Excellent but underrated film

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Graveyard Shift is one of the weakest Stephen King Adaptations but is still an entertaining Horror film that is filled with atmospheric direction,a good cast,an intense score and memorable special make-up effects. All of those make Graveyard Shift a memorable guilty pleasure.Based on Stephen King's short story and set in Maine,Graveyard Shift tells the story of a drifter named John Hall(David Andrews)who's just arrived in Maine looking for a fresh start and a job. John eventually finds a job at a textile mill working for Warwick(Stephen Macht),the mill's sadistic boss and working from 11:00 p.m to 7:00 a.m--the Graveyard Shift. But,at the Mill the place is infested with Rats and John and his co-workers are being stalked by a huge killer bat. Now,John and his co-workers have to worry about getting a good paycheck and survival.Stephen King despite being one of the greatest and most iconic bestselling Authors of all-time the film adaptations of his work have been a mix bag because the truth is for every great and strong Stephen King adaptations like Stanley Kubrick's The Shining(1980),Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption(1994),and Brian De Palma's Carrie there is always a weak adaptation like Graveyard Shift. Even though it's not one of the best Stephen King films I always watch the movie when it's on television because there are some good things about it and it's entertaining and memorable. One of the things that I like about Graveyard Shift is the film's atmosphere which is dark and mysterious giving the movie a sense of doom and dread giving you the feeling that nothing is going to be alright in the end. Where most Horror films made now are pretty and glossy,GS is neither pretty or glossy,but ugly and dirty being true to the working class feel that the main characters represent. The heat and sweat also play a big part in GS because with the heat and sweat you feel like you are with the characters working with them and getting dirty in the textile mill and the heat just comes off the screen when you watch it. The killer bat(or rat bat)is good villain for film because what makes the bat so effective is that we the viewers only catch glimpses of the creature whether it's the bat's eyes,wings or mouth and we never see the Bat in it's full form until the very end which makes the creature in the film more effective. The blood and gore in Graveyard Shift is disgusting and not for the weak at heart,but will satisfy Horror fans and gore hounds. While there are things I like about the movie there is also problems with the film. GS has a great atmosphere but lacks the scares and suspense to back it up because with a movie like this GS should be a scary and creepy but the scares never come. Being that Graveyard Shift was based on a 15-page short story and the running time is 89 minutes GS feels too short and seems like there should have been much more in the film. And at the same time GS feels too long giving the film a few scenes there are necessary and some scenes that are unnecessary. At times GS almost seems like if they cut 30 or 40 minutes out of the film that it would've been better if were apart of Anthology films like George A. Romero's Creepshow and Twilight Zone:The Movie rather than it's own film. While some of the main characters like John Hall,Warwick,Tucker Cleveland(Brad Dourif)and Jane(Kelly Wolf)are interesting the rest of the main characters are thinning written and forgettable to the point where you don't care about what happens to them. The final 30 minutes of Graveyard Shift are wonderful and is filled with non-stop thrills and moments of blood and gore. A fantastic conclusion.The whole cast does great jobs in their roles. David Andrews is wonderful as John Hall,with Andrews bringing intensity and depth to the role. Kelly Wolf is terrific as Jane,a female co-worker of Hall. Stephen Macht is excellent and over the top as Warrick,with Macht doing a great Maine accent. Brad Dourif is brilliant and at his best as Tucker Cleveland,an exterminator of rats. Andrew Divoff(Danson),Vic Polizos(Brogan),Robert Alan Beuth(Ippeston),Ilona Margolis(Nordello),Jimmy Woodard(Carmichael),Jonathan Emerson(Jason Reed),Minor Rootes(Stevenson)and Kelly L. Goodman(Warrick's Secretary)give good performances as well.The direction by Ralph Singleton is good,with Singleton bringing a dark and gritty atmosphere to the film. Fine direction,Singleton.The score by Brian Banks and Anthony Marinelli is effective,moody and adds to the films tone and I loved the theme song that plays during the end credits. Good score and theme by Banks and Marinelli. The film also has a few songs on the soundtrack by The Beach Boys(Surfin' Safari),The Charlie Daniels Band(Bad Boys,Joanna,Honky Tonk Dreams),The Metropolitians(Blue Hour)and Scott Reader(They're Gone).The special make-up effects are great,realistic and well-done when used. Terrific special effects.In final word,if you love Stephen King,Horror Films or Monster movies,I suggest you see Graveyard Shift,a film that is one of the weakest Stephen King movie adaptations,but is still an entertaining Horror Film that is watchable. Recommended. 6.5/10.

In a very old textile mill, with a serious rat infestation, the workers discover a horrifying secret deep in the basement.We have legendary character actor Brad Dourif as the exterminator and Andrew Divoff (who later became famous for "Wishmaster" and "Lost") as Danson. Dourif really does steal the show, as he so often is known to do... not sure how this guy is not a bigger name among the mainstream and not more or less considered a fringe actor.The film received poor reviews from critics, and it currently (December 2012) holds a 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 4.3 on IMDb. The tomato rating is much too low, and the IMDb one is still a bit low. I maybe be a bit generous with my rating, but I really do not see this being below a 5. Compared to many other horror films, it is a lost gem, and unlike some King films (e.g. "Pet Sematery") has not been overplayed to death.

Stephen King's Graveyard Shift will never win an Oscar. It will never change anybody's life or be mentioned on any top one-hundred lists. But it's easier to find flaws in a little horror film than to 'mine' it for good points as so many have failed to do.Adapting a short (very short) story from Stephen King's collection Night Shift, Ralph Singleton took a small budget, unique sets, and a remarkably gifted group of actors and spun a film called Graveyard Shift.Plot: A group of over-worked misfits in a textile mill run afoul of a strange, mutant creature and a large number of rats. Simple, huh? The film has a very dodgy quality as it suffers from budget restraints, unreliable accents, and an uneven pace. Stephen Macht is divinely evil (if that makes sense) as the unscrupulous Warwick, who runs the mill like his own demented clubhouse. Macht's performance is over the top as his accent wavers at certain times and his mania takes over but somehow it seems to fit in this guilty pleasure.But it's hard working character actor Brad Dourif who walks away with this picture slung over his shoulder as he portrays an intense exterminator with an unnatural hatred for rodents. His screen time is limited but, as in Exorcist III, Dourif fills it with charisma. The rest of the cast is quite good as well including the likable David Andrews, the sweet Kelly Wolf, the slimy Vic Polizos, and the underrated Andrew Divoff playing a bit of a jerk (go figure).It would be easy to kick the movie while it's down, as critics and audiences do quite often. But this movie's grimy, unusual charm has won this reviewer over time and time again.Shut your brain off and tune in."Okay, show's over!"

John Hall (David Andrews) is a drifter looking for a job in a small town, somewhere in Maine. He is hired by Warwick (Stephen Macht) to work the Graveyard Shift at the local textile mill. Some of the employees are starting to disappear during the night shift. When Warwick hires John and a group of other workers to work in the fourth of July for clean-up work. Soon enough, they discover the unknown.Directed by Ralph S. Singleton made an decent horror movie, based on a short story by Stephen King (Cat's Eye, Creepshow, Stand by Me). The two-thirds of "Graveyard Shift" is pretty good, but the Giant Rat-Bat(!) shows up towards the end, the feature turns silly. Still, there is some good performances by Andrews, Macht and Brad Dourif as the Exterminator. Andrew Diroff, Best Known as The Djinn in "Wishmaster 1 & 2" is wasted in a supporting role. Die-Hard fans of Stephen King might forgive some of the flawed. Despite, an messy third act. It is worth a look. (*** ½/*****).