Ghost in the Graveyard (2019) User Reviews

The pontential was there, but it wasn't utilized...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 5 November 2019]

I had not heard about "Ghost in the Graveyard" from writer and director Charlie Comparetto before I sat down to watch it. And why did I watch it? Well, solely because it was a horror movie and also because the movie's poster/cover was actually interesting.

The movie, however, wasn't all that interesting. In fact, it turned out to be a less than mediocre movie experience as a whole. The storyline wasn't overly thrilling or particularly captivating, and the movie was fairly slow-paced. Plus, it didn't really help much that the script and plot was just bland.

For a horror movie, then the 2019 movie "Ghost in the Graveyard" is a snoozefest and a movie that came and will go without leaving any dent in the horror genre. This is by no means a particularly memorable or outstanding horror movie. Sure, it is watchable, but hardly a movie that you will be watching a second time around.

The acting in the movie was adequate, although you shouldn't be expecting any grand Shakespearian performances here. I will say that Kelli Berglund, playing Sally, carried the movie quite well with her individual performance, just a shame she had so precious little to work with in terms of plot, script and storyline.

The movie is not a CGI heavy horror galore. In fact, there are very few special effects in the movie. I enjoy that, but the movie didn't have enough material in its storyline or script to support not having a grand spectacle of CGI effects. And to make matters worse, then there were hardly any usage of special effects throughout the course of the movie.

"Ghost in the Graveyard" is a less than mediocre horror experience, because it simply lacks scares and it doesn't really ever feel like the movie takes flight, so it just trots around in the mediocrity that it settled into.

My rating of this movie is a four out of ten stars.

Very Forgettable

[ryanek1106 · 3/10 · 5 November 2019]

Made no sense, with so many unanswered questions. Not that you really care too much after watching it.

Movie meant for dumping in graveyard.

[kanishka-70605 · 4/10 · 6 November 2019]

This piece of crap is meant for kids. Adults must refrain as this aint horror by any stretch of imagination. Absurd story woven around angels and demons. Rating of 6.3 is highly exaggerated. Instead watch The Witch.

Embarrassing excuse for a horror film

[LidijaD · 1/10 · 6 November 2019]

This movie is completely incoherent, poorly directed, edited, and acted. Has a confusing plot, leaves too many questions unanswered, and is utterly non-scary. A low budget is no excuse for lazy writing and shoddy execution. One of the worst films I have ever seen. Do not waste your time with it.

Who's baby even is it?

[jnndltn · 2/10 · 8 November 2019]

Wow! Not a good wow either! Scenes start and end abruptly, the acting is nothing short of shocking (*see "nobody messes with my baby) And for crying out loud... Who the hell does the baby belong to and why is it always in bed? Dreadful film.

Painfully dull

[aeongale · 2/10 · 7 November 2019]

This was on my watch list so I'm guessing the writer or director have done good in the past. First half of this is a crappy teen drama. With your attention span severely violated it's hard to care about what happens to the characters once the story attempts to gets going. I'll give it one extra star for having okay acting and production values but the plot, and the pacing of it gets zero.

Don't let the spoilers keep you from reading this.

[Fox_Prime · 1/10 · 25 December 2019]

I got this movie with a free rental and I still feel like I got ripped off! Oh where to start, where to start. Yep there's THAT much wrong and terrible with this movie. Ok so, the title... has nothing to do with this movie, I mean they try to make it about that but then it takes a violent left turn off a cliff. A little girl dies in a graveyard playing "Ghost in the Graveyard"... then... that's it... that's all there is in this movie that portrays to the title and the "what's this movie about" description.

What this movie is REALLY about is Heaven and Hell...God and Satan... the battle of good and evil on earth. So you think, well that's ok, I like movies about that stuff too I'll forgive them about the title and description. Nope sorry wrong... don't pass GO don't collect 200 bucks. I'll break it down for ya.

