User reviews

Well, this film is often regarded as one of the better entries in the 'Eight Films to Die For' sets; but I wasn't very impressed with it. Sure, it has a handful of good points; but unfortunately the film is not particularly original or interesting and that ultimately condemns it. The film does feature a starring role for Dominic Purcell; who apparently is a star of a TV program called Prison Break, which I've never watched. So I guess that a lot of Prison Break fans have given this film a high rating. Anyway, the plot focuses on three people that used to be friends and have reunited for the funeral of another friend, who died (obviously). Anyway, the three of them go out and get drunk and then decide (as you do) to go to a graveyard, where they read an incantation from one of the gravestones and then proceed to dance on the graves. This might not have been such a bad idea if it wasn't for the fact that they were in the 'psycho section'. Anyway, it turns out that the dead don't appreciate having their graves danced on; and the three are terrorised by vengeful spirits.

Credit where credit is due; and it's due in the case of whoever designed the ghosts. Like most people, I'm tired of the Japanese style watery black haired ghosts, and the common smoke-like spectres that have featured all too often. For this film, the ghosts look more like something out of The Evil Dead (and possibly took some influence from the final chapter of the Mario Bava masterpiece Black Sabbath) and they really do look horrific. They're mostly well used too, and while the film goes way over the top on many occasions; it does feature a few jump scares that work well. However, the simple fact is that the story and characters just aren't interesting enough and the reason behind what is happening to the central characters lacks imagination. I have to admit that I didn't really care about anything that went on with the plot of this film and things only got less interesting when the whole ghost hunter plot was introduced. It all boils down to a silly ending and overall, while I really did like the special effects, this is a disappointing horror film and I do not recommend it.

Wow! I get to see Tchéky Karyo (The Patriot) two days in a row. I just watched him with Nick Nolte in The Good Thief, and now here he is as a ghost hunter (yeah, right) with a beautiful assistant Megahn Perry. But, they come in later.

First, there is the grave dancing - and grave pissing. I am sure everyone has at least thought about pissing or dancing on someone's grave. Well, you might want to rethink that after seeing this film, especially if you are the type that watches "Ghost Hunters" on TV. Hee Hee.

After doing the drunken deeds, our heroes: Dominic Purcell (Primeval, Equilibrium), Josie Maran (Van Helsing) and Marcus Thomas (Edmond), are getting their reward - crazed spirits after them.

This spooky film has it all: creaky sound, apparitions, super special effects, blood and gore, and perversion in what i would call a traditional horror film. There is enough to keep your interest throughout, and certainly enough to keep you jumping out of your seat.

And, hey, I wonder who did the casting here as I see a couple of more people from The Patriot?

"The Gravedancers", one of the 8 Films To Die For at the After Dark Horrorfest, is a surprisingly original little supernatural horror movie. The film centers around three long-time friends - Kira, Sid, and Harris. After their close friend dies, Kira and Harris show up for the funeral, and later meet up with Sid, who decided not to attend it. Wanting to say goodbye, Sid convinces them to go out to the graveyard with him, where things get out of hand after the three have been drinking, and they ultimately end up dancing around the cemetery on some graves. Unfortunately for them, they danced upon the graves of just about the worst people possible - and soon find themselves haunted by the ghosts of a child pyromaniac, a woman who killed her lover with an axe, and a sadistic sexual murderer who was the town judge. They decide to seek help in two parapsychologists, and try and survive until the curse ends - but can they?

Definitely one of the better films to be part of the After Dark Horror Fest, "The Gravedancers" is a pretty original movie that captures the style of '70s and '80s supernatural horror films. Storywise, I thought it was pretty unique. The entire idea of desecrating someone's grave and having the spirit come back to haunt you is unique, and the first time I've seen something like it done in the genre. The writing is pretty good here, and the movie was entertaining and significantly thrilling at times. It plods a bit in areas, but during the last thirty minutes things really kick in. There are a few typical scare moments in the movie though (and there are some clichés that abound), but for the most part I thought this film at least tried to avoid most of the clichéd horror set-ups, which was a real benefit here. There is actually some really scary substance here, and I was genuinely spooked by some scenes in this film. The director took good advantage of those "things that go bump in the night" kind of scares, and they are effectively used and really creepy.

