The Graveyard (2006 Video) User Reviews

Another Weak and Predictable Ripoff of Friday 13th

[claudio_carvalho · 4/10 · 19 October 2007]

The friends Jack (Leif Lillehaugen), Allie (Trish Coren), Sarah (Erin Lokitz), Charlie (Chris Stewart), Michelle (Lindsay Ballew) and Eric (Mark Salling) go to the Placid Pines Cemetery to play hide and seek in the tombs. Meanwhile their friend Bobby (Patrick Scott Lewis) dresses like a masked killer to play a prank with Eric. However, the scared Eric runs trying to escape and stumbles, dying impaled over sharp bars. Bobby takes the blame alone for the deadly accident and spends five year in prison. When he goes to his parole hearing, Michelle testifies and he gets his probation. Michelle drives with Bobby to a camp nearby the graveyard where the tragedy happened to reunite their friends and resolve their issues. They are welcomed by the gentle grounds-keeper and cook Peter Bishop (Markus Potter). Along the next hours, Jack's girlfriend Veronica (Eva Derrek) is killed by a mysterious masked killer; then Sarah's former girlfriend Zoey (Natalie Denise Sperl) is also murdered. When the group realizes what is happening, they find that they are trapped in the spot.

"The Graveyard" is another weak and predictable ripoff of "Friday 13th". The story has a promising beginning, but unfortunately the silly screenplay is badly developed and the characters are absolutely inconsistent and some of them annoying. Jack, for example, is a stupid imbecile; Allie and Veronica are sluts; Michelle is amazing, seeing all her friends dead but still having love to give to Peter Bishop in the most inappropriate romantic moment; Charlie is a freak, as defined by his friends (why did they invite him?); the lesbian Zoey appears just to be killed; the redneck Sheriff is shamefully ridiculous. Further, how could Bobby be blamed alone in a collective sick joke? Is the name of the cemetery "Placid Pines Cemetery" (as written in the front gate) or "Pleasant Pines Graveyard" (as called by Jack?). The conclusion of this slash movie is awful. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "O Cemitério - O Mal Não Descansa" ("The Cemetery - Evil does not Rest")

To my opinion not worth the time

[messman_2000 · 2/10 · 22 June 2006]

Well I took the time to see it... Wish I didn't. The image quality is good, picture is clear and well shot even if a bit static. It does have a decent start but the plot suddenly turns into a movie we all seen hundreds of times, over and over. Acting ain't great either, well kind of tending to bad at some points. The script is... old and old and let me think... old... events are predictable and the story-line has glitches that would NEVER ever happen in a real-life situation. My final opinion is a big no no to this movie. If you want to see a good Thriller/Horror movie there are tons better out there at the moment like "Fragile" or "The Omen 666".

Yet Another Friday the 13th Ripoff

[w00f · 2/10 · 7 June 2007]

Sometimes you have to wonder how many times "Friday the 13th" will get warmed over before people stop making the same story again and again.

In this textureless clone, the rip-offs are particularly obvious. At one point, one of the characters even utters the line, "It's not like Jason is out in the woods looking for victims." The slasher wears a mask. It's just the same old story with the very slightest of differences at the end (hint: revenge killing).

The acting is unconvincing as is the story. The characters in this one do things that are so completely stupid that it kills any hint of suspense. Particularly lousy in this regard is the character of the sheriff; from his first scene, anyone who has seen more than three slasher movies will know exactly what's going to happen to him.

One question: what was the editor thinking? Scenes in the movie appear to reel back and forth between day and night shots with no sense of time at all.

Bad, bad stuff here. It would even be impossible to write a spoiler for this flick; if you can't see the end of this movie coming, you're either severely brain damaged or under the age of 12.

Hey, look, it's the 1980s again....

