Director: Steven R. Monroe.
Starring: Kaitlyn Leeb, Cassi Thomson, Dejan Loyola, Graham Wardle, Jesse Wheeler, Tom Stevens, Jeffrey Ballard, Hiro Kanagawa.
Running Time: 89 minutes
Certificate: 18
GRAVE HALLOWEEN? With a title like that you just know you’re in for double the horror. Add to that the fact it all takes place in Suicide Forest, and you’ll be asking “What could possibly go wrong?” In I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE remake director, Steven R. Monroe’s made for TV movie in the US, we get an uneven, but not completely unrewarding horror, that pretty much lives up to its cheesy title.
Kaitlyn Leeb plays Maiko, a young Japanese woman who was adopted by an American family long ago. Now living in Japan, she discovers her birth mother committed suicide in a famous suicide spot, and takes along some of her film student pals to document a pilgrimage to recover the body. This isn’t found-footage though, and the use of the documentary crew just allow for more victims, some drama, and an excuse for exposition.
Being set in Japan, but with a typical American horror cast, it’s a real shame that GRAVE HALLOWEEN doesn’t capitalise on its own premise. Although it’s nice to see a mix of such obnoxious characters dealing with creepy imagery more associated with J-Horror, the film could have gone a post-modern route ala CABIN IN THE WOODS. It could have been a culture clash horror, but instead the elements are just sort of there and remain stagnant.
Hardly a game changer, but with a few cool sequences and decent scares, GRAVE HALLOWEEN may very well sow the seeds for something better. How about Americans taking on traditional Chinese vampires? Hopping and all. There may be a market for it, but due to this unfortunately ordinary affair, GRAVE HALLOWEEN will lay no claim to starting a movement.
[usr=2]GRAVE HALLOWEEN is released on DVD on 27th October.