As far as the acting goes, it isn't bad. Could have been more convincing I suppose, but I thought everyone gave competent performances. Dominic Purcell (of TV's "Prison Break") is our main lead, and Clare Kramer ("Bring It On" and TV's "Buffy The Vampire Slayer") plays his wife. The acting isn't bad, it's a little bit lacking on some occasions, but overall good enough. The only real complaint I have is the special effects used in the film. The strange thing about this is that they are really good in some scenes, but in others just not. The incarnations of the ghosts are leaning on the corny side, mainly because of the facial makeup (grinning teeth, large eyes - something that almost looks like a Halloween mask). I think a more subtle make up would have been more realistic. And the CGI blowout during the last ten minutes of the film was a little overdone I felt, but I'm not going to complain too much, I'd rather just take this movie for what it is.

Overall, "The Gravedancers" is a horror movie that is worth watching. It delivers a fairly original story and some really nice scares, which are always welcome. In some respects it's a bit corny (mostly with it's special effects usage), but the film is done in a style that is reminiscent of past horror films, so these things are forgivable considering that it's a throwback-type of movie. I'm assuming the budget for this film was pretty modest as well, and taking that into consideration, this movie was pretty well done. Worth a look for horror fans. 7/10.

Saw the premiere at Tribeca. Was really hoping to love it. Forgave the first onslaught of horror clichés, writing them off as elements of horror movie tradition, but as they wore endlessly on, so did my patience. The director (Mike Mendez) should be praised for doing what he could with an abominable script, mediocre actors, and laughable makeup & effects. The atmosphere was genuinely creepy and the photography very good. However, Mendez overused the clichéd "Creepy music building to a benign startle" and "Eerie silence punctuated by loud startling noise" ad nauseum. Get a new gimmick. Overall, I would be excited to see what Mendez would do with a better script and cast, a larger budget, and the confidence to rely on atmosphere and story rather than cheap scares.

I saw this based on some positive reviews just in case it really was a more serious movie that wasn't based on blood and gore like most "horror" today. Well, there wasn't much blood. The "impressive" ghosts were roughly leftover props and effects from "Ghostbusters", the plot was barely noticeable and they found the most annoying actor available for the male lead. Well, maybe it did match the character. And the "twist" wasn't too overplayed. Barely competent work but pointless and tasteless.

It does deserve some kind of award for the most ludicrous title ever, though.

Let me first state that this had a amateur feel to it. However, keeping in mind that it is a horror movie, it much better than 90% of the direct to video garbage out there.

The movie uses a combo to makeup effects and CGI to create the most out of the obvious limited budget. I appreciated the makeup effects more than the CGI gone mad conclusion of the movie.

The acting was tolerable and the side story about the friends honestly didn't bring much to the table. The fact that the ghost story actually had some creepy moments as well as funny moments.

I gave the movie 6 out of 10 which is high for me for this type of production. The bottom line is while the movie has the drawbacks that I listed above, it is still a entertaining horror flick. If you like horror or supernatural thrillers then you could do much worse.

I must admit, there were some interesting parts to the story and it had a few good scares. However, in the end, there were just too many laughably bad scenes and too much poor acting to look past.

I really tried to give this film the benefit of the doubt. It wasn't completely unwatchable, but the climax in the third act was comically bad.

I wouldn't say hard pass but definitely pass...

This movie reminds me of why I am not the biggest fan of the horror genre…because I always end up with my muscles tensed up for two hours and I sit on the edge of my seat and am left feeling completely exhausted. This is one of the freakiest movies I've seen in a really long time, if not ever, and I didn't even watch it alone at night or anything. Anyway, the story is pretty interesting…a group of college friends reunite after a few years and accidentally call upon some spirits of the dead that end up haunting them after a fateful night in the cemetery. One of the haunted individuals contacts a pair of ghost hunters that specialize in paranormal events. In an attempt to document the "happenings" of the haunted three, the paranormal specialists discover the reason behind the creepy happenings—which start out relatively minor with sounds and whispers and voices and escalate into much more intense phenomenons—and try to find a way to put an end to the cycle. The appearance of these spirits is the effing FREAKIEST thing I've ever seen and the image of their faces is going to haunt me for a couple days. Unfortunately, the end of the movie didn't quite do it for me. It was going really great actually until the story and visual effects went a little over-the-top in the last two minutes. However, as the movie hits its climax toward the end, I was quite impressed with how they took the plot into completion. If you have any desire at all to be totally freaked out, definitely go see Gravedancers. It's pretty bizarre and discomforting and personally, I was scared.

