After the funeral of an old friend who died in a car accident, former school friends Harris, Kira, and Sid break into the local cemetery after dark, and after Sid reads a mysterious incantation he finds on one of the nearby tombstones, they dance on the graves. Soon, the three of them find themselves haunted by three different ghosts whose graves they desecrated. Harris and his wife Allison find themselves haunted by a deranged female pianist/ax murdered. Sid gets haunted by a child pyromaniac, and Kira haunted by a sadistic rapist. All of them turn to a paranormal investigator named Vincent Cochet and his assistant Frances to try to help them break the curse they imposed on themselves before the next full moon when they will be killed by the ghost s wrath. Starring: Dominic Purcell, Josie Maran, Clare Kramer, Marcus Thomas, Tchéky Karyo
Directed by: Mike Mendez
Runtime: 95 minutes
Studio: Lions Gate
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDBReview: The Gravedancers
Growing up I was always wary of walking on gravestones. I didn’t fear anything bad would happen but I was raised so politely that it never crossed my mind and I still feel that way today. In Mike Mendez’s film we have a trio of friends who go one better by dancing on some graves! Harris (Dominic Purcell), Kira (Josie Maran) and Sid (Marcus Thomas) are reunited when a friend dies in an accident. Sid doesn’t go to the funeral but after getting drunk decides to go the graveyard and pay his respects. Harris and Kira join him and suddenly the friends are dancing, enjoying themselves and Harris takes the opportunity to kiss Kira even though he is married to Allison (Claire Kramer). In the days that follow the three friends begin to first hear strange noises and then have bizarre individual encounters.
The hauntings of the three friends are not restricted to them alone. Others they know can also be attacked. We focus mostly on Harris where it is Allison that first hears strange noises. Doors opening when they shouldn’t, a piano playing and stopping whenever Harris enters the room and the cat is on edge and even disappears at one point. Allison believes it is Harris’ ex Kira that is causing the problems but when they visit her, Kira is beaten and bloody, her home trashed and she is rushed to hospital. Sid has also been having difficulties and turned to paranormal investigators Vincent (Tcheky Karyo) and Frances (Megahn Perry) for help. When the group go back to the graveyard they see the graves they have danced on come from criminals. Harris has danced on the grave of a piano teacher that murdered her lover and his wife, Kira is haunted by a judge that liked to abduct, rape and torture, while Sid is the victim of a boy who was a pyromaniac. Vincent and Frances have theories on how to stop the hauntings and reveal the ghosts have a limited time to achieve their ultimate objective: to kill those that disrespected their final resting places.
The Gravedancers has a pretty decent storyline and there is enough to unnerve and keep you interested for the duration. Three distinct ghosts offer some welcome variety and although the conclusion isn’t difficult to spot this is still worth consideration. Once again: don’t walk or dance on people’s graves!
Verdict: 3/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
About the Author:
I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school. In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu's Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I'm a lover of films, games, books and blogging. I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats - Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.
David M. Brown – who has written 779 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.
