Interesting. When you’re a movie reviewer, it can become far too easy to watch a film and say “this was good” or “this was bad” without giving a second thought, especially when you know what target audiences are looking for. So, Grave Walkers appears to be a bit of a challenge for me, because my praise for the film is leaning in either direction. Grave Walkers is, again, interesting and something completely different than most titles this year… but was it good? I think the easiest way for me to get my opinion out there is to just write it out as I go and see where it lands. Let’s go on this journey together, shall we?
Grave Walkers is written, directed and edited by Ari Kirschenbaum with producer Laura Irvine and co-editor Carter Reedy. Lead cast members include Charlene Amoia (“How I Met Your Mother,” “The Young and the Restless”), Vladimir Kulich (“Angel,” “McGyver”), Tony Todd (Candyman, Final Destination, Hatchet), Vincent M. Ward (“Everybody Hates Chris,” “The Walking Dead”), Frank Saverino (“Days of Our Lives”), Karen Wheeling Reynolds, Tim Ross, J. Richey Nash, Ed Ricker, Jackson Prather and Raven Whisnant.
Synopsis: Supernatural forces are locked into a small college town police force’s basement jail. The sheriff and his deputies are subjected to psychic attacks, preying on the fears of the loyal officers and only those with the strongest wills can survive.
While I am having trouble putting my thoughts down on paper, I can say decisively that Grave Walkers is probably the first crime-comedy supernatural-horror film on the market. It would be too easy to just slap a horror-comedy sticker on it and call it a day because it has many more entertaining elements than that. Grave Walkers could survive as a modest horror film with different edits, as it could survive as a crime centered supernatural flick with different edits. However, all of these pieces made up an intricate puzzle that worked and is sure to give movie viewers a different cinematic experience. With all of these elements combined, the viewer – myself included – will have no idea which way the story is going to go, as it doesn’t fall into any of the stereotypical film routes of progression. I love that Grave Walkers has the nostalgic feel of the “town is besieged by evil” subgenre that we saw often in the 80’s, but I love it even more with dry humor, wild west themed violence and drama thrown in. Original, otherworldly and fun is the best way I can describe it.
Since I mentioned edits above, I think I’ll address that topic now – since it’s my biggest complaint. I have to say I’m not a fan of the majority of the editing decisions and editing style used in the first 65% of the movie. For me, they just didn’t work and made the film look more amateur than homey. I can tell that a lot of effort was put into producing and directing Grave Walkers and it does have a very intricate story in place, but none of this was reflected in the editing. Luckily, an awesome promo poster and enhanced stills are going to propel the movie in the direction of horror fans and hopefully those materials, along with the equally flashy trailer, will be enough to make people want to spend money on a purchase or stream. By going with the black and white picture and the way the movie was set up as “acts” instead of “segments,” it made everything a little confusing. When the color comes in, which I believe to be a change in mood and thematics, that’s when Grave Walkers returns from the dead. I applaud the crew for continuing the path of originality, but I don’t think this aspect worked.
Luckily, Grave Walkers has a lot more going for it than what I’ve mentioned above. The acting is fantastic.The camera work is on point. The special effects were great and I especially loved the “zombies” that resembled the ghosts from The Fog. I enjoyed the special relationships between characters and their dulled senses at times. The gore would have been better in color, but Grave Walkers has its fair share of blood splatters and gun wounds. Plus, Tony Todd is in the last half. His presence alone greatly enhances the overall quality of any picture. He’s a star no matter what environment you put him in. Grave Walkers is out on VOD in the UK starting tomorrow and I’d say it’s worth the price of a stream. Final Score: 6.25 out of 10.
