Grave Mistakes

This is the earlier movie by the same filmmakers as "Book of Lore", which they say was made for around a thousand dollars. And they spent the money wisely by delivering a pretty darn good anthology film about a grave robber. He finds on a corpse a ring, that he takes to a pawn shop owner, who tells him some stories that play themselves out. The movie includes five short stories, which tend to wrap around to the grave robber in the end. Some excellent effects highlight this movie which I liked better than their "Book of Lore". These young filmmakers are going places, they love doing horror films, and they know what they are doing with the budget constraints they have. Give them a little more money, and they should be known very very soon for their work. FYI, this comes as a double feature DVD, which includes their movie "Book of Lore", a very good double feature. Good luck to you guys.

No-count grave robber Mr. Burke (a fine and intense portrayal by Ryan Thomas) steals a ring from a corpse and tries to pawn said ring to a suspicious shopkeeper (well played by John Latchford Beck) who runs an antiques store. The shopkeeper tells Mr. Burke a quartet of horrific stories about a vengeful zombie (pretty good), vampires on the rampage in a hospital (another solid yarn), a vindictive ghost (quite eerie), and a dysfunctional family afflicted with a bizarre curse (the last, best, and most unsettling anecdote). Director Chris LaMartina, who also co-wrote the tight script with Jimmy George, keeps the concise narrative moving at a snappy pace, does a sturdy job of creating and maintaining a spooky atmosphere, stages the shock set pieces with real flair, and delivers a handy helping of ghastly gore. Better still, the individual vignettes are terse and to the point while LaMartina's energetic and straightforward execution keeps things lively and entertaining throughout. The sound acting from the able cast helps a whole lot, with especially praiseworthy contributions from A.J. Hyde as surly insomniac Patrick, Mark J. Kilbane as struggling blocked writer Roger, and the ubiquitous George Stover as wimpy priest Alan Marshall. Moreover, we've got a cool array of funky monsters: Besides the aforementioned zombie, ghost, and vampires, there's also a vicious demonic beast in the fourth tale and a lethal shambling mummy appears at the climax of the wrap-around segment. The crisp cinematography and the shivery score are both up to speed. A neat little omnibus item.