Good lord the writing.... just awful! There's ridiculous plot holes and just overall terrible writing, editing, you name it, it's bad. There's actually a couple of credible actors in this movie and even they couldn't help it. They actually looked uncomfortable and out of place and like bad actors because the writing was so bad. That's right, this writing is so bad it made some good credible actors look like bad actors. That's pretty damn bad.

Who ever edited this movie needs to go find a new career. There's no smooth transition and the cuts and jumps are so abrupt and bad you stop the movie and rewind it because you think you missed something, only to discover nope, it's just terrible editing.

Omg the potholes. Who's freakin baby is that! Yep, there's a baby in it, never explained who's baby it is, what it's purpose is, I mean NOTHING! K so there's the dad, older brother, and younger sister/daughter. That's it in the family, oh and the nobody's baby. At the end the dad gets hauled off in an ambulance, the brother and sister hug, sister gets in passenger side back seat, brother gets in passenger seat, jeep starts up and drives off...wtf?!? Who's driving the jeep?!? The baby? Was it a jeep from England? I mean just POTHOLES galore!

IGNORE those early ratings, they're fake fluff ratings. This is just a terrible, awful movie. Bad writing, bad directing, same person btw, bad editing, bad acting, bad everything. I've suffered for you and so have these other review writers, so you don't have to... SKIP THIS ONE or forever seal your punishment in having to sit through this pile of dooky.

Lastly, and I pray this never happens, they left the ending open to a sequel! Please for the love of God do not I repeat DO NOT make a sequel to this movie. I beg of you, find it in your heart to let this monstrosity die here and now.

SMDH oh boy this may be the worst overall movie I've ever seen. There are no, zero, zilch, nada, none redeeming qualities to this movie and I don't see a potential sequel changing any of that.

How did this even make it out of the editing room?

[info-33728-30040 · 1/10 · 5 November 2019]

Botched! Broken storylines, poor lines that don't fit with the actual time of day, and it only gets worse and worse!

1, 2, 3...what was that?

[mattdelanojess · 6 November 2019]

One of the worst films that I've seen and this is not horror. Sorry. The acting is horrible. How many times will people try to make this film and bomb? Except this one is full of D-list actors and a bunch of kids. Save your money and time. I will never get that hour and half back. You're welcome.

Watch, but definitely not worth 7.9 stars. (Contains some spoilers)

[vicbendeck · 3/10 · 7 November 2019]

Let's begin with the acting. The dad gave the impression of being that friend the director has who asks the director to please give him a spot in the movie. The role was not successful because the dad seemed younger or the same age as the children and in the introduction of the family, it gives the impression that the supposed daughter is in a relationship with one of them. The dialogue was poor. At times, it reminded me of the kind of dialogue you get in The Room. The story didn't have the cohesion to really suck you in and make you believe in what was happening. Random occurrences like there being a box under the bed with information that shouldn't be under the bed really didn't make sense, because that information would be best kept in other places. On the other hand, what actually happens is cheaply and overtly explained, as if they didn't trust the viewers to deduct it by themselves. The depiction of witches inconsistent. Finally, one positive aspect of the film had to do with the special effects. They were used in a measured way and did produce a credible feeling in what they were trying to accomplish. Observe however, the inconsistency in one scene, where nails cut into arms and lots of blood spills out, only to omit the blood in the scene that follows. A truer aspect would have been to keep the same amount of blood, but this would have forcibly changed the direction of the film.

3.5 Stars From Me

[Foutainoflife · 4/10 · 4 December 2019]

This film had a plot that was full of possibilities but it failed to deliver.

The acting wasn't great but I've seen worse. The few special effects weren't all that great. The story is weak at best and the pace is slow. The dialog didn't seem to have been well thought out and choppy. The characters are boring and they lack depth.

The one thing that I thought was done well is the filming. It had a nice polished look to it and that gave it a professional feel.

It isn't outright awful but I won't be remembering it.

Great Teen Horror

[codysacre · 8/10 · 6 November 2019]

My teen daughters loved this film. Felt it was less horror and more a decent story about a young girl coming to terms with her past and future. Some scares, some cute dialogue and tension with the teen girls and love interest. Solid performance from the actors. Perfect movie for a Friday night sleep over.

