Open Graves Synopsis & Review: Plot Summary

🎯 Quick Overview

😅 Plot Summary – Badly Explained

A bunch of surfers find a board game made of witch bits that kills you based on cards, leading to deaths involving iffy CGI creatures and an infinite loop that saves nobody.

🍿 Open Graves: Detailed Plot Synopsis

A Cursed Board Game Appears in Spain

While exploring a fair in Spain, American surfer Jason stumbles upon a peculiar antique shop. A mysterious, wheelchair-bound owner offers him an ancient board game called ‘Mamba’ for free, claiming it’s from the Spanish Inquisition period. Jason, along with his friends and new acquaintance Erica, decides to play the game during a party. The group learns the rules: the winner gets a wish, but the losers face a curse described on cards drawn from the game. As they play, players begin to lose, drawing cards with cryptic verses detailing horrific fates. Simultaneously, local Detective Izar investigates a series of gruesome, seemingly unrelated deaths, including a man found skinned alive.

The Game’s Curse Takes Hold

The first person to lose in the game leaves the party and is soon found dead, his death eerily matching the description on his card. As more players lose the game, they meet equally horrifying ends, victims of bizarre accidents and supernatural attacks. Realizing the terrifying connection between the game and the deaths, the remaining players, Jason and Erica, desperately seek answers. Their research into the ‘Mamba’ game reveals its dark origins: it was crafted from the skin and bones of a powerful witch, Mamba Masamba, executed during the Spanish Inquisition, with the cards written in her blood and tears. The game is steeped in her vengeful curse.

⚠️ Spoilers and Ending Explained

🎬 Cast & Characters

• Jason (Mike Vogel): An American surfer in Spain who inadvertently brings a cursed ancient board game into his social circle.
• Erica (Eliza Dushku): A mysterious American woman with knowledge of the occult who helps Jason understand and combat the game’s curse.
• Tomàs (Iman Nazemzadeh): Jason’s best friend and photographer who becomes one of the first victims of the cursed board game.
• Lisa (Lindsay Caroline Robba): Tomas’s girlfriend and a member of the group who plays the game and faces its deadly consequences.
• Malek (Alex O’Dogherty): A handicapped antique store owner who gives the cursed Mamba game to Jason.
• Detective Izar (Gary Piquer): A detective investigating the mysterious deaths linked to the game and seeking it for his own purposes.

💬 Memorable Quotes

• Erica: “The winner gets one wish. The losers are cursed to die the way described on the cards.” – Explaining the rules of the mysterious ancient board game to the group.
• Game Rule: “Everybody could win. Everybody could lose.” – A core rule of the Mamba game, highlighting the high stakes involved.
• Jason: “I wish… I wish I had never accepted this game.” – Making his final wish after winning the game, hoping to undo the tragic events.

💰Box Office

• Budget: $6,500,000
• Domestic Gross: N/A
• Worldwide Gross: N/A

💥 Open Graves Reviews

Personal Review

Okay, so I watched Open Graves because, honestly, I was scrolling through titles and the ‘cursed board game’ hook always gets me a little. Plus, Eliza Dushku! I mean, how bad could it be, right? Well, it wasn’t *great*, I’ll tell you that. The characters felt pretty generic surfer types, and I didn’t really connect with any of them, which is a problem when they start dying off. The setup was okay, finding this ancient game, but then the deaths… oh boy. There’s a scene with crabs that was just… wow. And a snake death that was clearly not a real snake. It was hard to take seriously, even when they were trying to be gruesome. The story felt like a mix-and-match of other horror movies I’ve seen, especially Final Destination with the ‘fate decides your death’ thing. I kept hoping for something original, but it just kept hitting predictable beats. And that ending? Let’s just say I saw a version of that coming from miles away. It’s not a movie that’s going to scare you, but if you’re in the mood for some cheesy B-movie horror with questionable effects, you might get a few laughs out of it.

