History Film / ShallowGrave

* ChekhovsGun: Alex and the bundle of newspapers with "Triple Corpse Horror" on the headline.

* ContinuityNod: Implied in an audio commentary for Danny Boyle's second film ''Literature/{{Trainspotting}}''. Hugo was played by Keith Allen, who played a dealer that was given a suitcase filled with money by the main characters in ''Trainspotting'', which suggests that that dealer ''was'' Hugo.
* CreatorCameo: Writer John Hodge appears in the role of Detective Constable Mitchell, whose main duty appears to be writing: "Make a note of that, Mitchell. ... Write it down."

** The older inspector is like this as part of his trade; it throws everyone off balance and leaves them at his mercy.

%%* DrawingStraws: Alex, Juliet and David do this to decide which one of them will be responsible for dismembering Hugo's body. This turns out to be possibly the worst idea Alex ever had.

* EveryoneHasStandards: David has no problem [[spoiler: cutting people up (after the first instance),]] but he can't bring himself to watch Juliet undress.

%%* HeelRealization: Alex.

--> '''Alex:''' ''(referring to the case full of money they have procured from the late Hugo)'' If you can't have it - spend it - then what use is it? None. It's all for nothing. I didn't get into this for nothing, so that I could have nothing.

* BlackComedy: The film starts off as a dramedy about three roommates who put out a classified ad for a fourth person to fill in an empty spot in their flat. They heckle most of the applicants, until finding Hugo, whom they all agree would make a fine roommate. Or so they think... Turns out he's a criminal who has murdered before, and, shortly after he moves in, the three find him dead in his room of a drug overdose, with a large briefcase full of money lying next to him. They make the decision to not report the crime, dismember the body, and keep the money for themselves. [[HilarityEnsues Hilarity (and psychopathy) ensue.]]

* CharacterDevelopment: Alex starts as a {{Jerkass}}, Juliet is somewhere around TeamMom and David is male version of ShrinkingViolet. Where they end as however...

** The older inspector is like this as part of his trade - it throws everyone off balance and leaves them at his mercy.

* DiesWideOpen: [[spoiler:Both Hugo and David. Hugo's eyes are seen staring back at David as he's about to smash his face in. When David is later stabbed his eyes remain open even as he is taken to the mortuary.]]

* FreakOut: Mild-mannered David completely loses it after being coerced into dismembering Hugo's corpse and rendering his face unrecognisable with a hammer.

* HappyFlashback: The film ends with ''Happy Heart'' by Music/AndyWilliams rolling over a repeated sequence of the three flatmates earlier in the movie, laughing and hugging. [[TearJerker Wham]].
* HintDropping: When David tries to escape with the suitcase full of money Alex suggests to Juliet that they should "let him take it all". This leaves her to discover far too late that [[spoiler:Alex has replaced the cash with newspaper]].
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Alex gets nailed to the floor with a knife through his shoulder, but survives.
* InformedAbility: Alex is smarter than everyone and Mitchell, the younger inspector, is a rising star. [[spoiler: The first one is proven to be true in the end]].

* LoveLetterLunacy: Juliet's love-letters, which are [[SarcasmMode definitely not]] written by Alex:

* MysteriousPast: It's never explained exactly where Hugo got the money from, how the two criminals are related to him, and exactly what criminal enterprises he is involved in (other than murdering a man at a cashpoint). Although an audio feature in Trainspotting suggests he is a drug dealer, this is circumspect, and particularly for people who saw the film when it first came out, the mystery was particularly glaring, since Trainspotters would not come out for another two years.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Used to great effect by [[spoiler:Alex]].
* OhCrap: Andy, who has spent the film gleefully beating and torturing Hugo's location out of people (and violently mugged a complete stranger at a cash machine) is reduced to frozen terror [[spoiler: while trying to turn the light on in the loft... [[BewareTheNiceOnes with good reason.]]]]
* OldCopYoungCop: Detective Inspector [=McCall=] and Detective Constable Mitchell, whose main duty appears to be writing the interview notes for his senior partner: "Make a note of that, Mitchell. ... Write it down."