[moviemanic07 · 28 June 2006]

A teenage prank at a cemetery results in the death of a friend. Five years later, the group reunites at the camp near the cemetery after their ringleader is paroled from prison in an attempt to put the past behind them. Unfortunately, a (surprise!) masked killer arrives to make sure that doesn't happen. On the plus side, the film has decent production values. It looks okay, and the direction is smooth and professional, as evidenced by the simple but adequate shot selection. There is also enough gore and gratuitous nudity to satisfy fans of the genre. However, the script dooms the production. As a mystery, the film has the complexity of an episode of "Scooby Doo." What we're left with is a boring "Friday the 13th" ripoff, but without the thrill of discovery we experienced when the first cycle of masked killer films arrived. That said, there is always room for good ripoff, but this isn't one. The problem is the writing. I never believed any of the characters for a second. Their only bond, other than the accidental killing, seemed to be their antipathy for each other. I don't believe these people would have gotten together for a reunion to "help" their "friend" who went to jail. Their motivations were inconsistent at best. And, boy oh boy, were they stupid. Not one of them exhibited even a modicum of common sense. Worse still, the characters were so bland that I could hardly tell them apart. By the end of the film, I could only associate names with one or two of the characters. If the writing exhibited the professionalism of the cinematography, this film would have had potential, but alas....

I was also disappointed by the box art. I picked this film up because I was in the mood for a creepy cemetery film, but so little of the film took place in the cemetery that I felt ripped off.

I was disappointed. I expect a little more from Lion's Gate. This film had a decent look, but, overall, it had the script and mentality of a York or Maverick release.

Should be buried

[fifi_st_michael · 1/10 · 22 December 2007]

Very amateur, student-film quality.

Maybe Christopher Pike or RL Stine wrote this as a practice exercise.

Inconsistent plot, full of holes and bad transitions.

People who are supposed to pass for college? possibly HS students play a most unconvincingly lame and tedious game of hiding in a cemetery.

Yawn for several minutes as each of 6 enters through the iron-staked broken gates as what passes for character introduction.

Despite the fact that someone is tragically impaled there (in a very transparent practical joke gone wrong), when the movie cuts to 5 years later, no one has repaired the obviously dangerous and previously fatal ironwork.

Bobby, who did time for this accidental manslaughter, acts stand-offishly cold.

SO why is he there for this stupid closure/ reunion, anyway?

Oh, to play a joke on someone. Not even a good one. 5 yrs in prison, and still a one-act cornball.

People are dying... (yawn)

You can figure out who's shady.

Meanwhile there are a few Goosebumps- type red herrings, which are more annoying distracting than remotely convincing.

Some convoluted sex along the way, just to make sure you're paying attention, and remind you that anyone who gets laid in a horror movie ends up dying.

Some sideplots that you wouldn't care about, except that the main plot is so basic you'll want to divert yourself into thinking this is one of those movies where the tangents all come together.

It's not.

The ending is very Christopher Pike/ RL Stine.

I was able to rent this for free, and I got my money's worth.

The name says it all...

[jameskatte · 1/10 · 22 July 2006]

The only thing going for this movie is picture quality. There is no shock or horror when the people are killed, only why. And the why, is not worth the wait. The plot is boring, the acting even more so. Sub-plots that are made to drive the viewer away from guessing the killer go absolutely nowhere. The clues that are given turn out to be nothing, the killings are overly gruesome without a reason. And when the killer is divulged, i was as confused as anything. Look, if the people making this movie would be kind enough to explain to me how a person can be in 2 places at once and the point of the cop in this movie, i would be very thankful! Akin to the name, this movie should stay in the graveyard and all will be better off not watching it!

What the hell? Beyond the bounds of illogical

[Horrorible_Horror_Films · 1/10 · 10 November 2008]

This film is one of the more stupid slasher flicks I've seen in a long time, if not ever. There are some major problems with key plot elements, among them:

#1) A person will not be charged and convicted of manslaughter when they did not in no way, shape or form commit manslaughter.

