With what little I knew about _Grave Encounters_, I knew it had ticked enough of my "Generally Avoid" boxes that I never really had any interest in watching it. In fact the only reason I saw it at all was because of a recommendation I got online when I posed the question "Where there any good movies in 2011"? I didn't love _Grave Encounters_. But I am, to my surprise, super glad that I watched it. If more Found Footage Horror films were like this one, maybe I wouldn't detest the genre. Seriously, although I had a number of problems with the movie, I'd still put this one up closer to _The Last Exorcism_ and _The Blair Witch Project_ than to the usual dreck the genre offers. _Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole._

This is just lovely! The idea of locations being the antagonists (House on Haunted Hill springs to mind) is always hit-or-miss, and this one hits it. It hits it hard. The movie works wonders with its location, the interplay between the characters on camera and 'off', and once the spooky things start happening it is done in a way that does not burn all the good stuff and gets repetitive, but instead builds on previous hints and 'behind you'-shots until you are jumping at shadows. The acting is solid, the cinematography great, the directing on point and while some of the effects are a tad bit cheesy, this is a great horrormovie I keep going back to over and over.