Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Grave Robbers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf June 24, 2018

The screenplay for 1988’s “Grave Robbers” makes several references to the work of Stephen King. Writer/director Straw Weisman is clearly a fan, basically recycling King’s formula of strangeness happening to an innocent while trapped in a deceptively cheery small town. These ingredients have worked for King on multiple occasions, and they help Weisman as well, giving his odd little movie a nice boost of atmosphere and illness. “Grave Robbers” is a dark comedy with horror interests that never completely gel, but the production is certainly focused on achieving something with the material, which adds pinches of zombies and necrophilia into its genre stew, watching Weisman work earnestly to make a strange feature that’s impossible to predict and even harder to comprehend at times, but maintains a lively sense of madness and era-specific sexual concerns.

After a year away from her past life as an NYC prostitute, Nora (Elizabeth Mannino) is now a diner waitress struggling to remain excited about the work and her mentally ill customers. Into the eatery comes John (David Gregory), a sharp-dressed man emerging from a limo who immediately sweeps Nora off her feet, promising a new life in exchange for her hand in marriage. Nora agrees, and the pair is soon off to John’s hometown of Newbury, arriving at the Cox Funeral Home, where the groom maintains employment and a living space. Overwhelmed and a bit disappointed, Nora plays along, welcomed into the arms of his extended family and friendly locals, though she finds it difficult to ignore how strange everyone acts. As Nora tries to ease into a new routine, she makes several shocking discoveries while investigating the building, piecing together what John and his employees are actually up to at the funeral home, finding help from Evan (Jerry Rector), a distraught man who recently lost his sister in a car accident, suspecting that her body has been stolen from her coffin.

Things happen very fast in the early going of “Grave Robbers.” It’s almost absurd how quickly Nora and John spark to each other, with their initial meeting leading into a marital engagement in just under five minutes. The total strangers are meant to be, or perhaps Nora is just looking for a free trip out of a life of service industry drudgery. Either way, Wiseman induces whiplash with the early series of events, pairing Nora and John speedily to get “Grave Robbers” going to its next destination, heading to the quaint town of Newbury for a Rockwell-esque living environment that’s meant to entice the new addition, who’s quickly surrounded by smiley neighbors and attention from John, who, during their initial bedroom encounter, requests his new bride to lay perfectly still, absolutely motionless, while he has sex with her. That’s not a promising development for the character and the audience.

Nora is a curious person, leading her to tour the town, meeting with overly welcoming neighbors, including a butcher and the sheriff, who’s particularly careful about monitoring her whereabouts. She also explores her the funeral home, leading her to the embalming room, where John has a unique set-up for his stiffs, revealing the central mystery of “Grave Robbers,” although a precise explanation of unusual activity is never offered. Weisman enjoys the visual opportunities that arrive with unsavory business being conducted on the freshly dead, also working in a reference to the then-growing AIDS epidemic, weirdly giving such outrageous ridiculousness sobering punctuation. Still, “Grave Robbers” gets a lot of mileage out of its interest in perversion, watching Weisman pay attention to nudity requirements and creepy behavior from handsy paramedics. The helmer also sticks with tradition, keeping Nora on the case, finding interest from a local priest, while Evan storms into the second half of the movie, ready to share everything he knows about Newbury with the woman who may be the community’s next victim. Suspense isn’t extreme, but the King-esque touches are compelling, and Weisman tries to remain irreverent by adding goofy pop songs to the soundtrack, watering down the gruesomeness of the plot, keeping the tone of the effort unsteady.

Grave Robbers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is a lively look at the strange events in "Grave Robbers." Evening sequences and shadowy encounters aren't threatened, finding delineation communicative. Detail is satisfactory throughout, picking up on the limitations of makeup and costuming, and town visits retain a pleasant depth, creating an evocative feel for Newbury. Facial surfaces are textured, showcasing extreme looks and aging. Costuming retains fibrous qualities. Colors are vibrant, with healthy primaries enjoying a tasteful refreshing. Greenery is bold, along with hues on outfits and set decoration, and the sickly white appearance of the embalming room is preserved. Grain is fine and filmic. There are a few slippery frames along the way and some mild judder, but the source is in terrific shape.

Grave Robbers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix supplies an engaging listening event for "Grave Robbers." Even with obvious budgetary limitations, there's some heft to dialogue exchanges, which maintain their genre requirements without dipping into distortive extremes. Music is acceptable, rarely deep, but the pop mood is set. Scoring is a bit more commanding, with synth support fitting into the scheme of things without overwhelming the performances. Sound effects are blunt but maintain intended violence.

Grave Robbers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Intro (:26, SD) is a brief welcome from writer/director Straw Weisman.

• Commentary features Weisman.

• Interview (18:50, SD) with Weisman doesn't offer much on the creation of "Grave Robbers," delving deep into his career instead, tracking his rise in the industry, which started with his years as a move advertising executive, coming up with taglines for "Cujo" and "The Empire Strikes Back." This work led him to a screenwriting gig on "Godzilla 1985," tasked with creating the English dub. Weisman isn't shy about him moviemaking roots, detailing work on adult film loops, also sharing an anecdote concerning his day as a P.A. on a porn shoot that literally ended in flames. Weisman explores the extent of his career, taking all jobs possible in the industry. There's a brief detour into "Grave Robbers," examining story goals for the project, but Weisman is more interested in sharing his years as a post-production supervisor and contemplating his legacy.

• A Video Trailer (3:30, SD) is included.

Grave Robbers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Grave Robbers" has a few tricks up its sleeve, including an unforgettable bike chase that features a character's skin peeling off as he speeds. Although this is her only screen credit, Mannino is appealing as Nora, doing a credible job projecting fear and confusion, though the latter might not be acting. She's good in the part, which helps to digest many of Weisman's awkward ideas and annoying reliance on nightmare sequences to beef up the picture's gore content. There's also an extraordinarily nutty epilogue attached to the end of the endeavor, which takes such a left turn into wackiness, it needs to be seen to be believed. There are plenty of elements that don't come together in "Grave Robbers," which remains a rickety B-movie from a scrambling filmmaker, but it's a fun ride for those already interested in this type of taboo-flicking entertainment. It's certainly bizarre and roughly assembled, but it's hard to ignore the endeavor's effort and enthusiasm for grotesque incidents.