A good ghost movie is hard to find these days. They either take themselves way too seriously ("The Others" and "The Sixth Sense"), they are just poorly conceived remakes of equally boring Japanese films ("Dark Water" and "Pulse"), or they are just pure garbage ("An American Haunting" and "Feardotcom"). Director Mike Mendez must have felt the same way, but instead of just complaining about it as I do, he actually went out and did something about by making "The Gravedancers." And in doing so he created the best ghost movie since Peter Jackson's underrated "The Frighteners" haunted theaters over a decade ago.
After a close friend dies, the three remaining college buddies get together for one last night of commiserating, drinking, and, of course, dancing. The only problem is their dance floor was the graveyard containing their friend's remains, and a mysterious card read aloud by one of the friends accidentally awakes a trio of neighbors sleeping six feet under. For one week the ghosts have a chance to get one last twirl with the buffoons that awoke them; too bad the dance will last for eternity.
All of the friends gain their own spirit that over the course of seven days will get stronger and stronger until it makes its final attempt to take the life of the person its haunting. Harris (Dominic Purcell) gains the attention of the ghost of a woman who killed her lover and his wife in a fit of jealous rage. Sid (Marcus Thomas) manages to get himself a slightly more manageable sprit in that of a pyromaniac child, while Kira (Josie Maran) gets the worst of the bunch. She gets haunted by the ghost of an old judge that was thought to be an outstanding citizen; then he died and the town found the torture chamber he had created beneath his house.
While "The Gravedancers" is kind of light on plot and character definition, it completely makes up for it with excellent atmosphere and an intentionally funny script. "Gravedancers" was originally shown across the country in select theaters as part of last fall's After Dark Horrorfest that featured eight independent horror films that would have otherwise gone straight to DVD. If you're going to view "The Gravedancers" with the intent of seeing a serious and terrifying horror movie, then you're setting yourself up for disappointment. But fans of lighthearted fare such as the aforementioned "Frighteners" or the classic "Tales from the Crypt" comics and cable show are in for an unexpected treat. Although far from perfect, "Gravedancers" makes up for most of its shortcomings by keeping the audience entertained with its intentionally laugh-out-loud dialogue and horrific puppets. While I'm quick to play down any scary scenes that occur in the film, there is one moment in Harris's bedroom that completely took me by surprise and caused me to jump in my seat, which isn't an easy feat by any means.
After a close friend dies, the three remaining college buddies get together for one last night of commiserating, drinking, and, of course, dancing. The only problem is their dance floor was the graveyard containing their friend's remains, and a mysterious card read aloud by one of the friends accidentally awakes a trio of neighbors sleeping six feet under. For one week the ghosts have a chance to get one last twirl with the buffoons that awoke them; too bad the dance will last for eternity.
All of the friends gain their own spirit that over the course of seven days will get stronger and stronger until it makes its final attempt to take the life of the person its haunting. Harris (Dominic Purcell) gains the attention of the ghost of a woman who killed her lover and his wife in a fit of jealous rage. Sid (Marcus Thomas) manages to get himself a slightly more manageable sprit in that of a pyromaniac child, while Kira (Josie Maran) gets the worst of the bunch. She gets haunted by the ghost of an old judge that was thought to be an outstanding citizen; then he died and the town found the torture chamber he had created beneath his house.
While "The Gravedancers" is kind of light on plot and character definition, it completely makes up for it with excellent atmosphere and an intentionally funny script. "Gravedancers" was originally shown across the country in select theaters as part of last fall's After Dark Horrorfest that featured eight independent horror films that would have otherwise gone straight to DVD. If you're going to view "The Gravedancers" with the intent of seeing a serious and terrifying horror movie, then you're setting yourself up for disappointment. But fans of lighthearted fare such as the aforementioned "Frighteners" or the classic "Tales from the Crypt" comics and cable show are in for an unexpected treat. Although far from perfect, "Gravedancers" makes up for most of its shortcomings by keeping the audience entertained with its intentionally laugh-out-loud dialogue and horrific puppets. While I'm quick to play down any scary scenes that occur in the film, there is one moment in Harris's bedroom that completely took me by surprise and caused me to jump in my seat, which isn't an easy feat by any means.
