If you screamed along with Final Destinaton and enjoyed the wild adventure that was Jumanji, the spooky new horror, Open Graves, is aimed at you.
Set on the rugged coast of northern Spain, the film stars Dollhouse's Eliza Dushku, Cloverfield's Mike Vogel, and an ancient board game with a deadly secret.
After buying the antique game from a paraplegic American, Vogel's surfer dude Jason, his new friend Erica (Dushku), and a bunch friends attempt to play the game, in which the winner is granted their heart's desire. But the game turns out to be all too real. Made from the skin and bones of a 15th-century witch called Mamba, the game comes with a price - those who lose meet with a gruesome death as dictated by the card they draw.
One guy falls off a cliff and gets his eyes gouged out by hordes of crabs, while venomous black mamba snakes kill another; one girl withers and dies of old age, while another meets a fiery end. It's then up to Dushku's goth girl in a wet suit Erica, and her new friend Jason, to find a way to beat the curse.
Open Graves starts promisingly, and the first death scene is worthy of Argento, but the film is soon let down by a poorly developed script. The concept of the game is a great starting point, but it's never properly used (maybe the DVD should come with instructions). The special effects are kind of cool, especially the grim-reaper dragonfly, but they lack impact – and the snakes are naff. As for the lovely Dushku, she's underused and her character seems lost.
With a little more fine-tuning and better storyboarding, Open Graves, could be a worthy successor to the Final Destination franchise. But its Spanish director, Alvaro de Armiñán, like the beautiful setting, seems to have got lost in translation. And I blame the film being aimed purely at an English-speaking market (everyone speaks English, including the locals and even the board game is in English and Latin).
Another [REC] or Pan's Labyrinth this is not, but its certainly not that bad either. Open Grave is a fright-filled fun that will have you re-thinking eating a crab sandwich again sometime soon.
Oh, and I won't give away the ending, but here's a hint… Monkey's Paw. What do you think?
Released 15 February http://youtube.com/v/jv8IZ6B67S8