I just watched this movie and had to write this because of some other comments that were posted here; someone even called this movie "best horror flick recently" or something like that...

I couldn't agree less! This movie is just stupid, not scary, filled with plot holes in the already cliché-seen it a hundred times-wannabe-horror plot. Acting, continuity, gags, thrill effects - nothing worked out in this movie. May it be that it is a matter of taste whether you like or dislike this movie, but i read an awful lot of comments here about this movie that i think really treated it way to good.

You can say as positive aspects that considering the obviously low budget of the movie the cinematography and some visual effects are quite OK, but this couldn't save the rest for me...I can just say; you are not missing anything not watching this flick!

Mike Mendez's follow up to his kick butt movie The Convent is a mixed bag of tricks. some work, some don't. Gravedancers tells the creative and original story of a group of friends reunited by a funeral. On the night of the occasion they get drunk and accidentally dance on some graves releasing the evil spirits in the wrong side of the cemetery. The spirits of a rapist/murderer, a pyre maniac and another murderer. The friends are haunted by these ghosts according to the curse for a month. And as the month comes to a close the paranormal attacks become stronger and stronger as the ghosts try to take the people with them. It's an intriguing concept and much fun is to be had with it. The performances are all decent, the story is creative and the movie is a little slow at the start but is wildly inventive and macabre once it gets going. Everything in the film is done with a winking eye so you can appreciate the film without feeling to guilty about it. The makeup is cartooned and freaky while the cgi is a little fake looking but an understandable necessity with a low budget especially in a film of this caliber. My main gripes however don't come with the film, it's more with the way it was released. You know i didn't mind shelling out 9.50 for this movie but I'm mad as heck that the film's sound transfer was messed up and sounded mono, and the film quality was amateur looking. It wasn't even fine tuned or polished by After Dark. what could've been delightfully freakish come across humorously because of the films lighting. It's dreadfully bright which kind of kills the suspense of a horror flick. The film looks like a rough cut and should have been really touched up before getting a theatrical release. Because they had a good product but ruined it with no effort at all. This doesn't bode well for their film company or the continuing success of a festival of this sorts. But in conclusion I would just like to say although not on the par of a worthy theatrical release this is definitely worth a look on DVD.

After reading many very positive reviews on 'The Gravedancers', I was so excited at the prospect of seeing an 'excellent' horror, as it has been years since I had my pants scared off. Comments like "I think I am going to have a heart attack" made me turn off the lights, grab the popcorn and set the home entertainment system to max frightening mode! What a waste of clean undies and popcorn that was. The acting was appalling..I think the cast were members of Pinocchio's family, the 'special effects' did not even come into that actual category, and the script..My 2 year old could have done equally as well, if not better. The only scary thing about the whole movie was that I wasted 95 minutes of my life that could have been so much more productively spent, doing something like picking my nose or scratching my butt. Do not bother even picking up the DVD case for this embarrassing example of a horror film. Just awful!

I didn't know what to expect from the so called horror fest this weekend but I liked the trailer for The Grave Dancers so I picked this one to go see at the theater. I liked the way the movies characters both live and ghostly inter acted together and how the story moved and flowed through different characters' personal issue. The film had really good make up and the camera work and shooting was a real eye opener. It was well done. The story at times was predictable at times but the last few scenes really kicks it into high geared as the ghosts let it be known that they are not happy and become completely visible. At times it was a actually funny but I like to be positive and not just trash films because you have to have a level of respect for anyone who creates a film and gets it into a theater of any kind. I did like the fact that the writers didn't feel they needed to be a complete gore slasher type film, so often now blood and guts is king and I don't always need to see all that if it isn't needed to pull off the story. I recommend this film to anyone looking for a good horror type film that doesn't have to have blood coming from all angles to make you feel a little spooked.

Even the director himself admits that his movie wasn't that great—sometimes he even compares it to a joke. I'm here to say it outright sucked, even for an indie film.

The opening scene was solid and probably the best scene in the movie. After that, you're thrust into cliché after cliché. It reminded me of those old kid's books/mini-movies, Goosebumps, but without the solid plot structure. Honestly, some of them have better plotting and stories than this. This is nothing but pure traditional horror than your grandparents enjoyed, but it isn't scary or have any true horror to it.