Interesting Concept in Small Town

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 7/10 · 5 November 2019]

This was a film that I had the pleasure of watching early when the reps over at DarkCoast Films asked if I would be interested in giving this a review for a site that I write for. I'm always interested in reviewing independent films like this so I confirmed. I came into this one blind, only having looked at the cast and when I saw Jake Busey, I was definitely intrigued more. The synopsis is the town of Mt. Moriah comes under the thumb of Martha (Shiloh Verrico), a ghost who comes back to haunt the teens who witnessed her death as a children during a 'game' of 'Ghost in the Graveyard'.

We get an interesting cold open here of the children from the synopsis in the graveyard playing this game. I'm not completely familiar with it, but it looks to be a hybrid of hide-and-seek and tag. Sally (Faye Giordano) hides near a mausoleum and being intercut is creepy chanting. It is during this that we see Martha at the bottom of a grave, reaching up to Sally, but they're just out of reach.

It then shifts to the present, 10 years later. Sally (now Kelli Berglund) is returning home. Her father is Charlie (Jake Busey) and her brother is Billy (Zebedee Row). She is trying to return her life to normalcy, but her father wants her to be a kid. It is her senior year and a friend Reed (Joah Carmody) comes to pick her up.

They go to school where we encounter the girls she used to hang out. They're led by Zoe (Olivia Larsen) who is the leader of these mean girls. She's also been seeing Reed while Sally has been away and she starts to pick on her. They all have class together where Sister Brigit (Mary Anisi) is teaching them the Book of Revelations from the bible.

Sally is looked down on because she's seeing the ghost of Martha. She's not the only one though. We see a boy on a dare ride his bike through the cemetery she haunts. He approaches her grave and sees the little girl. He crashes and is attacked by someone. This doesn't seem to shake the community like you'd think. There's a dark secret within the town and a cult is behind quite a bit that is going on. They are really interested in Sally. She starts to look into past and things aren't really as they seem.

I have to say that there's not been a lot out about this film, which is surprising because I actually enjoyed this. Something that really ticks boxes for me is cults. They don't really play it up as much as I would have liked here, but we get glimpses of it. I also don't know a lot about this game 'Ghost in the Graveyard', but I really like the idea to kick the movie off. That becomes a problem for me though, as it does get referenced later, it justdoesn't go anywhere.

For this I also think that the film kind of loses its way. The build up we get to start this off is great. I like the supernatural aspects. They actually get pretty creepy and I think the effects there work well. I'm assuming there's some CGI that is used, but it is seamlessly used along with practical effects. I can definitely get behind that and it didn't take me out. This does well in having things happening where our characters can't see it and that makes me feel uneasy. They really know how to shoot things like that here which is a plus for sure.

Where I feel like this loses its way though is that they get away from what works in the beginning and go a bit too grand here. I don't mind the reveal that they make, but I think it was a bit too much. I think this actually hurts the pacing as it loses me. The climax is good, but I really want to know more about the cult and even using the game. The ending is a bit too much feeling like it should be in the Marvel universe as characters find their 'calling'.

Shifting to this to the acting, I think that it is really hit or miss if I'm honest. The lead Berglund was really good. I like her look and how she plays the character. The only issue I can see is that we don't know how long she was away, but she's very fashionable. All of these students though don't look like they're the right age in how they look and dress. Busey was solid in his supporting role. Larsen is up and down in her performance. She comes off as a mean girl, but then befriends Sally and her home life doesn't fit. I also didn't really care for Carmody's performance if I'm honest. Some of the children are a bit iffy, but I'll give credit to Verrico. She was creepy as Martha. The rest of the cast was fine though and rounded this out for what was needed.

Now with that said, this film really did hook me in, but it fortunately lost me as it went. I think they had a really good concept here and the build up to establish it. I just think they tried to go a bit big with the idea and lost its way. It does build tension, but the ending I think was a bit too cheery for me. The acting is hit or miss as well. There are definitely some bright spots though. I did think that effects were good and how this was shot did make me feel uncomfortable at times. The soundtrack didn't necessarily stand out to me, but it did fit for what they needed. Overall I'd say this is above average and worth a watch.

