Another Hole in the Head: Broken and The Gravedancers

Whoever said that horror films don’t make great first dates? We headed back to the Roxie, one of our fave SF theaters this weekend for horrorfest, aka Another Hole in the Head, with our friend and date in tow. We were headed to Broken, and we’d been forewarned that it wasn’t for the squeamish.

Nothing a couple drinks can’t handle, we thought. It turns out the drinks, while appreciated, were complete unnecessary. We think there was maybe one scene, in which the typical horror movie blond is forced to do a little self-surgery, that warranted any physical contact between friend and date. (We knew it was stupid to promise more, but based on the description, we were hopeful for the friend.) If you liked Saw, Broken might be worth checking out. Just fast forward through the middle hour or so. It plays again today at 4:45.

We were in luck on Saturday. The Colma cemetery gravediggers (really) in line behind us probably played a role in setting the mood. (We’d never met a gravedigger before.) Mike Mendez didn’t need much help, though, getting us in the mood with The Gravedancers.

Three college pals hold a post-funeral dancefest at the cemetery where their buddy was buried that day, and disturb the rest of a masochistic rapist, a pre-pubescent arsonist, and an axe-wielding spurned lover. What follows is even spookier. The Gravedancers featured a great plot, at times comedic, a cast that really works, and some fantastic jolts. It shows again on Wed June 14 at 2:30 p.m. at the Roxie.

SFist Wendy, contributing