I respect and like the director after hearing his commentary. And it would be a lie to say there aren't some nifty death/scare scenes. But the story and the flow suck, even for amateur filmmakers. Look up Mike Mendez when he makes his next movie—avoid this one with your life unless it's free to watch on TV.

The former friends Harris (Dominic Purcell), Kira (Josie Maran) and Sid (Marcus Thomas) reunite for drinking after the funeral service of an old friend that died in a car accident. When the bar closes, Sid proposes to go to the Cresent View Cemetery to say farewell to his friend and drink more. Once there, Sid finds a letter in a tombstone, reads it and they dance on three graves. On the next days, weird things happen in the house of Harris and his wife Allison (Clare Kramer), but Allison believes it is Kira, who has a crush on Harris, stalking them. They go to Kira's house and find her wounded in a completely destroyed place. Later Sid calls them and they are introduced to the paranormal investigators Vincent Cochet (Tcheky Kayro) and Frances (Megahn Perry), who tell them that Sid read an ancient spell that cursed the trio and brought back the ghosts of the graves from the damned sector of the cemetery where they danced. He also discloses that Harris and Allison are being haunted by an insane ax murderer pianist; Kira by a sadistic rapist; and Sid by a pyromaniac. They have to break the curse or survive for an entire cycle of the full moon when the curse would finish, while the ghosts are getting stronger and stronger.

Yesterday I saw "The Gravedancers" on cable and I really liked this horror movie. The supernatural ghost story is original and scary, having right doses of humor and funny moments, and the acting is reasonable. This is the first time that I see the idea of bringing ghosts back from hell through the disrespect to the grave of the dead, and I found it great. This movie is highly recommended to fans of the genre. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Carta Para a Morte" ("Letter to the Death")

I would give this rating a negative 5, but only can go as low as a one. The acting in this flick was so bad, it was down right hilarious.

The plot could have been so much more creative, and the special effects were funny as the devil.

I suppose 12 year old would really find this flick scary. Unfortunately, it came with phony over ratings and in fact wasn't really worth making.

I regret to say, show this at a party of 11-12 year old, they will delight in it. Also I suppose people with severe to moderate brain damage might enjoy it.

Its a dud.

The opening features such bad titles and crappy camera work I almost turned 'Gravedancers' off before it even started, but it turned out not to be so bad after all. As direct-to-DVD horror goes, this occupies the high end and for all its plagiarism and clichés, it's entertaining enough. The budget limitations lend the whole thing a vaguely old-fashioned quality, not least when the ghosts are finally revealed, reminding us that static latex can actually be far more creepy than CGI. There's nothing particularly original or inspired here, and the actors, save for Tchéky Karyo and Megahn Perry, deliver nothing more than functional performances, but for all its faults I was inexplicably entertained.

I didn't think this was good. The guy from Prison Break was in it (not Michael, but the other brother) and it seemed like he was in this just for a paycheck. It was slow at the start and then when the action finally came it got to be more of a horror farce than something to take seriously, although the tone was kept somber. It was almost like a cartoon at the end, it got so ridiculous. Might have worked better if it was filmed in a comedic horror style because it didn't work as a genuine horror. As far as the characters, I thought they were mostly amateurish in so far as the acting and pretty bland. The pacing also was difficult, with a slow and tedious start coupled with a rushed super-hyper ending. The premise itself of the movie was kind of silly. I wouldn't recommend this even to horror movie fans, it just was very forgettable and not entertaining.

Old college friends drunkenly reunite at a funeral and end up dancing on the graves of weird killers. But they must pay a price ...

Let's reclassify the idea of cheese. Some things stink, in that they're repulsive to the senses. Movies rely on the senses, so they do sometimes stink. Some cheeses stink, but strangely they are pleasing, delicious. The cheese that repulses the body is the processed stuff, the nontritional crap that kills us, the mid-western, low-fat feast of obesity. In that sense, this movie stinks.

The writing, direction, editing, music and acting stink. Gold standard soap opera, heavy with worthless dialogue. Childish, conservative rubbish.

Best line: "Someone's coming! Let's get out of here!" OR "Wait - do you guys smell smoke?" OR "I think she's gone .... AAARRRGGH!" OR just, "AAARRRGGGH!"

Some review comments say, "But the ghouls are great, wait for it, wait for it!" No. Everything stinks.

Damn you, BA-Harrison! IMDb's best reviewer in epic fail. You gave it an 8/10 - eight out of ****** ten! And it's 95 ****** minutes long.