Low budget Movie

[alaauae-50405 · 1/10 · 5 November 2019]

I believe who did the rating . Are the artists and the crew ... don't ever see this film .. just wasting time ...

Full of crap

Awful

[genebotta · 1/10 · 10 November 2019]

Bad acting and story. Waste of time. Probably the worst I've seen in a long time.

Confusing horror movie

[bonzillesgames · 1/10 · 14 November 2019]

What started as an ok ghost story ended up being a confusing disjointed mess.

If they had just picked one type of story and stuck with it it may have been pretty good but average movie

Not worth watching

The script and dialogue writers should just do the world a favour by cutting off their writing arm.

[josepaul-68510 · 1/10 · 6 November 2019]

I'm not going to use bad language(although that's what should be used). The script and dialogue writers should just do the world a favour by cutting off their writing arm. I mean seriously, what the hell? Your money and effort may not be precious, but our time is............................ So next time you think of writing, just don't.

Oh Boy

[arfdawg-1 · 1/10 · 13 November 2019]

A group of annoying entitled actor kids who can't act in the slightest awaken some witchy dead chick in a graveyard after a group watch their friend die. Then all hell breaks loose.

It's quite simply horrible. And a poorly directed mess with the most annoying music track ever

A 3 star rating is being very kind.

[RatedVforVinny · 2/10 · 6 December 2019]

A film that actually started off with some promise and then quickly fell away. Contains so little tension, horror or even a strong story. It's such a routine movie, it drags you right through to a very unsatisfying ending. Actually the more I dwell on it, I'll be a bit meaner and give it 2. Does not scare or inspire me in any way.

Okay

[possyabdelaziz · 1/10 · 6 November 2019]

The most stupid garbage movie I've ever seen. Thanks 😊

Promising. Okey. Boring. Dreadful.

[Patient444 · 4/10 · 5 November 2019]

Ghost in the Graveyard starts with a rather known routine for us horror fans, one that somewhat succeeds at first but slowly fades into the usual, forgotten end.

I wished I liked this more, because it began with a promising idea and execution, perhaps slightly rushed, yet everything seemed in place to see the plot executed from a point of view that just maybe differed from the average ones. But in the end it all came crumbling down, and the idea presented here, came out as absurd instead of lightening, the script split in more than one direction, it lost its main audience, and tried to tie all lose ends in one big finale that failed, annoyed and bored me. Indeed the movie's run time is only 1.30h, still managed to seem a lot longer because of all the front and backs it suffered in order to show those different offshoots that needed to come together, so Ghost in a Graveyard is pretty much a swing and a miss, with a long flight time in between.

Nothing here to recommend sadly, most likely others will feel differently after the first 15 minutes, that perhaps this review is too harsh, yet in the end I feel that people will agree with me.

Cheers!

Laughable, if not so deplorable

[bretthernan-02733 · 23 November 2019]

One of the few films I've endured that was actually improved greatly by regular loss of consciousness throughout.

Exploitative to the point of using as fodder, and thereby, by default, attempting to undermine the value of a text sacred to the Christian religion, the prophetic book of Revelation (no less), it really is an example of the worst kind of derivative and cliche-ridden, ill considered schlock produced upon this earth, in that it derides the viewer's intelligence merely by virtue of the fact that it even exists, (and as far as criticisms go, that's really saying something!)

A few of the times I accidentally, (and unfortunately ), awoke, I wondered if I'd somehow discovered a rare gem of a film that was actually some type of crossover hybrid between horror and comedy, (if that were at all even possible, as it would have been a work of genius if anyone could have successfully pulled it off), but I quickly realised, before almost immediately being repelled by its inherently boring nature and falling straight back to sleep, that it really was seriously posing scenarios for us to consider as plausible, such as that of a father who did not know his own daughter's memories of her mother were non existent (because what father knows such an intimate detail about their own kid?) and this illogical script inadequacy revealed just before Dad refers a customer in his shop to the 'gift' section in order to purchase a can of rat poison, (because, after all, where else in your shop would you keep such an item?)

