Review by Peter Syslo
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GRAVE DANGER (2009) is an upcoming release from filmmaker Jim Haggerty and his newly formed company, Yellow Ape Productions (watch a trailer here ). This is an anthology film which consists of four stories; which is basically three “main” stories within a fourth, wrap-around story. As I've said before, I like anthology films because they give you several different offerings and it is always interesting how filmmakers weave the stories together, with a common unifying thread. To sum it up, Haggerty has crafted a very good film which is highly enjoyable. It is done in his unique style, which is a combination of in-depth storytelling and sharp humor. As with another review that I did recently, I do want to mention that I am impressed that an independent filmmaker is taking on the task of creating an anthology film; it is like creating four short films and the scope of a project like that deserves a nod just for the amount of work that is involved. Another thing that I want to mention is that the anthology film is a sub-genre which hasn't been totally “tapped out” by over-saturation. I like the fact that Haggerty has ventured into this sub-genre and he has created GRAVE DANGER with much creativity and originality. At the same time, he has also injected a sense of familiarity into it which is reminiscent of anthology films from the 1970s-early 1980s.
GRAVE DANGER is written, produced, filmed, and directed by Jim Haggerty. The cast of the film includes: Debbie Kopacz, Jonathan Holtzman, Jae Mosc, Rebecca Rose McCain, Kate Webster, Vic Martino, Bud Stafford, Cathy St. George, and Kaitlin Owens.
I will give a brief description of each story and then I will go into more detail, later in the review. The film begins with the wrap-around story, which focuses on a woman (Kopacz) who is being stalked by a man (Holtzman) via the telephone. She engages in a lengthy and bizarre conversation with the stalker. As he continues to toy with her and threatens her life, he instructs her that he wishes to share a few scary stories before he decides whether or not to kill her. Thus, that is the format for the overall film and it is the connecting thread throughout. Next, there is the first full story, which is about an everyday guy (Mosc) who is having paranoid delusions that a man is spying on him and following him. The question is whether he is crazy/paranoid or whether there is a reality-basis in his claims. The second full story (and my favorite) is about a woman (Webster) who suffers constant emotional abuse from her cruel and insensitive husband (Martino). One day she purchases a tribal statue which seems to contain some type of paranormal energy. She starts acting strangely and she starts becoming a deadly aggressor in all of her male interactions. The third full story is about a ventriloquist, Abe (Stafford), who gets hired to perform at a party. He needs the money for his wife's medication, but when he begins to perform, he gets a cold and cruel reception from the drunken, idiotic party guests. Though, there is a nice girl (Owens) who settles some money with Abe, even if it isn't near his fee for performing. Upon his exit, Abe leaves his dummy, Phineas, and instructs him that “the choice is his”. What follows is a satisfying tale of revenge. After that, the final moments of the film return to the wrap-around story and we see what the stalker true intentions are.
Beginning with the wrap-around story, I thought that it was a strong opening and was a good setup for the anthology format. One thing that I will say about Haggerty is that he knows how to build suspense. I was really eager to see what the stalker was going to do and it was a steady build-up to that. Also, I enjoyed the dialogue between the woman and the stalker; it was a bizarre trade-off of dominance and submission, between the two, and it added to the heightened suspense (I liked the technique of just showing the stalker's mouth near the phone). However, I was a little disappointed at the very end. I thought that it was a fun way to end it (and I was anticipating that it was going to be something like that), but I kind of expected a “bigger” ending to the story.
The first full story, with the paranoid man, was very thought-provoking. Jae Mosc gave a convincing performance as the paranoid man and I liked the contrast between what he was seeing and and what everyone else saw. This was more of a psychological, surrealistic tale than a straight-forward horror story. The editing in this story (courtesy of Susan Haggerty, Adrianna Merlucci, and Allon Scheyer) was very smooth and truly helped the tale move in and out of reality and delusion. One of the standout performances in this story (and the overall film) was by Rebecca Rose McCain. She played the paranoid man's girlfriend, Stella, and she did so with warmth and comfort (and I am not just referring to the striptease). All in all, though, I am kind of “on the fence” about this story, because I didn't totally understand it. But, it is that ambiguity which also makes this story thought-provoking; I did like the fact that it could be interpreted in different ways.
The second story, about the woman who buys the tribal statue, was definitely the highlight of the film, for me. I thought that this was where the film began to “hit its stride”. Haggerty's sense of humor, combined with his in-depth storytelling, worked best in this installment. This story was chock full of quirky, colorful characters who were just perfect for the material. Martino's portrayal of the husband was like a dirty version of Jackie Gleason or Jack Benny, with the hilarious one-liners included. Kate Webster, as the wife, was very appealing (not just in a seductive sense) as the compliant figure who had the patience of an animal, while she stalked her prey and lured them onto a drop-cloth in her living room. Also, there is one bit character, Clark (played by Daren Dillan), who was a totally neurotic neighbor. I swear, Dillan was channeling Woody Allen in this performance and he was laugh-out-loud funny when the wife was attempting to seduce and kill him – great stuff. Lest I forget, one of my favorite things about this story was how Haggerty utilized the statue. Throughout the story, you would hear a tribal chant in the background, symbolizing the power of the statue and the obsessive hold that it had on the wife. Also, the twist ending is great; perfect end to a great tale. Haggerty really nailed this one.
The third tale, I felt, was a tribute to the “killer doll” type of film. I enjoyed the setup and it really displayed Haggerty's skill as a storyteller – there's about 15 minutes or so of back story, until the true horror action starts, yet he makes it very interesting and crucial to the tale. And let me say this, he really knows how to depict assholes; I really did hate the boyfriend, his friends, and the stripper. Sadly, I have known too many people like them, in my life. Jim, could I borrow Phineas for a few weeks? Stafford, as the ventriloquist, gave the best performance in the film – he played it with ease and I truly cared and felt bad for him when he was ridiculed by the assholes. Also Cathy St. George was very good (and looked great) as the therapist to Jenny (Owens), the kind-heated woman in the story. This was a traditional tale of karmic retribution and it was also a tale of the value of wisdom. The only thing that I didn't like about this story was the voice of Phineas and some of the “one-liners” that he was saying as he killed. I loved the look and the movement of Phineas; he had an eerie presence that was right out of TOURIST TRAP. But, the voice took a little bit away from it.
Gnawing through the flesh: Haggerty and the crew at Yellow Ape Productions have created a fun picture that is very original, yet has a familiar feel to it. The film does have a lot of substance to it and it is a very good time. It has witty humor, an abundance of nude scenes (Hey, I'm honest. I like to see some T&A.), and some bloody kill scenes. I did have issues with some of the performances in the film because some of the cast seemed liked they were “acting” too much, but this wasn't something that ruined the film, for me. I also want to add that some of the scenes in direct sunlight looked a bit bright/white but these were only a few spots and I thought the the cinematography was well-done, overall. In conclusion, I think that GRAVE DANGER is a fun horror film, which can satisfy a fan on various levels. Keep your eyes on Haggerty and Yellow Ape Productions because they have a lot of interesting releases coming out this year. I am afraid of Phineas and I give GRAVE DANGER a 7/10.