We're going back to the haunted asylums with this one, as we look at a film that isn't two years old yet. And it's another found footage film. This is either going to be really good, or really bad. Most likely bad.
Here we find a television crew deciding to investigate Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital, supposedly the most haunted place in America. Thinking that they'll be getting the shoot of a lifetime, they enter an eight hour lockdown, however they soon find the place is actually haunted.
Wait, a television crew go into an asylum to investigate whether it is actually haunted. Where have I heard that plot before?
Oh God!
Okay in all fairness 'Episode 50' wasn't that bad, but yeah, it's the same bloody film. Then again upon watching the film, I know I said the film sounded like it was leaning more towards it being bad, the makers of this film must have seen 'Episode 50' and thought "We can do better than this!". And, they do.
This film certainly generates the scares more effectively that 'Episode 50', mainly because most of it is done in the dark, they're either unexpected or timed perfectly, it takes place in one God damn night unlike 'Episode 50' which takes place over a couple of days so the threat is always present rather than coming and going. Also the fact that they spend the entire film in one location shows they can't escape, rather than the sudden scene change in the other film. I'm sorry I'll try and keep the comparisons to a minimum. Probably won't though.
The story is also better, again primarily because the film only takes place in the one location. The weird thing is we aren't actually told any details. Unlike most films where they tell you the back story of the place, 'Grave Encounters' basically says "This was an asylum for the criminally insane. That's it". Heck even main character Lance (Sean Rogerson) asks a groundsman to lie about the place to generate interest, it shows how much he actually believes in the paranormal. It's a nice twist. It does strain towards the end, especially when it reveals some secrets behind the asylum, but you're just wondering "why?" once you see it.
The characters...now that I think about it are pretty bland. I'm trying to remember anything significant about them, but nothing really comes to mind. In fact, they're a copy of 'Episode 50', one girl, three guys and a guest. Thankfully there wasn't an annoying and forceful religious group. I suppose T.C. (Merwin Mondesir) and Matt White (Juan Riedinger) are pretty good characters. Actually, you start to feel for the characters once the horror starts.
The effects are really good too, primarily because there's hardly any CGI. Most of it was done through make-up, what you were seeing was real (Sort of), it was physical, it makes the viewer think that the threat is much bigger than it really is. Any CGI you do see, is used for those scream at the camera scares which, you know from my last post about it (Back in my 'Sinister' review last November), I still think it's a cheap tactic to get scares. Though, there was one moment where the screaming at the camera, kind of worked, I think it was more because of the tension at the time and, while you were expecting something you weren't expecting that.
So when it comes down to it, this is quite an entertaining film. Oh it isn't perfect, the story could've been stronger and the characters developed a bit more, but apart from that this is a pretty good horror flick. You'd definitely find it more fun in the dark and with friends.
Ah this was a pretty fun film. There's only one thing I can think of that would ruin it...
Bollocks!
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