Unlike so many of the movies in the horror genre today (The Beginning, U-Turn, Cabin Fever, or the soon to be discussed Dark Ride) Mendez lets us get to know the characters, he develops them into people we might either like or dislike in real life.
He builds a plot (Get it? Grave? Plot? Never mind...) in the first part of the film and in the second starts tossing stuff at us to keep us off balance. Great work. In fact, he does not take too long to get things going, what with creaking doors and pianos that literally play by themselves.
We are soon joined by a pair of paranormal investigators (Tchéky Karyo, who dang near steals the show, and Megahn Perry), who try to track and stop the evil spirits who have one lunar cycle (a month) to take their vengeance for being pulled back from death. Good news, only 30 days. Bad news, they get stronger each night.
The make-up was quite well done, using mostly older style work and the special effects were really good, and done almost totally without crappy CGI, using make-up, screen mattes and body molds, which I think makes for a better film.
This is one of the best in this genre. It has great pacing, humor in the right places, just enough T&A to keep you motivated without actually watching people hump their way across a screen, and more than enough things to make you snuggle up closer to the person you're watching it with. Which could be good or bad, I guess. For me, one of the things I truly loved was the house where the ghost hunters live. Eerie, dark, foreboding, just the sort of place I would like to live in. And across from a cemetery to boot. I love old houses like that, and hope to own one someday. Don't worry, I know how to fight zombies.
All in all, a first class film worthy of being on my list of the top 25 horror films made since 1970. I could stand to own it.
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