Movie Review: ‘GRAVE ENCOUNTERS 2’

Grave Encounters was a found footage film that tried to set itself apart from others by claiming it was a ghost hunter’s show and that these are the events that really happened. Well, the sequel Grave Encounters 2 tries to fool the audience again with a film student who becomes obsessed with the first movie. He believes someone is trying to contact him from the original film to prove the footage was true.

Grave Encounters 2 stars Richard Harmon as Alex, a film student who is currently working to create the best and most original horror film. He has a weekly v-log where he discusses films of the genre and Grave Encounters is a film that he gives a horrible review to. Soon after he is contacted on his Youtube page by someone named “Death Awaits.” Not happy with how his film is going, he becomes more intrigued with Grave once he continues to receive emails and other clues from “Death Awaits.” He believes that someone is trying to tell him that the events in Grave are real so he heads out to California to meet the producer of the film. After a weird encounter (no pun intended) with the producer, he is led to believe the story is true and uses a hidden camera to convince his friends that they should come with him to the asylum where Grave Encounters was filmed. He plans to make his perfect movie by proving the events were true (isn’t that what the guys in the first were doing?). Reluctantly, they all go and soon embark on a journey they will never forget.

I will say the first 20 minutes or so of the movie had me intrigued. I thought Harmon and his friends did a pretty good job of showing the obsession with Grave and how its was affecting their lives. The acting wasn’t terrible because as the case with most found footage movies, everyone is trying just to be a normal person. The dialogue seems natural and doesn’t look scripted and the actors it off pretty well. By the time Alex meets the producer in Cali and gets ready to head to the asylum, the film starts to go down hill. What takes place in the asylum ends up being the worst part of the movie which no doubt should have been the best part. There is too much going on at once, and when they do find the original host of Grave, it’s obviously clear he is deranged. He has been disconnected from the world and so there was no need for the film to continually push you in that direction. I was more than happy when the film ended, not because it was a great ending but just because it was over. Ultimately, the ending is far from satisfying as well. Overall, the potential for good things was evident in the beginning but quickly went downhill. I’m not sure how they could have improved on this film, but one thing I know for sure is there is no need for a third.

Grave Encounters 2 is directed by John Poliquin and is now available on DVD and VOD.