Movies
[BD Review] ‘Open Grave’ Is A Slow, Lackluster Crawl
Open Grave opens with one of the most promising sequences I have seen in a long time. John (Sharlto Copley) wakes up, in the middle of a rain storm, in the middle of the night, in a pit full of dead bodies. The entire sequence is disturbing, highlighted by extensive use of sound in regard to John’s bones cracking as he regains consciousness. From here, he wanders to a mansion where he meets several other characters – all of them suffering from amnesia.
After this mighty intro, Open Grave falters, never fully engaging the viewer in its tale. The characters, although strangely in the house together, with no memory, all having mysterious bruises, seem to be overly complacent for the situation they are in. Suspending disbelief, the storyline fails to gain the proper footing, jumping from character to character, as they explore the land around them, looking for evidence as to why, exactly, they are there. When they begin to gather more and more information while discovering various medical experiments on the grounds, the movie is thrown into a clichéd mix of pointing fingers.
This, unfortunately, is what makes up 3/4 of Open Grave – characters in aimless pursuit of each other. A mass open grave is something that has been seen throughout history, most notably in the concentration camps during World War II. Combine that with the medical experimentation results shown in the film and the ending revelations that actually somewhat interesting, and the movie should be downright powerful. Yet, there isn’t enough to pull everything together in between. If the events revealed at the conclusion had been included sooner, perhaps sprinkled throughout, the film would have greatly benefited. In the end, we are left with a spotty narrative, mostly, again, consisting of characters questioning each other.
John’s awakening at the beginning of Open Grave is reminiscent of the storm at the mansion sequence in 28 Days Later. While it’s not nearly as influential, the visuals and sounds make the introduction to the story highly interesting. There are moments within the film throughout that, too, capture a certain eeriness not commonly seen. Although filmed and edited well, Open Grave suffers from lack of grounded substance to carry key scenes like a man discovered trapped in a barbed wire fence that surrounds the grounds.
Described a reverse zombie movie by some, Open Grave could have the makings for a powerful movie that could hold a spot like 28 Days Later with its unique approach. In the end, the slow, lackluster crawl to get from point a to point b simply outweighs the bit of depth the film has.
In the wake of Backrooms and Obsession, everyone is prowling YouTube for horror shorts to adapt and horror filmmakers to scoop up, so don’t be surprised to see a whole bunch of upcoming articles about YouTube success stories crossing over into theaters. One horror short that’s already been picked up for expansion is Dolly director Rod Blackhurst’s Alone Time.
The 12-minute short was uploaded in 2014 and has amassed nearly 2 million views at the time of this article being written, and Deadline reports that it’s getting a feature adaptation.
Witchcraft Motion Picture Company & Fever Dream will turn the viral short into a feature film.
Alone Time follows Ann Saunders, a young NY professional whose carefully constructed life begins to unravel following a devastating personal loss. “Seeking refuge from a collapsing relationship, a deteriorating family situation, and mounting emotional trauma, Ann reluctantly joins her closest friend on a remote camping trip deep in the Adirondack wilderness.”
The synopsis continues, “When her friend mysteriously disappears, Ann becomes convinced that an unseen figure is stalking her through the forest. What begins as a survival nightmare slowly transforms into something far more disturbing as fractured memories, conflicting realities, and hidden truths force Ann to confront the possibility that the greatest threat may not be lurking in the woods at all, but buried deep within her own psych.”
“Alone Time has quietly followed me for over a decade,” director Rod Blackhurst said in a statement. “What began as a short film about isolation and the weight of life now feels more relevant than ever. The original short found its audience organically online long before that was considered a legitimate path for filmmakers. Bringing it to life as a feature allows us to explore those themes on a much larger and more psychologically unsettling canvas.”
Blackhurst is directing the feature length expansion.
You can watch the original Alone Time short film below.