Yet, were are expected to believe that is exactly what happened. Prior to that, we are supposed to believe that just by running, you can impale yourself - all the way through your entire body - on some metal rods. Not falling from a few stories, not being thrown into them or anything, just general running - and apparently you wouldn't instinctively stop, or avoid the rods, or anything else. Then, because of this impossible impaling, the guy's friend gets 5 years for manslaughter - even though he never touched him! MORONIC! At least there is some nice nudity, a few times. But just about everything these characters do and say makes no sense whatsoever.

hahahahaha

[onceaweek_doomed · 1/10 · 4 February 2007]

this was one of the funniest movies i've seen in a while. i laughed sooo hard! when Allie was being chased by a ravenous murderer, she was simply jogging up the stairs. i could actually imagine her going: "one, two, one, two, three... and... once more, ladies: one, two..." and the killer simply and quite dully slashed her leg with the knife. but, honestly... this killer must have had a speed hack(and counter-striker's know what i'm talking about): he kept playing with his victims (as an example, in the "chasing Allie" scene, he jumped up the stairs, wounded her, disappeared, somehow climbed to the top of the stairs - the path he used is a secret which is yet to be reveled - and reappeared, waiting for the terrified girl to walk into his arms... and then ,he disappeared once more, without even touching the poor girl. what kind of a psycho would do that??? )... later on , it was obvious to me that he also had a wall-hack, as wherever his victims went, he just KNEW. the graveyard was full of... well, what could a graveyard be full of?! tombstones, burial vaults were all around. Sarah found the perfect one for her to hide in and.. what does the killer do?! goes right in after her. then, at the very end, the killer gets stabbed and shot in the head. what do you think he's next move will be? obviously, he manages to get in the car the survivors entered and drive them... to another, better place. he had the invincibility hack turned on as well. that's not fair, man. i hate the freaking cheaters!

but, to be completely honest, i think we are dealing with a wide range of human types: we have the sex-obsessed guy; the nerd the entire group hated(but he was accepted, obviously, thanks to those charming eyes of his); the murderer that has spent 5 years in a prison convinced that it wasn't (entirely) his fault; the retarded sheriff; the cool guy that gets scared so easily that he gladly throws himself into death's open arms; the innocent boy that was turned into a mass-murderer because his brother died and his family couldn't get over it; the sex-obsessed girl who became a teacher; the "i'm so smart i can't have fun" girl who gets to survive(why??? why does she always survive???); the lesbian obsessed with her friend; and i could go on forever. what other movie that you know has managed to portray so beautifully these human types? obviously, none.

let's get back to the point, though: it was a funny movie, if you were in the mood for a bad horror movie(and, luckily enough, i was. otherwise, i would have turned off the TV as soon as the action turned... the way it did.). i must tell you the truth: stay away from this movie. it was funny, but it's not supposed to be so. if a friend tells you that it was great, he's lying - say no. if someone stops you on the street and asks you to watch the movie - say no. if someone offers you money to watch this movie - say no. unless he promises you big bucks. then ,you could give it a try. you might have to stay in bed a couple of days to recover, and only you will be able to tell if it was worth it...

Bury it - **Contender for Worst Film Ever Made**

[StanleyStrangelove · 1/10 · 12 June 2007]

What do you do with a dopey "film" like "The Graveyard?" Bury it. Bury it deep where no one will ever see it. Yes, it's that bad.

The plot: A bunch of stupid teenagers wandering off alone into dark places at a camp, saying "did you hear that?" and then wandering off ALONE to investigate, having boring sex while they wait to be killed off by some goon in a jumpsuit suit and a bad mask. The goon in the jumpsuit is supposed to be scary but he's actually unintentionally comical. Yes, there is a topless girl having sex and another topless girl taking a shower but you know what's going to happen to them because you've seen it all before in hundreds of other films.

This "film" is so bad it makes Friday the 13th seem like Citizen Kane in comparison. This film is so derivative if you look up "derivative" in the dictionary you will see a definition for this piece of tripe.

These characters act so stupidly you want them to be killed off. Save yourself the time and money and don't waste your time on this dead turkey.

My rating: Total Turkey

Sure it's bad but it has a few good things

[preppy-3 · 3/10 · 19 July 2008]

A bunch of high school idiots sneak into a graveyard late one night. They decide to play hide and seek but one dies in a tragic accident. Bobby (Patrick Scott Lewis) is accused and sent to jail for it. Five years later he's released and his former friends take him to a summer camp near the graveyard to help him get over it (???). While there they are attacked by a masked killer who kills them one by one. Is it Bobby or someone else? Seriously you won't care!

