‘An Unquiet Grave’ is quietly frightening | Nightstream Film Fest

Jacob A. Ware and Christine Nyland in An Unquiet Grave

A man attempts to bring his wife back from the dead with the help of his sister-in-law in An Unquiet Grave

Chloé Zhao makes Nomadland‘s melancholic but hopeful story of nomads traversing the American West a stunningly complex character study of life on the margins of society.

A movie that feels like a campfire ghost story is oddly comforting. It's the type of story that isn't too complex but is told with a vigor that makes it so engrossing. Such is the case with Terence Krey's new horror An Unquiet Grave, which premiered at the Nightstream Film Festival this weekend.

The poster for An Unquiet Grave. Courtesy of Nightstream Film Festival.

Following just two characters, An Unquiet Grave tells the story of Jamie (Jacob A. Ware) a widower who lost his wife Julie a year ago in a car accident as he recruits his sister-in-law Ava (co-writer Christine Nyland), Julie's twin, to bring her back to life through unexplained magic. And the beauty of the film is that is truly all there is to it. Krey and Nyland's screenplay is lean but doesn't skimp on a deeper character introspection.

As the movie progresses and we understand the true motivations behind Jamie's desperate attempt to bring his wife back, we explore a moral quandary: to what lengths will we go to save the one's we love.

An Unquiet Grave explores the psychology behind Jamie's answer to that question and presents it as a creeping, slow burn horror that never quite connects to its terror potential but nonetheless finds a dread-filled atmosphere that feels like a cool night around a campfire.

? For more movie recommendations, sign up for our newsletter!

Hi, I'm Karl ? Follow me on Twitter and Letterboxd! I'm also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes ?

💌 Sign up for our weekly email newsletter with movie recommendations available to stream.

Karl Delossantos

Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.