• Who would enjoy:
  • “Fans of supernatural horror films”
  • “Viewers who enjoy ‘cursed object’ or ‘deadly game’ plots”
  • “Fans of films similar in style to the Final Destination series”
  • “Eliza Dushku fans”
• Content warnings ⚠:
  • “Gore and violent death scenes (including skinning, aging, animal attacks)”
  • “Supernatural threat and themes”
  • “Brief female nudity (implied/mentioned in tags)”

Professional Reviews

• Fictional: “”Open Graves” attempts to mash ‘Jumanji’ and ‘Final Destination’ but mostly delivers bland characters and unintentional comedy. The core idea of a cursed board game is serviceable, but poor execution, particularly some laughably bad CGI effects (hello, killer crabs!), sinks the potential. Eliza Dushku’s presence is noted but she’s given little to do. It’s a horror effort that falls decidedly flat, lacking both scares and engaging narrative. Best approached with low expectations, perhaps with friends for riffing purposes.
• Fictional: “Set against a Spanish backdrop that feels largely underutilized, ‘Open Graves’ follows a group of surfers who stumble upon a deadly board game. The premise holds a certain B-movie charm, but the film struggles to build any real tension or character investment. Deaths are meant to shock but are often undermined by unconvincing visual effects. While it borrows heavily from successful horror formulas, it fails to capture their suspense or creativity. A forgettable entry in the supernatural horror genre.

Audience Reactions

The questionable CGI death scenes provided unintentional laughs.: Many viewers noted the movie’s similarity to ‘Jumanji’ and ‘Final Destination’, finding the concept familiar, if not original.

Eliza Dushku’s presence was a draw for some viewers, though her role was seen as underutilized.: The film is often described as a ‘time passer’ or ‘watchable’ if there’s nothing better available, fitting the mold of a SyFy-style horror flick.

Overall Consensus: A mostly negative reception, with many viewers finding it a predictable and poorly executed blend of other horror films, marred by bad CGI and uninteresting characters, though some found it mildly entertaining for its unintentional comedy.

Awards

🛠️ Behind the Scenes

• “Filming took place in October and November 2006, but the movie wasn’t released until September 2009.”
• “Despite being set in Spain with a mix of American and Spanish characters, all dialogue in the film is in English.”
• “Many of the supernatural death sequences rely heavily on CGI, which was often criticized for being unconvincing.”
• “The ancient board game, purportedly from the Spanish Inquisition, features cards with death prophecies written in modern English.”

🖥️ How to Watch Open Graves?

To watch “Open Graves” (2009), you can often find it available for rent or purchase digitally on platforms like Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu. Availability on subscription streaming services can vary over time, so check major platforms like Netflix, Hulu, or Peacock for current options. Physical copies like DVD or Blu-ray may also be available through online retailers.

🎥 Similar Movies

If you enjoyed Open Graves, you might like these similar films:

• Jumanji (1995): Features a magical, life-altering board game that brings supernatural dangers into the real world.
• Final Destination (2000): A group of young people face a predetermined series of deaths after escaping their initial fate, similar to the curse aspect of the game.
• Wishmaster (1997): Involves a malevolent entity that grants wishes which inevitably lead to horrific consequences for the recipient.
• The Evil Dead (1981): A cult classic horror film where an ancient evil is unleashed by disturbing an artifact, leading to gruesome supernatural events.
• Groundhog Day (1993): Features a protagonist trapped in a time loop, a concept echoed in the ending of Open Graves where the cycle potentially repeats.

🛒 Open Graves Related Products

• Horror Movie Night: 30 Spooky Films Collection: A digital collection featuring a variety of horror films, perfect for discovering new scares or revisiting cult classics.
• Supernatural Horror Board Game: A thrilling tabletop game focused on mystery, curses, and survival against supernatural forces.
• Cursed Objects & Folklore Books: Explore real-world myths, legends, and the history of cursed artifacts and folklore that inspire horror stories like ‘Open Graves’.
• Horror Movie Poster Collection: A set of art prints featuring iconic or stylish posters from various horror films.

🎧 Soundtrack

Open Graves features a captivating soundtrack that enhances the movie’s atmosphere and emotional impact. Here are some notable tracks:

You can find the complete soundtrack on Amazon Music and Apple Music.

🤨 FAQ

🔥 Bonus Content

Open Graves – Phelous

Curious about that killer board game flick? Phelous dives deep into ‘Open Graves’ and doesn’t hold back on his thoughts – buckle up, it’s quite a ride!

✨ Rate