Graveyard Shift (1990)
Genre: Horror
Duration: 89 minuten
Alternative title: Stephen King's Graveyard Shift
Country:
United States / Japan
Directed by: Ralph S. Singleton
Stars: David Andrews, Kelly Wolf and Brad Dourif
IMDb score:
5,0 (14.039)
Releasedate: 26 October 1990
Graveyard Shift plot
"Stephen King took you to the edge with The Shining and Pet Sematary. This time... he pushes you over."
In a textile factory, an employee mysteriously disappears. His successor is John Hall, who is deployed by the dominant overseer for a basement cleanup. During this clean-up, many rats are discovered. However, it turns out that the basement is not the only place where rats live. Based on the short story by Stephen King.
Actors and actresses
John Hall
Jane Wisconsky
Warwick
Ippeston
Danson
Brogan
Tucker Cleveland, the Exterminator
Nordello
Charlie Carmichael
Jason Reed
Reviews & comments
John Barry
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- 3410 messages
- 638 votes
I think Graveyard Shift is a nice film to see once, but I don't really think this film is very good.
However, the beginning of the film boded well. A man works in the textile factory and kills a rat by putting it in the machine. Not that killing one rat makes much sense, since there are many rats. Then suddenly a strange creature arrives… I thought this was a very strong scene. Immediately the best scene of the movie!
The story of this movie is interesting. All those rats, and a big monster, these can be important ingredients to make a very exciting film. But still the film doesn't really want to shine. This film is not really nail-bitingly exciting. However, the film is not really bad either. The film is filmed nice and dark and the scenes in the basement, among other things, are atmospheric. I think the film has a good setting. What also contributes to the atmosphere is a strong soundtrack.
The acting in this film is actually not very good, but not bad enough to really annoy you.
When we all go deeper into the cellar, the film picks up pace and it actually becomes quite exciting. I think the scene in which the monster is murdered is strong.
I didn't think the monster itself was very well made. I assume it was supposed to represent a large rat? But I also saw it more like a bat. Apart from that, I don't think the monster looks very scary.
All in all, a nice movie to watch once. The film had a lot of potential, but as a whole it just didn't quite succeed.
2.5 stars for this movie.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Insignificance
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- 3220 messages
- 5589 votes
Humid and sweaty small town America without overweight rednecks. Such an atmosphere and if you can easily go along with it, the film will quickly get some credit. It doesn't tackle all the clichés and it might be a bit tame nowadays, but there's nothing wrong with that in such a horror film. There are also some strange characters walking around. Hall is too much of a good guy, but The Exterminator (that Vietnam story!) and Warwick make something of it. It won't be big, but Singleton is quite clever in the mill. Not too much monster, but just enough to get an effect, a few slo-mos that give it some extra cachet and he makes optimal use of his musty, dusty locations. Still, some scenes that come out a lot better than you would expect. Nice snack.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Lovelyboy
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- 3953 messages
- 2955 votes
And once again to the King, and after having recently seen Secret Window, The Nightflier and Pet Sematary, it was now the turn of the not well-rated Graveyard Shift, a story if I remember correctly from Nachtmarries, and a story that I even though I don't know much about it anymore. And although it has the feel of a B-movie, it still more than entertained me.
Take a cotton factory where things are not going well in the basement, a number of mysterious accidents, deaths and disappearances, a foreman from hell, a number of diverse characters from stupid to nice who have to make do with each other and the sympathetic main character. Oh...and don't forget a pest controller who sniffed a little too much of his own stuff. Something that could go in any direction, but still appears to be predictable and cliché-rich.
Still, that doesn't bother me. Those who expect little are also less disappointed, right? Besides that, the atmosphere in the dark recesses in combination with music is more than enjoyable. The cast doesn't do anything crazy either, with Macht as a crazy foreman, Andrews as a sympathetic main character and Dourif in particular is great as a dazzling exterminator. Some say he exaggerates too much, but I think it fits the film because this is of course not a normal film with normal characters. And yes, that torture method exists, I don't remember whether it is carried out exactly as the exterminator describes, but it does exist.
What is the definition of good anyway? When is a movie good? Well, this is of course far from an Oscar winner, but all in all I think it is an extremely entertaining and atmospheric film that could still be enjoyed after my own night shift last night.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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