After Dark Horrorfest Reviews: The Graves

Two horror-and-comic fangirl sisters take a last road trip together before the elder moves to New York to take up a high-paying job.  They end up touring an old mining town where they are stalked by people trying to kill them as a sacrifice to an underground demon.

The Graves sisters get lost trying to find the world’s largest thermometer and end up in an out-of-the-way town where (of course) there is no cell phone reception.  They go to a diner, where a creepy preacher, whom they previously heard preaching fire and brimstone on the radio and played by horror veteran Tony Todd, clearly has everyone in his thrall, including a woman with him who appears his captive.  Directed to an alternative attraction by the waitress — a ghost town built around an old mine — they face “The Blacksmith”, clothed in a cowl and welding glasses, who kills unwary tourists with a hammer.

Successfully defeating this killer, they run to the road for help, having been joined by one or two other escapees.  They stop a pickup truck driven by another man who questions their story, insisting on examining the crime scene.  This is a pretense to lure them back into the ghost town, as it is revealed that the man is the late blacksmith’s elder brother.  This man kills the other one or two characters (honestly can’t remember how many) leaving the young women to flee again.

Defeating this killer, they return to the town for assistance, and are taken captive by the preacher’s congregants.  Returned to the ghost town, the women are prepared to be sacrificed to an evil spirit who lives in the mines, a spirit that in turn possesses the preacher and members of his congregation.  Assisted in their escape by the woman previously seen to be the preacher’s captive, they successfully escape following the supposed death of the town citizens.  The sisters drive away happily, with the younger sister deciding to accompany the elder to New York, and the citizens of the town are reanimated to continue their reign of terror on future tourists.

This is a tedious and hackneyed attempt at subverting the slasher genre.  Featuring strong and successful female leads, the slashers are slashed, the day won, and the sisters empowered.  Hurrah!

Except it is a horrible film.  To begin with, it is beyond credulity that anyone would remain in the town depicted in the initial diner scene, despite the attempted sell of the elder sister being a huge horror nut, and even futher out that they would return to it for help.  The costuming of the killers is an unintentional parody of the genre, the motivations indistinct, the group possession scene (in the scrolling credits, most of the film crew are listed as extras) laughable.  Tony Todd’s performance is horrible, leagues beyond the “so bad it’s good” that he was apparently trying for.  The second false escape tries the viewer’s patience.  The lighting and sets are abysmal, the acting by all cast members except the younger sister is lousy, and the presumed attempt at self-aware camp registering as simple incompetence.  Avoid this one.

Pretty Jillian Murray is perfect as younger sister Abby.  Having lead female characters who are fangirls is fun.  The rock music chosen for the film is very good.  And victorious, strong female characters is much better than the alternative.