Grindstone Road (2008)

Pretty Good

Great Film overall

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

A young couple moves into an old farmhouse, only to experience a series of strange events. Is the ghost of a missing child reaching out for help from beyond the grave? In capable hands, Grindstone Road (2008), written by Paul Germann and directed by Melanie Orr, had the potential to be an entertaining (if not very original) horror film. Unfortunately, it doesn't even rise to the level of a made-for-TV movie.Melanie Orr is a script supervisor (oversees a film's continuity) who has directed episodes for a number of television shows. Grindstone Road was her sophomore effort. Paul Germann is a sound effects editor who has written a grand total of one film. Grindstone Road must have been so bad he never got another script optioned. It was like he had a weird dream and decided to make a movie out of it.Somehow they tricked Fairuza Balk into starring in their clichéd and mediocre Canadian horror film. Balk appeared in some popular movies in the '90s, including The Craft (1996), American History X (1998), and The Waterboy (1998), then dropped off the public's radar. She always embraced "alternative" roles, and wears a goth-ish outfit for one scene in this movie, but otherwise plays a conventional housewife. That's like asking Jackson Pollock to paint an idyllic country cottage. It's just not right.As bad as Grindstone Road is, at least it has an interesting story. Wracked with guilt over a car accident that left her son Daniel (Felix Pennell) in a deep coma, Hannah (Fairuza Balk) begins having strange experiences in her new home. Her husband, Graham (Greg Bryk), is oblivious and blames the antidepressants she takes to help ease the pain. Their neighbors, an elderly couple named Ted (Walter Learning) and Linda (Joan Gregson), alert them to the possibility their house is haunted.Hannah discovers a young boy, also named Daniel (Dylan Authors), disappeared while living in the house and may have been abused by his parents. John Dodson (Zachary Bennett), a mysterious man who only Hannah can see, serves as a red herring to deflect attention from the real villains. Since there are only a handful of characters, you can probably guess who they are. It was refreshing to see elderly antagonists, although the religious motivation behind their crimes is eye-rolling.With a budget of $1.5 million, there's really no excuse for the film to be this bad. Daniel's character looks like they slapped flour and black lipstick on his face. There are plenty of examples of decent horror movies with ghosts that look like regular people. They could have used context clues, lighting, or even an interesting costume to indicate he was a ghost, anything but this awful makeup. John Dodson is also a ghost, but goes makeup-free. I guess that's to trick the audience into thinking he's a living, breathing character.There is one captivating scene in which Hannah struggles to get out of a noose while hanging from the basement rafter. It looks real and it looks like Fairuza Balk did the scene herself.Filmmakers treat the horror genre as an excuse to make low quality films, and this check-the-box ghost story is no exception. Despite veteran leads (Greg Bryk also appeared in A History of Violence, Shoot 'Em Up, and a number of TV shows), Grindstone Road is the Halloween equivalent of a Hallmark Channel Christmas story. It currently has an 18 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and you can watch it for free on YouTube.

Story: A couple moves to get over a family tragedy in this case an accident that leaves their son in a coma. The wife feels guiltier as she was driving and struggles with her own sanity. The husband is trying to get on with life and support his wife but is getting tired of it. Everything has been built up for a basic drama but this is a horror. As the wife is more vulnerable she starts getting visited by a ghost child, which does the usual scares her first but in reality wants her help to discover what happened to him. The story tries to throw in a few twists and turns but with very limited characters introduced it struggles to really surprise us. It is a simple ghost story that is easy to watch but really isn't anything standing out. (5/10)Actor ReviewFairuza Balk: Hannah who has been involved in an accident leaving her son in a coma, she is stuck suffering for what happened but she starts getting visited by a ghostly figure of a young boy. Once she realizes the house they moved into might be haunted she tries to figure out about its history only to discover the boy was murdered in the house. Good performance in the simple investigator role. (6/10)Greg Bryk: Graham husband to Hannah who is trying to put the life back together and accepting their son will not wake up from his coma. He struggles to cope with everything that is happening with his wife but tries to support the best he can. Simple supporting performance. (4/10)Walter Learning: Ted a neighbour who helps with the renovation of the house, but reluctant to tell much about the history of the house. Basic supporting performance. (5/10)Joan Gregson: Linda partner of the neighbour who tries to make them all feel welcome, but also reluctant to talk about the houses history. Another basic supporting performance. (5/10)Director Review: Melanie Orr – Simple ghost story created with the ABC moments for the character to go through. (5/10)Horror: No real scares used at all, but the basic ghost story told. (4/10)Settings: New house good setting for ghost story but otherwise nothing used that is that special. (7/10)Suggestion: If you are bored and this is on one night give it a try otherwise this isn't one to be going out of your way to see. (Late Night TV)Best Part: Creepy Toy?Worst Part: No real thrills of scares.Believability: No (0/10)Chances of Tears: No (0/10)Chances of Sequel: NoPost Credits Scene: NoOscar Chances: NoRuntime: 1 Hour 33 MinutesTagline: There goes the neighbourhoodOverall: Ghost Story without scaresCheck out more reviews at http://moviesreview101.com/

