An Unquiet Grave movie review (2021)
Jamie and Ava are trapped by their own suffocating uncertainty, as well as a shared hope that taking some kind of action is better than doing nothing at all. That’s where the plot of “An Unquiet Grave” begins, and while I don’t want to spoil things for interested readers, I will say that horror fans who already love “Pet Sematary” and “Hellraiser” will probably get a kick out of this movie, and may even be surprised by it.
Unlike a lot of recent indie horror movies, “An Unquiet Grave” doesn’t feel bogged down by the last few decades’ worth of American horror. It’s a spare, dread-filled mood piece whose just-so dialogue, too-tight close-ups, and deceptively subdued pacing all tease out small, but essential details from both of these elusive central characters. Jamie and Ava are more like emotional lightning rods than audience surrogates: he knows more than he lets on, and his actions inevitably force her to become a mirror for his carefully concealed emotional state.
You can also hear some unresolved tension in the way that he corrects her, after she hastily describes her twin sister’s death: Julia didn’t die in her car, “she was thrown” from it. Jamie puts a blindfold on Ava, and avoids any unnecessary hand-holding while they complete ... well, some sort of arcane ritual, the kind that requires burning sage, a disinterred body, and some fresh blood. “Nothing’s happening” Ava says right before something unbelievable occurs. “Jamie?” she asks over her shoulder. “Jamie, say something.”
Thankfully, “An Unquiet Grave” is less about this event than what happens afterwards. This isn’t a show trial of a movie, in other words, and we’re not asked to make easy assumptions about two obviously unbalanced characters. Instead, writer/director Terence Krey and co-writer Nyland encourage viewers to jump feet-first into an already out-of-control scenario, and watch as Jamie and Ava struggle to find their own bearings.
Like some of the best in micro-budget horror, “An Unquiet Grave” is more about what’s being concealed than what’s being revealed. If this movie works for you, you’ll spend more time wondering what will happen next instead of what you’re supposed to be feeling. That sense of anticipation is pretty key in a film that asks viewers to hang out with two emotionally exhausted protagonists. Jamie and Ava have already been on the edge for some time; we’re just catching up to them.
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