The plot is insultingly stupid with cardboard characters--there's the slutty girl, the obnoxious over-sexed guy, the now clichéd lesbians, the nerd and the ever present good girl and good guy. There's also a LONG needless shower scene that the straight guys in the audience will enjoy. Also the plot is stupid with some real pointless twists that add nothing to it. Plot inconsistencies abound--night changes to day almost immediately, the graveyard STILL has a hole in its wall five years later and is there really a summer camp that's 10 MILES away from civilization? There are plot holes galore and the explanation at the end doesn't really make a bit of sense. Two of the actors--Leif Lillehawgen (as Jack) and Lewis (as Bobby) are pretty awful. Also the VERY end was a groaner. To make it worse this was shot direct to video and the image is very soft and fuzzy.

On the good side there IS some good acting by Lindsay Ballew (as Michelle and especially Markus Potter (as Peter). The other actors are OK. The killings are bloody, violent and well done. There are a few cute lines here and there too like "Nothing good ever comes of a girl going into a dark basement". But, all in all, a pretty by the numbers slasher.

Bury This

[xposipx · 4/10 · 13 March 2017]

A group of friends play hide and seek in a graveyard as teens and a prank goes horribly wrong. One of them dies by accident and only one of the friends gets blamed. Five years later, he is released from prison and the group get back together for a reunion. Obviously, someone starts picking them off one by one.

This seemed promising at the beginning, but the movie slowly lost any pace that was being built and the gore began to get more dry as it went on. There's poles through a chest, an axe through the chest, stabbings and slit throats, suffocation and electric shock. There was a little blood involved....unfortunately all but one killing scene were pretty boring.

Props to Eva Derrek....I think this is what kept my eyes open during some of this film. All of the actors in this movie are relatively unknown and have short resumes. That's how these movies should and are supposed to be like. No one really stood out to me besides Leif Lillehaugen who played the stereotypical jerk. He had some good one- liners that made me snicker a few times. All in all they had their good moments and their really bad moments, but isn't that was teen slashers are all about?

Bottom Line: Did the world really need another teen slasher with a generic premise like this? No twist in the world could have made me care by the end of this The Graveyard. The direction, actors, and crew were all fine, but for the love of God give the fans some respect. If you're pleased with some dry kills, a generic slasher premise, and a tiny bit of humor then this is for you. If you need one drop of originality then stay far away. Again, I've seen MUCH worse. That does not make this worth watching though.

Shockingly not bad!

[Brutal_concept · 6/10 · 9 May 2006]

My work received a screener pack from Maple for movies released in June. Through past experiences most of the films in them were, well just plain appalling. And I would end up turning them off within the first few seconds. But this movie caught my eye from the very start. The art for the cover was rather dark and somewhat scary looking, so of course I loved it! I found myself relating to the film really quickly. Just brought me back to when I was a teenager and playing hide and seek in a graveyard, good times. So most people can find themselves relating to this movie, which in return makes it much more freaky, cause you start to think about this stuff happening to you, which in all respects it can. Its not one of those movies that are far fetched and just unbelievable.

You get a Friday the 13th vibe in this movie from the very start, mostly from the surroundings and the kills in it. Not to mention the fact that it is based in a summer camp. The one down fall is that the killer is easily guessed. Within the first ten minutes I had a good idea of who it was and why they were killing.

I would defiantly recommend this film to a horror fan. It has all the factors of a good horror film, blood, knives, those characters who you hate and would like to kill yourself, some laughs, but not too many, a straight to the point plot, no extremely unbelievable stories. And finally the whole fear with being able to relate to the story, there is nothing more scary then that.

Truly worth a watch.

Your Crazy! That's what my therapist told me. . . Just Before I Killed Him!

[sol1218 · 5/10 · 25 March 2007]

***SPOILERS*** A romp in the graveyard at midnight didn't turn out to be such a good idea for young Eric as he ended up being chased by a masked psycho ending up impaled on a steel fence. We soon find out, what Eric didn't live long enough to, that the whole thing was just a joke, a deadly joke, played on him by his friends. The joke not only ended up killing him but the person who was chasing Eric, that lead to his untimely death, Bobby ended up doing time, five years, in prison for manslaughter. It's now five years later with Bobby released on parole and him and his friends, who were involved in Erics death, now back at the scene of the crime. Everyone involved with Eric's death want to reflect and meditate at what they did to the poor guy and finally have closer to what happened; but closer is not what Eric or whoever the masked killer is wants he wants revenge!

