The Burial has a story that is interesting enough, but nothing revolutionary or unexpected. Some plot points are worth watching for, but others can be questionable. Unfortunately, there are also issues with the dialogue and characters. It ultimately often leaves one with an apathetic feeling toward the movie, rather than being invested in it by the end. All-in-all, this is a movie that you watch because you’ve started it and not necessarily because you’re interested in what will happen next.

Brian receives a call from his estranged brother, Keith, about needing help out at his cabin. Brian’s girlfriend, Molly, invites herself along despite him urging otherwise. Once there, and getting a rather chilly reception from Keith, things seem okay for a time. We then learn what brought on the meeting and to say it’s under dubious circumstances is an understatement. What follows is a very long night that pushes the trio to the brink.

It’s a shame that the writing wasn’t stronger because the actors sure gave it their all. None of them give an outright bad performance, though one does ham it up a good amount. Molly (Faith Kearns) does well as the girlfriend thrown into this nightmare of a night. She’s capable without coming off as cocky. Joining her is Brian (Vernon Taylor), the brother coming to woods to try to save Keith (Spencer Weitzel) from his own misadventures brings with him plenty of deep-seated resentment but he’s still trying to do the right thing. Despite showing lots of potential, this story wasn’t able to deliver on its full potential due to weak writing.

The acting is the crowning achievement throughout this film, with some truly well-done performances from the entire cast. Though the editing and film work contain moments of brilliance, sadly, these seem to be undermined by constant interjections of cheap jump scares and loud noises. Outdoors scenes still manage to sound as if it was all shot in a high-end production, however, despite being artificially amplified at times it never feels overwhelming or overly bombastic. The video tends to be more washed out but it is understandable considering how much is filmed outside.

The Burial could have been an interesting family drama, a unique take on the thriller genre with a creative antagonist, but instead we’re left with unmemorable characters and a storyline that feels all too familiar. Even if actions scenes had some unexpected elements, the movie regresses by overusing predictable plot devices and placing too much emphasis on a long and tiresome dialogue-heavy scene, reminiscent of some of Quentin Tarantino’s work. In the end, it fails to captivate the audience’s attention for very long despite its somewhat intriguing premise; although one could argue that this type of movie is not outright horrible, it does lack any real suspense or entertainment value.