Okay, I understand that this movie has problems. I wont deny that. However in terms of your standard low budget ghost house flick...this is above average.I think at this point its important to note that I am a huge fan of Fairuza Balk. Her acting in this was actually pretty believable and it did provide the film with the best performance. I should mention that because I'm a fan of her, the rating was never altered in any way just because she's in it.Hannah was in a car crash with her 11 year old son, Daniel. She made it out okay but Daniel is in a coma. A year later Daniel is still in a coma but Hannah hasn't lost any hope that he'll wake up. She moves to a house with her husband, Graham (played by Greg Bryk). Suffering from feelings of extreme guilt, Hannah takes antidepressants and sleeping pills. She then begins to see things in the house. Graham believes that the medication is just producing a side effect and she discovers from one of her neighbors that a boy went missing (also aged 11 and also named Daniel) and she begins to look for the clues that might point her to what happened to him.As I said before, I am aware that this movie has problems. I mean the scariest jump scares in the movie are a little boy chanting, water and pipes rattling. However some of this set up, you have to admit, is pretty damn well done. Firstly, the kid in the car crash adds depth to the character of Hannah. She has prayed and never given up hope that her son will wake up. The use of her medication is also pretty well done because it does leave the door open to "this could all be some nervous breakdown" and Fairuza pulls this off brilliantly. This is the only thing about the film that is even remotely creepy, (the Is it psychological? Is it real? type thing)I think I should mention some of the bad aspects too. The jump scares in this film are AWFUL and overused (you have a great psychological scare set up and you don't rely on that?), the third act is rushed and clichéd (and almost ruined an otherwise pretty well done film) and this one can kind of be blamed on nitpicking but the house on the cover isn't the house they're in. The house on the cover is wooden, rectangular and more like a cabin. The house in the movie is brick, 2 stories high rounded and actually looks like a decent enough place to live in. Take this however you want to. I mean I like that it didn't go for the traditional haunted house look but at the same time...they couldn't get a photo of it to put on the cover of their movie?In terms of what I liked...the acting is pretty well done from most performers. At some points Greg Bryk left a lot to be desired as did Joan Gregson but as a whole their performances were okay. The cinematography is actually quite well put together (it is by far the most visually stunning haunted house film in years), the sets were well done.So see this how you will. Its not a great horror movie but I don't think it was trying to be. At least, unlike your average Paranormal Activity film, there is some effort. The set up could've made way for an excellent film it just needed more time in the writers lap to correct mistakes. If you want to see a film that attempts jump scares but is actually more effective at psychological scares and creating mood, I'd say check it out. It might have a few bad things about it but its not as bad as what the other reviewers make it out to be.

Grindstone Road is one of those forgettable but not altogether bad ghost story flicks that are about a dime a dozen. I say "ghost story" instead of "horror" because I don't think there's anything anyone would find even remotely scary going on here, but it still manages to worm it's way into what most people would consider a horror flick. Hey...if you can pass off The Messengers as a horror flick then the sky's wide open.The movie starts with our protagonist Hannah (Balk) having a flashback to a car accident that left her son in a coma. Now you might be tempted to think the accident is why Balk looks so awkward throughout the rest of the film, but then you remember that she's always looked that way. I swear, it looks like someone slammed a tennis ball into her mouth and she just left it there. It's really borderline distracting. Ugh. Oh...and a side note...when going to visit your vegetable son in the hospital it's probably bad form to wear high-heeled hooker boots. Kinda makes it look like you're not really that interested. Just a thought. Anyway...moving on.After becoming painfully aware of the movie's subplot (the accident and ensuing drama) via way too many flashback sequences, we see Balk and her husband move out to the country to start over...which seems weird because their kid isn't really dead, he's just comatose. Way to be great parents. Long story short the new house plays tricks on Hannah's mind (but only her...how predictable) and her husband starts to think she's nuts until all is made clear in an ending so anti-climactic and out of left field you'll wonder what the hell the last hour and twenty minutes were about. I mean, it all ties together and you saw it coming, but it still seems pretty lame and off topic.The cast isn't bad and the director does a good job of making the house as creepy as possible, but the movie just never really gets to where it wants to go. Or maybe it does and I just didn't care. Either way I'd say this is a fair bet if you've got nothing better to do/watch. Might not be a bad way to waste a Sunday afternoon. Then again, that can be said for a whole lot of movies that aren't very good.