Not bad slasher flick that keeps you guessing to who's doing all the slashing with this masked psycho doing in everyone at Camp Placid where all of Eric's friends are staying. There's a lot of very heavy action going on at the camp as well with the big stud Jack, or "Jock de Lovier", of the group of young people trying to make it with all the cute and sexy chicks there. Intead of making it Jack ends up losing his head, literately, when things start to go over it as well as get out of control.

Bobby the ex-con of the bunch who at first didn't seem to care less of what's was going on at Camp Placid later started to get very apprehensive over all the killing. Bobby feeling that he's, being a convicted felon, going to be held responsible for them by the local authorities. He then tries to get help only to end up arrested, by the county's cop or Man of the Year 1974, and put behind bars for a murder that he not only didn't commit but didn't even now about: the killing and decapitation of some unidentified biker.

The masked killer does in almost all the people who came to say grace and reflect on Eric's life and death but also adds a new victim to his list Zoe a dike. Zoe was after one of Eric's friends Sarah who broke up with her because she was getting too much into the hot and heavy leather scene. Not at all interested in the rough trade Sarah felt that it was time for her to split.

With Bobby found innocent, through a fax from the state police, of the bikers murder he's released by Sheriff "Man of the Year 1974" and shoots, with the dead bikers bike, straight to the graveyard knowing just who the killer, from the fax identifying the headless biker, is and trying to save, it turned out to be sweet Michelle, whoever is still left alive of the group that came there with him.

You don't exactly expect to see "Hamlet" or "Citizen Kane" here but for a slasher film its not all that bad at all. The on the loose psycho really gets to do his thing in a number of bloody and gruesome cut-up jobs before he reveals himself. It then, knowing that this is going to be his big moment in the movie, he lets it all hang out especially his tongue and eyeballs as he goes completely wacko. Trying to finish off those still left alive including "Man of the Year 1974" who does such a good job in apprehending the killer, in fact he screwed everything up, that he's promised by his boss, the county's top cop, that he's been put in for being honored as "Man of the Year 2006"; but not to hold his breath waiting to get the award.

Not A Very Good Movie At All...Just Like Around the World In 80 Days

[KHagberg · 1/10 · 20 September 2006]

I just finished watching this movie and the acting was very cheesy and pathetic. There was not plot and horror shots to me were from some stupid b-rated 1980's horror flick. I know Sperl the actress, and I think she tries really hard but she needs to have a better attitude and try to be more real. But then again, I'm just a wanna be model and don't know anything better in life. Well, I only have my nanny sister who's think she's better than me like everyone else. I think my family background would make a better movie then this one. Let alone my relationship with guys are a horror in its own self.

Peace:)

Pretty decent slasher entry

[slayrrr666 · 7/10 · 5 October 2007]

"The Graveyard" is a rather decent slasher with a few pretty good parts.

**SPOILERS**

Released from prison, Robert Bayleen, (Patrick Scott Lewis) decides to go back to an abandoned camp to put it behind him. Meeting friends Michelle, (Lindsay Ballew) Allie, (Trish Coren) Charlie, (Chris Stewart) Jack, (Leif Lillehaugen) his girlfriend Veronica, (Eva Derrek) and Sarah, (Erin Lokitz) at the cabin to face his demons, they all welcome each other with extreme hesitation. As they each blame everyone else for the accident, it starts to wear on everyone and tensions run rampant. Finding out that a serial killer is among them after finding all their missing friends dead, they all turn to the remaining group to see who it is. Eventually finding the killer's true identity, they try to get away before they can kill the remaining members of the group.

