Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Grave Secrets Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 17, 2021

1989’s “Grave Secrets” is a curious mix of paranormal investigation and human trauma, with screenwriters Jeffrey Polman and Lenore Wright trying to create a screen nightmare for genre viewers that also deals with rather severe real-world agony. It’s a bizarre concoction at times, but director Donald P. Borchers doesn’t bother to stop and really consider the material, laboring to pull off a ghost story on a limited budget, masterminding various encounters with the other side. The helmer does well with practical effects, making a passably involving haunted house tale at times, getting “Grave Secrets” where it needs to go as the material explores mysterious happenings at a rural bed & breakfast. Deeper consideration of what’s really going on with the characters isn’t welcomed, as Borchers is primarily looking to summon a case of the creeps, not a fetal-position-inducing overview of human suffering.

David (Paul Le Mat) is a college professor specializing in the supernatural, and he’s having a difficult time finding funding for his projects, rejected by university officials. Seeking out his expertise is Iris (Renee Soutendijk), a terrified woman who has a ghost problem at her bed & breakfast, paying David to visit the house and figure out what’s going on. At first unsure why Iris is being so cagey with the details concerning the appearance of a possible specter, David is quickly pulled into the case when he discovers evidence that something is really happening around the dwelling, with a ghost making its presence known. Gearing up to learn more about the event, David runs into trouble with the locals, including Zack (Lee Ving), who believe Iris is capable of tremendous violence.

David’s financial and professional issues are clearly defined in the first act of “Grave Secrets,” with the screenplay providing a distinct motivation for the professor. He’s clearly bewildered by Iris’s twitchy behavior, but he can’t resist a fat check from the woman, who needs help with a paranormal problem. The Ghostbusters can’t help, leaving a solution to the haunting situation to a visibly fatigued professor who can’t take the hint that his college wants him to leave. David isn’t exactly a heroic figure in “Grave Secrets,” but he’s a believer, and Borchers gets something going with early scenes of investigation, with David understanding that a dark presence in the house is real when he’s smashed in the face with a flying egg.

Ghost husting is compelling, with David making his way around the bed & breakfast, coming into contact with an undefined entity who’s extremely comfortable with the surroundings. Borchers doesn’t have much money to spend on special effects, but he gets away with simple tricks and strange lighting from cinematographer Jamie Thompson to detail ghostly happenings, creating a passable mystery as to what’s haunting Iris, who regrets her choice to bring in a professional to explore it. Genre touches are far more interesting than romantic ideas, finding David drawn to Iris in more than a professional manner, with the pair getting to know each other during a late-night game of quarters(!), giving them a chance to detail personal histories and figure out attraction. Le Mat and Soutendijk have no chemistry, making these moves to warm up “Grave Secrets” unwelcome in a movie that should simply focus on the poltergeist issue.

“Grave Secrets” brings in hypnotism to help unlock what’s inside Iris, and Dr. Farnsworth (David Warner) joins the action in the second half. He’s a paranormal researcher who’s previously made contact with dark spirits, insisting on a séance to reach whatever is refusing to leave the bed & breakfast. David elects to deal with the crusty locals, who keep their distance from Iris, with the exception of Zack, who’s trying to both woo her and make her life miserable. He’s also a drunk, which plays to Ving’s limited strengths as an actor. What’s actually going on with Iris is kept behind spoiler walls, but it’s not pleasant, with the writing trying to transform a very real form of abuse into horror happenings. It doesn’t work, especially when Borchers doesn’t pay attention to tender psychological spaces, more invested in scenes involving magically moving objects and macabre makeup. He’s not prepared to do anything more than offer a few creepy events, while the script is off trying to use unimaginable trauma to motivate climatic hysteria. It’s an uncomfortable mix of tones.

Grave Secrets Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from a 2K of the 35mm interpositive. Results are impressive, reaching as far as possible for detail, which finds compelling facial surfaces, including makeup work on the evil spirit. Rural distances are dimensional, and interior decoration is open for examination, visiting stores and bread & breakfast living spaces. Colors are nicely refreshed, offering lush greenery and natural skintones. Costuming offers some brighter primaries, and interior lighting registers warmly. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is heavier but film-like. Source is in excellent condition.

Grave Secrets Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix delivers defined dialogue exchanges, balancing heated performance choices from Soutendijk and softer offerings from Le Mat. Scoring cues support with synth authority, maintaining clarity. Sound effects are active with ghostly happenings. Very mild hiss is found throughout the listening event.

Grave Secrets Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Interview (14:52) with director Donald P. Borchers examines his initial work in Hollywood, finding employment with AVCO Embassy, joining "The Fog" and "An Eye for An Eye," eventually sliding into an executive position at New World. Independent productions soon followed, with Borchers seeking advice from the likes of Paul Bartel, who understood the tight game of DIY filmmaking. Surveying the VHS and cable marketplace in 1989, Borchers elected to make a horror movie, eventually finding Jeffrey Polman's script for "Grave Secrets," which required a rewrite from Lenore Wright is help attract talent. Casting is explored, with Dutch actress Renee Soutendijk eager to make her mark in English-language pictures at the time. Crew members are celebrated, and the interviewee admits he took on directorial duties to save money, making the feature for free. Borchers also shares his pride with the work, happy to revisit "Grave Secrets" for the interview.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Grave Secrets Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While the story invites a descent into graphic violence, "Grave Secrets" holds back quite a bit, choosing to resolve troubles without detailing the gruesomeness of it all. It's almost Disney-esque in a way, with the feature more "Mr. Boogedy" than punishing, with Borchers trying to keep the film away from a heavier viewing experience, despite securing an R-rating for the endeavor. "Grave Secrets" isn't tame, dealing with ugliness of a different kind, but when it finally works up the energy for a grand payoff, gore hounds might find themselves a bit underwhelmed with the resolution. Borchers doesn't deliver a final hammering on the senses, but he does provide an adequate introduction to this tale and its participants, achieving some creative success with scenes of ghost hunting and small town goobery. The rest is a bit harder to swallow, but technical achievements for a B-movie are impressive at times.