I previously bemoaned the dearth of quality American Horror films. The After Dark Horrorfest (the 8 Films To Die For series) has trationally disappointed me to the point of anger. That's why when I rented The Graves last weekend, I was understandably wary. The scene snippets shown from the DVD's menu very nearly caused me to not bother with it at all. A killer with a bloody hammer chasing screaming women around a desert. Great. A Texas Chainsaw Massacre or The Hills Have Eyes knock off. My son and some friends convinced me to give it a chance. So I did. Reluctantly. I'll be the first to admit when I'm an idiot. And so I was by prejudging one of new 8 Films To Die For. A man was chasing down and bluddeoning folks to death. A blacksmith, no less. After this opening bit, however, all my preconceptions went out the window. The heroes were two young women, one of whom kills the blacksmith early on. Hmmm. Classic horror actor Tony Todd plays a slightly more than mad preacher whose ultimate role in the carnage isn't revealed until the end. Let me just say The Graves is a unique blend of slasher and supernatural with excellent performances by the female leads. Todd chews up the scenery to the point that I began to wonder if we weren't watching a 200 lb. ham in a pastor's frock, but somehow it worked. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised and a little chagrined. This is the third Horrorfest film out of 24 that I actually liked. So when it comes to low budget horror, take my advice: keep your expectations low and reserve judgment. If only this could happen with a zombie flick...
Rating: 3 out of 5
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