There was a certain over-the-topness to horror films made in the 90s-2000s. They reveled in disgusting images, like fingernails being peeled back from fingers, verminous rats, or bodies completely shorn of skin. 

This was the culture of the time. (Trust me, I was there). Grunge music embraced the idea that life was ugly and you needed to be tough to tolerate it, and Hollywood grabbed onto this attitude. Think of the “Saw” films, “Hostel,” “Cabin Fever,” etc. (At first, I’m inclined to point to Tarantino here, but he actually operated on a different concept, one borrowed from giallo filmmakers like Dario Argento and Mario Bava. This was the idea that violence and gore were beautiful in their own way.)

“Open Graves,” made in 2009 when the culture was already shifting to safe spaces and self-care, still has this earlier vibe.

I was a third of the way in when I realized I’d already seen the movie (thanks to a very memorable “crab death” scene.) Still, the remainder passed with no moments of déjà vu. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.

The plot is well worn. Several young people in Spain come across a cursed game. It’s like Monopoly in that you roll dice, move to a square, and pick a card. They play it and in the ensuing days start to die in gory and violent ways suggested by the cards. (This is unlike Monopoly.)

There’s a bit of a “Final Destination” vibe in that it’s not a stalking killer dispatching our characters, but seeming acts of fate like falling off a cliff or being attacked by snakes.

The game is called “Mamba” and black mamba snakes are often seen, but so are dragonflies who seem to be totemic of… something.

There was some particularly bad CGI, but that was the era. 

The main star is Eliza Dushku. I know her name, but I don’t know from where. Maybe one of those WB soap opera dramas from the 2000s?

Nothing really special here, but not horrible either.