Open Grave released on Blu-Ray and DVD from Tribeca/Cinedigm on July 15.
A man (Sharlto Copley) startles awake and finds himself laying on a mass of corpses in a deep pit. He remembers nothing, not even his name. Just what the hell happened?
He stumbles into a nearby house and finds a group of panicked people who are likewise suffering from some kind of amnesia. It seems nobody knows who they are or why they are there, with the exception of a Chinese woman who seems to have a better handle on the situation, but is incapable of communicating due to the language barrier.
While the title, premise, and marketing of Open Grave all seem to indicate it’s a horror film (and I suppose it is one), I found it to be more of a mystery-thriller — and a serviceable one at that. The horror elements are there but don’t really come to the foreground too much.
By dropping the audience right in on the situation without any more information than what the characters have, the viewer’s experience is one of discovery right along with them. The mystery deepens as the group explores the surrounding woods and make grisly and disturbing discoveries: while unable to find anyone around to talk to, they do encounter some feral, apparently infected people (zombies?), as well as several fetid corpses displayed like gruesome scarecrows. Even as external threats grow, distrust and paranoia threaten the group from within as they try to decipher every new clue in the mystery.
Sharlto Copley’s filmography seems to indicate that he makes a far better chattery working-class protagonist (The A-Team, District 9) than maniacal villain (Oldboy, Elysium). In this film he’s the prior, but somewhat amusingly, also possibly also the latter. Every new clue indicates that whatever’s going on, he’s knee-deep in the middle of it.
The film does suffer a few tropes, such as a truck that has trouble starting when the protagonists are being attacked, but generally feels pretty believable and interesting.
This may seem like a weird comparison but I rather liked the film’s setting and the atmosphere because it reminded me of the first half of my favorite video game of all time: Resident Evil 4. A vaguely European wooded area, remote country houses and shacks, crazed infected people, high tech medical and surveillance equipment contrasting the rural quaintness — it’s all from the RE4 handbook. Obviously I’m responding to a specific experience that won’t connect with everyone, but I feel it’s a valid comparison. RE4 is a masterpiece of atmosphere, and fans will appreciate some of the similarities in this film.
THE PACKAGE
Open Grave comes to Blu-Ray in a nice looking package from Cinedigm and Tribeca. The disc includes 5.1 and stereo mixes of the soundtrack and subtitles (which are appreciable given that some of the international cast members speak with accents). My copy included a slipcase with artwork cover identical to the cover.
Special Features
Almost nothing to speak of. There’s only one extra and it’s basically fluff.
The disc includes three pre-menu trailers for Cinedigm/Tribeca horror films Resolution, Grave Encounters 2, and The Facility.
Behind The Scenes Featurette (3:41)
A short, lightweight, interview-based feature that discusses the film’s setup and themes. More of an EPK-type promo than what I would consider actual “behind the scenes” material.
The film’s main draw definitely is its core mystery, which may not hold up as well on repeat viewings. For this reason, and the lack of extras on the disc, I’d consider this a great rental but definitely not a blind-buy.
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon:
Open Grave — [Blu-Ray] | [DVD] | [Instant]