Is Beyond the Grave a Hidden Treasure or Dumpster Fire?

DVD Distributed By: Lockheart FIlms / ???

In a devastated post-apocalyptic world where the rules of reality are transformed by magic and madness, a vengeful police officer searches for a possessed serial killer in a battle of the not-so-good versus absolute evil.

Jimbo’s Take  (1.5 / 5)

Beyond the Grave aka Porto dos Mortos (Port from the Dead) is not the worst film I’ve ever seen. I mean that as both a compliment and criticism. And between you and I, it’s very hard for me to say negative things about any movie, but more so when reviewing small independents like this one.

According to the film’s Facebook page they’ve earned a number of film festival accolades. And a basic web search results in a number of very positive reviews online. However, I don’t see what they see. This Brazilian zombie apocalypse, western, grindhouse film hybrid wants to come off as a heady and cerebral exploration of the human soul, but feels more like bad film school experimentation.

The plot seems fairly straight forward. “A vengeful police officer searches for a possessed serial killer.” However, the film is filled with so much bloat that the main narrative’s thrust gets lost routinely in the picture.

Maybe we can blame it on bad subtitles and poor translation. Because I was confused and bored during most of the film. My mind would wander and I would ask questions about things not relevant to the central plot. For instance, the film has zombies. Cool, right? We all love The Walking Dead. But why do all of the zombies seem so sad? None of the zombies appear to attack or be a threat to our heroes. Then why do our protagonists run away from them?

The zombies do nothing to enhance or further the plot. They are a distraction and erode audience focus away from the central plot: a cop hunting a killer. Zombies = bloat. So as part of the overall narrative, the filmmaker’s need to make an editorial decision. Remove the zombies or make them relevant to the plot.

But perhaps, the film’s biggest sin is that I find it mostly forgettable. I can tell you a handful of things that I recall… Post-apocalypse. Sad zombies. A cop with a sword. Death and resurrection. Cop hunting “the Devil” or some version of pure evil incarnate. Beyond that?

It’s a micro-budget independent film so I’m not going to criticize it on its zombie make-up, costume design, or other technical attributes, but I will say this. Aspiring filmmakers need to realize the importance of good sound design. Poor sound design is the first tell to an audience that they’re watching something cheap. I think the filmmakers do pretty well with their resources, but they rushed on their sound design and it cheapens the experience. However, Beyond the Grave remains ambitious despite the limited resources. Unfortunately, the things they get right have much less impact than the things they get wrong.

Do I recommend Beyond the Grave aka Porto dos Mortos (Port from the Dead)? Currently it doesn’t seem to matter since I can find no wide release of it on DVD or VOD. For our review we received a DVD screener and a privacy code to stream it on Vimeo. Therefore my recommendation means little to nothing. And frankly it’s a little shocking considering the contributors of this site have seen much worse through companies like Brain Damage Films and Midnight Releasing.

However, should the film ever become available on home video, this is my recommendation. If you’re just a casual movie watcher, no. There’s already too many things to watch and not enough time. For movie buffs and film aficionados, I’ll give this a solid maybe. I want everyone to support independent cinema, especially when filmmakers are making an effort. And the filmmakers’ are making an effort.

At the end of the day, this is only my opinion. But I’m curious to see what opinions Jamie has on this film. So I’ll hand it over to him…

Jamie’s Take  (1 / 5)

What’s the saying? Oh yeah, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Well unfortunately as a reviewer I gotta. I agree with Jim, the fact that this crew was able to put together a movie and get some sort of distribution is an accomplishment. That being said, this movie is not very good. In fact, it’s awful.

I have no fucking idea what was going on in this movie. Is it a dream? Our main character gets killed off in the middle of the movie and then is back alive…how? The “zombies” just look like poor old saps wondering around with some crap on their face. In fact, they are seldom threatening which may be the directors intention but who the hell knows, it is never clear. Jim mentions how forgettable it is and mentions a cop with a sword and I barely even remember that.

I will say the special effects and some of the blood effects especially were not bad and looked convincing.

Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?

Jimbo:	(1.5 / 5)
Jamie:	(1.0 / 5)
Average:	(1.3 / 5)

Consensus: A passionate and ambitious director isn’t enough to overcome limited resources, stock sound effects, and shoddy make-up effects in this boring and forgettable post-apocalyptic fable.