Review: An Unquiet Grave

Director: Terrence Krey

Screenplay: Christine Nyland and Terrence Krey

Year: 2021

One year after his wife's death, Jacob finds a way to bring her back to life. For this, he needs the help of his sister, who is willing to help him in this endeavor. However, things did not go as expected, and perhaps it was better not to disturb his wife's grave.

"An Unquiet Grave" makes its appearance in Shudder to the general public after it passed through the film festivals last year. It is presented with a premise reminiscent of movies like "Pet Sematary" that raises our expectations for something similar. However, apart from the theme of raising the dead, they are not significantly related.

The film by director and screenwriter Terrence Krey, instead of opting for supernatural horror, does so for horror drama. It always keeps the atmosphere awkward, but within minutes of its beginning, it clarifies that this movie is a slow cooker and that dialogue is given more weight than visuals. Surely this was driven by the tight budget rather than a creative decision.

The slow cooking style and a predictable, not much-happening script are a terrible combination and represent the biggest challenge in this movie. As the plot develops, you always have a fairly clear idea of ​​what will happen next, taking away from the emotion and the mystery. The script also suffers from having many holes and situations that are unlikely or that do not match other details exposed in the plot.

If you can get over the slow pace and ignore the holes in the story, “An Unquiet Grave” has a few highlights. The performances of the only two actors in the film Christine Nyland and Jacob A. Ware, the former who also co-wrote the script, are excellent and help to interest the viewer in their characters. It should also be noted that the end of the film is as irritating as it is great, the kind that stays spinning in your head even if you haven't enjoyed the movie.

"An Unquiet Grave" tries to use the atmosphere and talent of its protagonists to create an interesting story, but its rhythm hurts more than it wants. Aside from the maddeningly slow pace, not much happens during its plot and the few events that take place open holes in the plot. Apart from this, horror is almost non-existent and works more like a dark drama rather than a horror movie, even though its plot has great potential to look better in the latter.