Review: ‘The Bone Box,’ a gritty case study on greed

When the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad broke earth in 1828, transportation was revolutionized. The American people became a true nation united. Writer and researcher Antero Pietila notes the exponential rise of grave robbing and body snatching, an unexpected byproduct of such an industrial turning point, particularly as it relates to the medical field and university studies. It wasn’t a new concept; pillaging the dead dates back centuries, but only the methods had changed. Those who desecrate burial grounds have one thing in common: greed. It’s a kind of thirst, akin to a gambler draining all his assets for the next potential payout, that rarely is quenched. So, it’s not too surprising then that filmmaker Luke Genton mines grave robbing for his brand new chiller called The Bone Box, starring Gareth Koorzen in a commanding performance as Tom, the troubled and frantic gambler-turned-grave robber, whose luck might be finally running out.

Living with his widowed aunt Florence, played by Maria Olsen (Paranormal Activity 3, I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu), Tom struggles to repay his gambling debts, and the weight of his uncle’s death hangs over him like a morose raincloud. Everywhere he goes, there lurks a omniscient presence; around each corner, darkness awaits to pounce when he least expects it. As revealed in conversations with friend Elodie, portrayed by Michelle Krusiec (The Invitation), she is the undertaker’s daughter, and Tom has taken her, perhaps misguided, tips and raided numerous graves in the local cemetery. Those items include a pocket watch, a music box, and a diamond-cut ring.

With a 90-minute runtime, The Bone Box creaks with ghost story tension, and each frame is filled with calculated, yet subtle, creative decisions that squirm under the fingernails. Genton is master storyteller with a keen directing style; in many ways, his intricate details are kindred to Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man. Genton beckons the viewer into his world, and he often lingers frames with a profound awareness that less is always more ⏤ and its the unseen that is most terrifying. Alongside cinematographer Gonzalo Digenio, Genton and his team construct a stylish and slightly odd storyboard with camera work that is top-notch and emotionally-twisted.

Where some films like Parasite work best as ensemble pieces, The Bone Box is Koorzen’s showcase. It’s a character study into greed, desperation, and the lengths to which a tormented soul is willing to go to uncover relief. Krusiec is a welcome counterbalance to Koorzen’s maddening descent, and their chemistry carries the film’s lean storyline. The cast is rounded out with David Chokachi (Army of the Damned) as Sheriff Burrows, Jamie Bernadette (The 6th Friend, Killing Joan) as Deputy Kade, and Aaron Schwartz (Slasher Party, The Mighty Ducks) as the wired, brutally-chiseled loan company named Benji.

The Bone Box is expertly written, filmed, and executed ⏤ for the most part. There are an unfortunate handful of shots or moments that are, quite frankly, clumsy. In the third act, there is a sequence in which Koorzen’s Tom bolts from his aunt’s house and awkwardly lands on the front steps, revealing  Schwartz’s Benji towering over him. Later, the setup for the final brawl between the two characters feels disjointed (but here, once it ramps up, the payoff is well worth it). Too, for her pedigree of truly frightening past performances, Olsen’s turn as Florence is detached, carved with little character choices to even warrant the character’s inclusion here at all. When Florence and Tom have coffee, she spills out this long-winded monologue about her dead husband, and its effectiveness lies solely on some very cool camera work ⏤ and Koorzen’s rich performance.

Luke Genton’s The Bone Box articulates the best of indie filmmaking with a knockout lead. The cracks in the veneer are never so distracting as to derail the entire film. And when all is said and done, much of the imagery will surely keep you up at night.

The Bone Box is out now on VOD, distributed by Terror Films.

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