Pros:
- Monster looks kind of cool.
- some stupid B-movie laughs
- I watched a really shitty cave-based horror movie yesterday (Abandoned Mine), so this didn't seem as bad.
Cons:
- it's still really bad.
Grim starts off with some sort of seance - a group of people are playing with a Ouija board and accidentally (maybe?) summon a troll-looking creature from his holding cell. (He's frozen in stone, or something.) You get a good look at him early on in the film and he's a decent looking practical creation. He's got the stoutness of a big troll, but a face that reminded me of a smashed-in Rawhead Rex with plentiful sharp teeth and fangs. I guess his name is "Grim" - I don't think it's ever called out or anything though. He's not going to go down in history as being one of the all time greats as far as design goes, but he looks good. If he didn't have such a laughably bad movie surrounding him, he may be remembered more fondly.
Anyways, cut to Penny - she's upset because there is a big crack in the foundation of her new home. Apparently, many homes in her new suburban development are having the same problem, and the city council is dragging their feet on finding out why. You've got to love it when real estate problems and local politics are the driving motivation behind a horror film! So Penny takes it on herself to go looking underground for the root of her problems. She has enlisted the help of her ex-boyfriend Rob (whose looking for a second chance at romance, BTW), who happens to be an expert spelunker. Penny and Rob, along with Ken and Trish (other homeowners in the neighborhood) and a couple of other jerks (Katie and Steve, who summoned Grim in the first place and whose motivations aren't clear) head underground into the neighborhood cave system. Of course, Grim is hanging out down there, and likes to kill people. (Or capture them and keep them in a cage - his motivations are never clear either.) As you would expect, the S. hits the F. and BAM - horror movie.
Grim feels very much like a TV movie at times. There are lots of inexplicable edits where things just completely fade to black - although sometimes this will happen just a minute or two apart, so they couldn't have been intended for commercial breaks. It just doesn't feel very cinematic. The caves rarely feel like actual caves, and writer/director Paul Matthews has a tendency to just linger on shots of people wandering out of one part of the cave and out of frame. I found myself thinking "okay, I get it... they're leaving" more than once. Granted, this was his first film, so maybe he was still working out the kinks.
Horror-wise? Like I said, the monster Grim looks pretty okay, and there is one really memorable kill (when he just smashes a guy's head into the cave wall). It happens fast, but it sticks out as being pretty rad in an otherwise dull movie. There are some other gore shots (Grim just randomly chopping up a bunch of meat (supposedly a body) with a cleaver is one example), but they are so poorly executed that they lack any sort of punch.
But there just isn't enough explanation about just what Grim's deal is. He has some kind of lair with a bunch of skulls and what not around, but wasn't he frozen in rock for a really long time? Also, early on in the film he breaks into someone's house and kidnaps a woman. Although breaking in isn't really accurate, he just magically walks through the walls and nabs her. So he seems to have some magical powers, but later on the only way he can get through walls is to break through them. It's all very confusing. There's also some sort of talisman that he wants, or wants to destroy, or he can possess people, or... I just don't even know. I wish there would have been some old local man that could have told us about the legend, or some old book our heroes could have found, or something. The whole thing just doesn't seem that well planned out.
There are a few enjoyable moments though - mostly when Rob (Emmanuel Xuereb) gets worked up about something. Apparently, Grim was a British production, but it seemed like it was made to pass as American (I didn't notice any glaring English accents or anything). But in moments of excitement, Rob gets an almost Wiseau-esque accent, which had me laughing on more than one occasion. Also, in a rewind-worthy moment, Rob responds to getting his eye nearly torn out by a possessed woman by yelling "Oh geez, my eye!" Good stuff.
But the occasional B-movie chortle, a few poorly done gore shots (and one good one) and a decent looking monster doesn't make Grim worth it. It's still a surprisingly inert film that just leaves you wanting... well, I was going to say more, but leaves you wanting *anything* is more accurate. Oh well, at least it was better than Abandoned Mine.
I would not recommend this film.
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