OPEN GRAVE REVIEW

A man wakes up in the wilderness, in a pit full of dead bodies, with no memory and must determine if the murderer is one of the strangers who rescued him, or if he himself is the killer.

Starring: Sharlto Copley, Joseph Morgan, Thomas Kretschmann, and Erin Richards

Directed by: Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego

Written by: Chris Borey and Eddie Borey

  

  Not knowing much about "Open Grave" definitely makes it more enjoyable. Speaking of not knowing, John (Sharlto Copley) wakes up at the beginning of the movie not knowing who he is, or where he is. That is of course besides the fact that he just woke up in a huge grave. He's rescued by a group of people who don't know who they are either. This causes immediate tension, and caution among the group.

  The fun part about this movie is trying to figure out what is happening to these characters at the same time as they are trying to figure it out. At first it might have horror fans thinking it's one type of horror movie, as each character is suspicious of the next. They know a mass murder has taken place, and aren't sure which one of them did it, or maybe it's someone who is watching them. Soon enough, the characters realize something else is happening, and there are different questions that need to be answered. The audience also realizes it's a different kind of horror movie.

  To no surprise, not all of the characters survive to see what is truly going on. There are some decent deaths, but that isn't the focus here. It's more about the suspense and mystery, which is perfectly constructed. Because of how well this story unfolds, I give it 3 pools of blood.

  HorrO

DARK FEED REVIEW

When a film crew moves into an abandoned psychiatric hospital with a shadowy past to shoot a low budget horror film, they get more than they bargained for. The late nights and lack of sleep begin to take a toll, and the longer this crew works, the more the leaky, wet building seems to be coming back to life, feeding off its new inhabitants. As the shoot wears on, members of the crew exhibit increasingly strange behavior leaving those still sane realizing they need to get out of this place before they too succumb to the building's infectious hold, the only problem, the old hospital is not ready to let them go. 

Starring: Evalena Marie, Michael Reed, Jonathan Thompson, and Michael Scott Allen

Directed and written by: Michael Rasmussen and Shawn Rasmussen

  An abandoned psychiatric hospital usually is a good setting for a horror movie, and it certainly works in "Dark Feed." Maybe because they stick to the title and make it very "dark,” maybe even too dark in some scenes. There are lots of rooms in the hospital, where light is hard to come by. It maintains a creepy feeling throughout the movie, which works perfectly with the craziness that ensues.

  The craziness is great because no one is safe. One by one the characters either go nuts, or become a victim of someone who has already gone nuts. There are some good deaths, include one of the actors who wanted to become an actress! If only they would have shown a little more blood to match the craziness.

  The darkness and craziness save what is a really slow start to the movie. There is a long process of introducing a lot of different characters, and setting up their movie shoot. If "Dark Feed" would have gotten to the point a little quicker, and used some more blood I might have given it more than 2 pools of blood!

  HorrO