Graves End

Friends saw this movie at the Chicago Horror Film Festival in April 2005 and urged me to go see it when it showed on the west coast. I saw the film at the Santa Cruz Film Festival in early May 2005 and enjoyed it so much that I went to the second showing the next day along with a number of friends. This horror/thriller has unexpected twists and turns in the plot, and I had not guessed "who done it". This campy movie was sometimes scary,sometimes comical, and always entertaining. GO SEE IT! Eric Roberts and FBI Agent Steven Williams gave outstanding performances as did Sheriff Dan Roebuck. I also enjoyed most of the other characters, especially Maudy - very colorful, especially with the flower in her hair. I hope they do a sequel and in the meantime I'll await the DVD of this one. The movie was filmed in Santa Cruz they say -great setting! Loved the place it was filmed, especially the Great Hall with all the trophy's. Definitely a must see film!

I went to the video store on a Saturday and had a choice between Graves End and Nightmare Man, so I asked the video store clerk which one he would recommend, he said Nightmare Man sucked in general and Graves End was pathetic plainly put, and considering that my options were limited I asked him which one was the worst and he said Nightmare Man, so I left Nightmare Man and took Graves End. and it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

The film was actually quite good, I was expecting another cheap slasher flick but was treated to a great storyline with a few excellent plot twists and the performances by Eric Roberts, Steven Williams and Daniel Roebuck were dead on, the movie generated a lot of suspense mixed with a small dose of horror, so despite the video store clerk's opinion I enjoyed it fully, so I would recommend you check it out for yourself.

8 out of 10

"Graves End" is one of those movies that takes you by surprise with its clever storyline, intriguing plot devices, excellent acting from the lead stars and strong direction. Director James Marlowe opens up "Graves End" with a creepy virtuoso of newspaper clippings and archaic images that is reminiscent of Kenneth Branagh's "Dead Again" and Guillermo Del Toro's "Mimic." Marlowe's opening credits pulls you into the history of the Graves family and what made them what they are. Clearly Marlowe has done his homework about what makes a thriller work and how to compact plot devices into a limited time frame.

The strength of film is drawn from the three leads: Eric Roberts as Tag, Steven Williams as Rickman and Daniel Roebuck as Sheriff Hooper. The chemistry between them is dynamic and propels the film forward. Sky Soleil is outstanding as a brutal psychopath and he reminds one of Jack Nicholson in "The Shining" with his child-like glee upon slaughtering his victims.

The story revolves around a group of missing felons who have been pushed from city-to-city and town-to-town. However, only the little village of Graves End embraces them. These felons happily seek sanctuary in a small town that appears to accept them and all their flaws into their community. All is well until the felons disappear and that prompts FBI agent Paul Rickman to investigate their vanishings and discover what happened to them.

I've been a fan of Eric Roberts but in "Graves End" Mr. Roberts redeems himself for years of prostituting himself out to some very bad films. I would say this is one of Eric Roberts's best performances as he portrays Tag as smarmy and arrogant while still being vulnerable and conflicted. Daniel Roebuck shines as a clumsy backwater Sheriff in over his head but Roebuck plays his character with so much dignity and resolve that you feel for his plight. However, the man who stole the entire film was Steven Williams. Mr. Williams has always brought a level of authority to every role he's played from Captain Adam Fuller in "21 Jump Street" to the mysterious Mr. X in "The X-Files". In "Graves End", Mr. Williams does not disappoint and continues with a commanding performance along the lines of Morgan Freeman in "Seven" and Denzel Washington in "Man on Fire."

Director Marlowe weaves the film together with a fine tapestry of suspense, humor, drama and action. He seems to utilize gore with a wink toward Peter Jackson's "Dead Alive" and Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" trilogy. It seems as though Marlowe believes the gore and blood is an extension of humor that offsets a scene that is previously gruesome and disturbing. However, where Marlowe really makes his mark as a director and an auteur is how he unfolds events, the characters development, the tempo and atmosphere of the film creates a hypnotic effect that draws you into the film deeper and deeper.

Though the film has many pluses one of the glaring minuses is the supporting cast. Though Edward Perotti is fine as Doc the film is hamstrung by the weak and unconvincing performance of Anthony Santucci as Tedesco. Santucci is listed as one of the four writers and must have written himself into the movie as his acting is amateurish and stiff. Thankfully Mr. Santucci's role is small and he doesn't get in the way of spoiling the film.

These thrillers are often conceived in such a way with clues that deceive. Consequently, with this in mind I carefully explore the motives of each character. I regret to say that I was tricked into coming to a wrong conclusion about the perpetrator of the crimes.

I rented "Graves End" at my local video store in Berlin. The cover art to the DVD is rubbish but I rented the movie on the basis it won so many awards. After seeing the film I can see why because it's so damn good. I would rate this film a 9 out of 10 for its combination of humor, drama, suspense and action that is crafted into a first rate psychological thriller.

Living locally and finally getting to see this title years later makes this a nice time capsule piece for the San Lorenzo Valley. Content-wise this is a standard B-movie suspense thriller with some slight horror thrown in to add some depth. Eric Roberts, Daniel Roebuck and Mr. X (X-Files fame) give some decent performances in this story of an FBI agent tracking down some "missing" felons in the small rural town of Graves End. Through the course of several plot twists and murders we discover who the bad guys really are and who the saviors become.

Regarding the filming locations that come across on screen clearly: the Mountain Store, Bear Creek Rd, River Rd (Brookdale), Blake Hammond Manor, Boulder Creek Fire Station, Boulder Creek downtown, Big Basin area, and the Boy Scout Camp (Bear Creek Rd).

The catch is this film is only available on Region 2 DVD right now. The American distributor would not even give me a date for our region. Probably not worth the cost to get it shipped to you from the EU unless you live here in Santa Cruz County (CA).

I read a few user comments about "Graves End" and was intrigued. When I read about Daniel Roebuck in the Pantagraph, I decided, what the hey, I'll go watch that movie. I was really surprised to see a lot of the cast at our local movie theater. It was so cool! Daniel Roebuck, Steven Williams and Fairly Tull were really the nicest people. The director, James Marlowe was hilarious and the producers were equally fun. I thought, wow, they sure are cool people, I hope they made a decent film. I can tell you this, "Graves End" was not only decent, it was EXCELLENT!!! The movie gets you going from the very beginning and the humor is terrific. There are a lot of twists and turns but that's half the fun. Eric Roberts is a fabulous actor but Steven Williams really steals the show. Okay, it's no big Hollywood blockbuster but it has something I haven't seen lately and that's a PLOT! When the movie ended there was a thunderous applause and the cast did a great Q&A with the audience. What a terrific time I had! I wished I'd gone with some friends! Now I want it to come out in movie theaters and tell my buddies I was there first. Go see "Graves End" and have a good time. DD in Bloomington, IL