Flush that Potty Mouth!

Ghostly Graffiti in Grave Encounters

Last year I posted about the trailer for Grave Encounters, an independent horror movie about the crew of a paranormal investigative TV show who find themselves trapped inside an abandoned asylum which is not only actually haunted, but may be rife with demonic forces. I finally caught it last night on cable and thought I'd share a few thoughts about it with you.

A 'found footage' movie in the style of The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, Grave Encounters has some truly intense moments and a couple of great jolts (a moment that truly got me involved images similar to one of the most terrifying nightmares I've ever had). The cast of Canadian unknowns does alright and the atmospheric sets are downright creepy. And like any decent haunted house movie, it's most effective moments are when we can't see what's happening and are left to imagine it for ourselves. All in all, Grave Encounters is a fun and effective horror movie that I almost really enjoyed. 

Almost? Yes, almost. And I'll tell you why - nearly every other word in the movie was "F#@%!" Now, I'm no prude. I have no problem with profanity and have been known to use some very colorful combinations of it (especially when a rude and dangerous driver pulls some idiotic stunt in front of me) and have even included the F-bomb in my own screenplays. It wasn't that someone used the word. It was that everyone used the word, constantly. It got to the point where I literally wished I could have reached into the screen and washed the actors' mouths out with soap. The movie was written and directed by first-time filmmakers, the Vicious Brothers but I don't know whether the script was that profane or the actors improvised all of that swearing. In either case, it nearly ruined what would have been a perfectly fine movie experience. the brothers have written a sequel which is scheduled for an October release in Canada. I hope they toned the swearing down for it. Of course, the actors could have just been swearing about being Canadian (love you Joyce and Mark!). 

 More, anon.
Prospero