harm is humorous and tolerable enough, whereas the moment Vamp dishes out its first fatality, it’s abundantly clear how this movie qualifies as horror.
Vamp falls into that category of horror movie that reveals its genre with a scream rather than a series of whispers. The opening scene can function as a hint of what lies ahead—things are not at all what they appear to be—but otherwise, Wenk is more than happy to hold off on the horror. When that time does come, though, it catches the viewer off guard. In addition to the pure shock value is that sudden decision to upend the movie’s foremost feature. Or so it would seem.
If afraid of major spoilage, those new to Vamp would be wise to stop reading here. There’s just no skirting around the fact that the central fellowship in this buddy movie hits a serious snag when AJ is killed. That development causes the story to become more of a “long, bad night” journey for Keith and his romantic interest. So while Wenk scores points for subverting expectations, there is also a touch of sadness in his decision. Because if Vamp does anything well, it’s making the characters likable.
Something that comes easily to Vamp—and other teen horror movies from this same era—is its ability to invent young characters worth caring about, or at the very least, are interesting and not so immediately off-putting. More impressive is how Wenk did all this without actually fleshing out those characters. Still and all, Keith and his kind are a grade above cookie-cutter, and in some cases, aren’t completely devoid of growth.
Grace Jones in Vamp
Vamp appeals with an assorted cast of characters. No two are the same, nor are they operating on the same wavelength. The cinematically extroverted AJ, whose actor conveyed charm and vulnerability in near equal amounts, comes alive when he’s at his most undead. Makepeace then makes the chronically cautious Keith a sympathetic fellow, even as he’s more and more affected by the night’s bizarre events. Meanwhile, Duncan is indeed the designated loser of the whole bunch, but Watanabe still manages to humanize him. As a bonus, the role didn’t require him to pull a Long Duk Dong.
As for Dedee Pfeiffer, she is plain adorable as the mysterious After Dark server nicknamed “Amaretto”. She spends all night fixing her dress strap while at the same time trying to get Keith to remember how he knows her. As their offbeat romance grows, it becomes another highlight of this movie. Whether or not Pfeiffer’s character is really a vampire also creates some welcome tension in the story.
Like a lot of its contemporaries, Vamp went on to become a bit of a cult classic. That current status is determined by several factors, but without a doubt, the casting of Grace Jones is the most considerable. The image of her writhing on that unique-looking chair, a Keith Haring original, springs to mind whenever this movie is brought up.
Chris Makepeace, Billy Drago and Paunita Nichols in Vamp
Prior to that first display of unequivocal horror, local vampire queen Katrina (Jones) took to the stage and delivered a strip show like no other. One would expect nothing less from that renowned model and performance artist. By now reports of Jones’ tardiness on set are no secret, yet it’s also hard to deny her commitment to the part of Katrina. It was, in fact, Jones who took charge of her character’s appearance—on top of Haring painting her body and that now-iconic chair, she had Andy Warhol handle her costuming. And not too many actors could seize a room’s attention without saying a single line of dialogue.
In 2022, Vamp received a retrospective novelization from Encyclopocalypse. This literary union of preexisting source material—Wenk’s original screenplay—and new ideas from author Christian Francis amounts to a more comprehensive visit to the After Dark Club. The basic story there is no different than what’s shown on screen; however, Francis gets creative with the characters’ origins and designs, and he enhances a number of key scenes.
The novelization expands on the urban and social decay of the main setting, and supplies a background for the After Dark Club. Sandy Baron’s character, Katrina’s emcee and familiar, is given ample motivation for sticking around; up until the fiery end, he is loyal to his friend and former business partner “Squeak”, who looks like he was “fed through a combine harvester, and left as nothing more than a heap of mangled remains”. Then there is Billy Drago’s character Snow, the leader of a street gang called The Dragons. His reason for menacing Keith and AJ is more altruistic than in the movie; he and his peers act tough to scare off any potential food for the vampires.
Lisa Lyon in Vamp
If not for all the backstories, Francis’ Vamp would be a hell of a lot shorter. Instead, this tie-in read dives into how AJ met Keith—the orphaned Anthony Joseph hailed from a broken home back in Brooklyn—and how their friendship flourished over the years. Keith’s archership is no longer just an assumed part of his entire being; it’s a confidence-building extracurricular for a boy who got picked on before coming into the protection of the new kid in town. These supplemental, in-depth looks at the protagonists, plus their close connection, are maybe unnecessary. The movie already did a fair and concise job of addressing their platonic intimacy without the need for flashbacks and insights, specifically in that scene where AJ lays it all out as he sacrifices himself.
Where the novelization gets off course is its approach to the minor characters. Intermittently backstorying the likes of Katrina’s indentured servants, Seko (Leila Hee Olsen) and Vlad (Brad Logan), ends up disturbing the flow of the writing. Was it absolutely essential that readers know Vlad was the Grand Duke of the House of Romanov, or how Snow’s accomplice Maven (Paunita Nichols) became so dentally challenged? No, not really. However, one’s mileage with these random biographies may vary.
The novelization is a more substantial experience, but for a movie like Vamp, less is more. And as plentiful as they are, it never simply coasts on its campy charms, either. The character work sits comfortably in that realm between cursory and meticulous, the script is sharper than first realized, and Greg Cannom’s vampire makeup is straightforward yet effective. Most of all, the movie didn’t squander its out-of-the-box concept. Richard Wenk made his vision of a “comic nightmare in which just about anything that can go wrong does” come true, and it is very enjoyable.
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