A good ghost movie is hard to find these days. They either take themselves way too seriously ("The Others" and "The Sixth Sense"), they are just poorly conceived remakes of equally boring Japanese films ("Dark Water" and "Pulse"), or they are just pure garbage ("An American Haunting" and "Feardotcom"). Director Mike Mendez must have felt the same way, but instead of just complaining about it as I do, he actually went out and did something about by making "The Gravedancers." And in doing so he created the best ghost movie since Peter Jackson's underrated "The Frighteners" haunted theaters over a decade ago.
After a close friend dies, the three remaining college buddies get together for one last night of commiserating, drinking, and, of course, dancing. The only problem is their dance floor was the graveyard containing their friend's remains, and a mysterious card read aloud by one of the friends accidentally awakes a trio of neighbors sleeping six feet under. For one week the ghosts have a chance to get one last twirl with the buffoons that awoke them; too bad the dance will last for eternity.
All of the friends gain their own spirit that over the course of seven days will get stronger and stronger until it makes its final attempt to take the life of the person its haunting. Harris (Dominic Purcell) gains the attention of the ghost of a woman who killed her lover and his wife in a fit of jealous rage. Sid (Marcus Thomas) manages to get himself a slightly more manageable sprit in that of a pyromaniac child, while Kira (Josie Maran) gets the worst of the bunch. She gets haunted by the ghost of an old judge that was thought to be an outstanding citizen; then he died and the town found the torture chamber he had created beneath his house.
While "The Gravedancers" is kind of light on plot and character definition, it completely makes up for it with excellent atmosphere and an intentionally funny script. "Gravedancers" was originally shown across the country in select theaters as part of last fall's After Dark Horrorfest that featured eight independent horror films that would have otherwise gone straight to DVD. If you're going to view "The Gravedancers" with the intent of seeing a serious and terrifying horror movie, then you're setting yourself up for disappointment. But fans of lighthearted fare such as the aforementioned "Frighteners" or the classic "Tales from the Crypt" comics and cable show are in for an unexpected treat. Although far from perfect, "Gravedancers" makes up for most of its shortcomings by keeping the audience entertained with its intentionally laugh-out-loud dialogue and horrific puppets. While I'm quick to play down any scary scenes that occur in the film, there is one moment in Harris's bedroom that completely took me by surprise and caused me to jump in my seat, which isn't an easy feat by any means.
After a close friend dies, the three remaining college buddies get together for one last night of commiserating, drinking, and, of course, dancing. The only problem is their dance floor was the graveyard containing their friend's remains, and a mysterious card read aloud by one of the friends accidentally awakes a trio of neighbors sleeping six feet under. For one week the ghosts have a chance to get one last twirl with the buffoons that awoke them; too bad the dance will last for eternity.
All of the friends gain their own spirit that over the course of seven days will get stronger and stronger until it makes its final attempt to take the life of the person its haunting. Harris (Dominic Purcell) gains the attention of the ghost of a woman who killed her lover and his wife in a fit of jealous rage. Sid (Marcus Thomas) manages to get himself a slightly more manageable sprit in that of a pyromaniac child, while Kira (Josie Maran) gets the worst of the bunch. She gets haunted by the ghost of an old judge that was thought to be an outstanding citizen; then he died and the town found the torture chamber he had created beneath his house.
While "The Gravedancers" is kind of light on plot and character definition, it completely makes up for it with excellent atmosphere and an intentionally funny script. "Gravedancers" was originally shown across the country in select theaters as part of last fall's After Dark Horrorfest that featured eight independent horror films that would have otherwise gone straight to DVD. If you're going to view "The Gravedancers" with the intent of seeing a serious and terrifying horror movie, then you're setting yourself up for disappointment. But fans of lighthearted fare such as the aforementioned "Frighteners" or the classic "Tales from the Crypt" comics and cable show are in for an unexpected treat. Although far from perfect, "Gravedancers" makes up for most of its shortcomings by keeping the audience entertained with its intentionally laugh-out-loud dialogue and horrific puppets. While I'm quick to play down any scary scenes that occur in the film, there is one moment in Harris's bedroom that completely took me by surprise and caused me to jump in my seat, which isn't an easy feat by any means.
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