I really pity those actors associated with this production, in the same way that I pity those whose reputations were forever destroyed by being cast members of 'Manos the Hand of Fear' who were also tainted forever by their association with a mega bomb. But, unlike those cast members who decided the only remedy to their predicament was to quickly suicide, I'd like to refer those who have found their careers in tatters after being linked to this mess, to please, by all means, seek professional assistance before making such a dire move.

Remember, tomorrow is another day, and, fortunately, this movie is really so very, very toxicly bad that few, if any, will choose to remember, beyond the last frame, anything that happened or anyone who was cast in it, and rightfully so, because it thoroughly and wholeheartedly stank.

a con perpetrated (most likely) by review writing bond slaves in ultra low wage countries, forced to write lies praising it on behalf of the various unscrupulous and immoral production houses associated with the making of this distastefully grotesque and unentertaining, cankerous eye-sore, which is tantamount to an act, similarly mean in nature, to that of great depression era second hand dealers stuffing gear boxes of worn out jalopies with straw in order to fleece by swindling the last few dollars out of dust bowl refugee farmers, desperately attempting to make it to California, and thereby leaving them on the side of a road somewhere, stranded in the middle of nowhere, with nothing, broke, lost, miserably depressed, ripped off, and alone... which, in itself, sums up and serves as the most perfect metaphor of all for this potential strong contender for the top award winner in the competition for all time worst film of the 21st century.

I strongly recommend the entire human race to avoid 'Ghost in the Graveyard' at all costs, (including, if necessary, violently inflicting deafness and blindness upon self and others), and especially, (given the dire nature of today's entertainment industry), to also avoid it's most likely and inevitable sequel.

Horror Movie with Substance

[lesh317 · 9/10 · 6 November 2019]

Finally, an intelligent horror movie! Great characters and intriguing plot. Not just scary, but makes you think of what's to come.

Oh no..(kinda spoiler)

[itsachriskimmel · 3/10 · 21 January 2020]

Lord where do we begin? Tldr at bottom. Bless the cast for their attempts, some of the extras seem stronger than the leads though.

The script/directing seems to not be sure if this is a horror, angsty high school sitcom on Disney, parody, or generic movie. And oh boy the cinematography. I watched a 1-2 minute conversation between two characters where the camera flipped back and forth every sentance. Literally. Just frame them both. Christ. And the classroom positioning so the main character can be in focus? Oh man why. I do applaud the few "high school grad art house shots" I guess. And oh lord the script. First time seeing the cops, "he got bludgeoned with a uh, idk round spherical object. Maybe his own damn baseball?" you mean the baseball covered in blood? Oh my god and then they jump to it maybe being satanic. Lord! Wow! And please. A bike scene with 4 kids with the outside 2 standing and the inside 2 sitting, in a perfect "u" oh christ that's so natural. I wanna die. Please just.. Every scene is predictable, especially the "scary ones". I was 3 for 0 on a scene that started in a hallway, zoomed into a room, the door creaked open, and the chair started rocking. Would neeeever have been able to see that coming. The artsy shots are good, predictable but good. I'd love to see that more consistently in this movie but unfortunately it jumps back to high school classes a little too often.

Tldr - the directing is... Oh man. The acting.. Yikes. The cinematography.. Oh lord is this a joke? Is it predictable... Can I plead the fifth?Sound design ain't too nice either. It's bad, man. I enjoyed every minute hating it though.

also also, there are so many Donnie Darko references, which obviously makes this movie edgy.

Also also also, please pause on 1:17:20. Guess that shadow.

WTF?

[colin_starcar · 1/10 · 10 February 2020]

So confusing, this movie just throws story line after story line at you and then doesn't answer anything. Who's baby was it??? Seriously, someone tell me. Even though it doesn't matter and really has no bearing on the plot.

This slow paced, snore fest isn't worth watching. At all. Ever.