The Good News: There isn't much here with this one that really works. Whenever the film is set during the night, it's at its best. It goes through several different types of good points, where going from suspense to impressive scenes all the way to chasing and killing are done at it's best at night. The beginning cemetery scene is pretty suspenseful, most notably the sequence where the killer has a victim trapped within the monument viciously slashing away in desperation before an accident lets him free to get away. Another later sequence, where the killer stalks a victim up a mountainside, and toward the top, a fog-bank can be seen moving in. It creates a really wonderful image and delivers a great suspense scene as well. Even mixing in a rather brilliant suspense stalking sequence inside a completely steam-filled bathroom is simply chilling, as there's a lot of greatness in it about what is included. This has a lot going for it, as there's plenty of off-screen noises, a huge amount of steam covering everything in the room and there's even a fantastic conclusion that differs so much from conventional types it really leaves a great mark on the film. This barely covers part of the film, as anytime out in the night is a great scene. Other than that generalization, the only other part that works is that, for the first few times on-screen, the killer looks great. It's hard to really tell what it is, and the mask gives it a really good look to it. It loses it's luster when seen later on, but it looks good at first, and is a great way to cap off it's good points.

The Bad News: This here wasn't all that bad, but it does have a couple of flaws. One of the big ones is that there's hardly anything new presented here. This here feels like just about every other camping slasher out there, since it mentions all the clichés to obvious to even list, including the failure to recognize who's doing the killing or that there is one to begin with. That alone is quite hard to believe, since they all notice that everyone is missing yet it takes until nearly forty-five minutes for them to even think that something is going on. That seems highly unlikely and doesn't seem realistic, since it makes them seem completely blind. This one also has a problem with the kills in here. There really should've been more variety here, as almost every single one involved uses a knife for the kill point. A couple aren't, but most are, which is what the film doesn't need. The last flaw is that the killer becomes far less imposing. They look way too cheesy as time goes on, which is quite surprising since it starts off good looking. These here really lower this one.

The Final Verdict: Certainly not the best slasher ever, but this one does have more than enough going for it to make it watchable. Give this one a chance for those who enjoy these kinds of slashers or are curious, while those who aren't that high up on the genre should heed caution.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity and an long, mild sex scene

Hey, it wasn't that bad!

[lastliberal · 6/10 · 13 October 2007]

I guess if you spent your life watching every slasher flick ever made, you might be bored by another one. However, if you have only seen a dozen or two horror flick, this one is really not bad.

It had plenty of suspense and creepiness. Sure, I guessed who the killer was within 10 minutes, but that didn't spoil it for me. Seeing who, if any, would escape was worth waiting for - and confirming my guess, too.

The best part was, of course, Eva Derrek. I am so looking forward to seeing her in Werewolf in a Women's Prison, which is supposed to be out this month on video. Let's just say that there really isn't much of her left to be seen, but it will be a great reunion.

Lindsay Ballew (Mr. Woodcock) was great in the lead, as was Patrick Scott Lewis (Zodiac). The Sheriff (Sam Bologna) was a real hoot.

Sure, there are plot holes big enough to drive a mack truck through, but hey, this is a slasher flick, not an Academy Award contender. Relax and enjoy.

revenge slasher flick

[disdressed12 · 6/10 · 3 March 2007]

this movie is very derivative of the some of the 80's slashers and even the 90's.there is not much original about it.however i actually was entertained.for 1 thing,it took awhile to figure out who the psycho is,since there a number of suspects.some of them are red herrings.there is are of course lapses in logic and there are some things which don't fit,but that's the genre for you.there is some blood and gore,not a lot.most of the kills are mundane,not very graphic.if you're a real gore hound,this movie might not do it for you.otherwise it is entertaining for the most part and the setting(a graveyard with a camp adjacent to it)is kind of creepy.there is a bit of nudity and that never hurts.i liked "The Graveyard"it's not great,but not bad.so adding on the extra * for not being as bad as "Dracula 3000" brings the rating up to 6/10

Its another same jonour of movies in graveyard...not so great or bad!

[sobhagraveyardfreak · 10 April 2014]

I was really impressed with the cover of the page instead of many horror movies I have selected this to watch how the four dudes in summer camp fall in trap and have killings...I would review it as average good movie because there are instances in the movie where I would connect to the movie but I have lost with the few characterizations in the movie...the connectivity was missing for the entire movie...the fall on the graveyard was superb...photography of the graveyard was realistic..the city view was superb..

Other then this the movie has great picture quality sound and story narration was absolutely superb....I liken Michael Feifer thought process the way he narrated the story..