* PosthumousNarration: [[spoiler:The film is narrated by David, who is the only one of the three main characters to die in the film]].

* SecretTestOfCharacter: [[spoiler: Alex]] pulled one on [[spoiler: Juliet]] when he's HintDropping. He didn't say a single word [[spoiler:while being pinned to the floor with a knife ''in his shoulder''.]]

* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: David.

* SoundtrackDissonance: Music/AndyWilliams doesn't exactly gel with the ending.

* VillainousBreakdown: After discovering too late that [[spoiler: the case she thinks contains the money only has shredded newspapers]], Julie is seen absolutely freaking out in her car before staggering through an airport check-in with a look of dead-eyed blank despair on her face.

* WouldntHitAGirl: [[spoiler: Averted by David when he punches Juliet, played straight by Alex when he attacks David, yelling that he shouldn't have hit her.]]
* YouDidntAsk: Inverted. Unlike their previous victims, Alex instantly told where the money is to the two thugs. The one beating him with a crowbar is somewhat shocked, if not ''disappointed'', because he didn't even start asking questions and got the answer.

* DisposingOfABody: The trio are left with the issue of Hugo's body in their flat. They end up chopping him to pieces and burying him in a shallow grave. Then things start getting worse...

* BewareTheNiceOnes: [[spoiler:David]] of course, and also [[spoiler:Cameron]].

* CatapultNightmare: Alex has one near the end of the film.

* CharityBall: Cameron is mocked at one.

* DealWithTheDevil: While not a literal example, the plot has been described thus.

* DownerEnding: Money destroys even the closest of friendships.
* DrawingStraws: Alex, Juliet and David do this to decide which one of them will be responsible for dismembering Hugo's body. This turns out to be possibly the worst idea Alex ever had.
* DrugsAreBad: Naturally.

* FanService: See ModestyTowel.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: David, the further he slips into madness.

* TerribleIntervieweesMontage: {{Inverted}} when the three roommates interview potential lodgers. The interviewees are regular people, while the roommates take the opportunity to grill them with sadistic and bizarre questions. [[Series/AmericanIdol Simon Cowell]] could have been taking notes.

* BriefcaseFullOfMoney: Hugo has a suitcase full of money that serves as the {{MacGuffin}} for the film.

* DeadpanSnarker: Alex definitely seems to be having more fun than David or Juliet.

* BlackComedy: The film starts off as a dramedy about three roommates who put out a classified ad for a fourth person to fill in an empty spot in their flat. They heckle most of the applicants, until finding Hugo, whom they all agree would make a fine roommate. Or so they think... Turns out he's a drug runner for the mafia and, shortly after he moves in, the three find him dead in his room of a drug overdose, with a large briefcase full of money lying next to him. They make the decision to not report the crime, dismember the body, and keep the money for themselves. [[HilarityEnsues Hilarity (and psychopathy) ensue.]]

* ColdBloodedTorture: With emphasis on the "Cold" part. When trying to track down Hugo, the mob drowns one of his associates in a bathtub full of bloody water, then locks another in a freezer while trying to get information on his whereabouts from them. When they [[spoiler:finally locate the flat where Hugo spent his final moments, they introduce themselves to Alex by smashing both his shins with a crowbar.]]

[[caption-width-right:283:L-R: [[StarWars Obi Wan Kenobi]], some chick and [[Series/DoctorWho The Ninth Doctor]].]]

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Andy and Tim, the hitmen looking for Hugo.

[[caption-width-right:283:L-R: [[StarWars Obi Wan Kenobi]], some chick, [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]].]]

''Shallow Grave'' (1994) is a British crime {{thriller}} {{film}} and BlackComedy starring Creator/EwanMcGregor in his first major film role, alongside Creator/ChristopherEccleston and Creaotr/KerryFox. Creator/DannyBoyle's directorial debut, the movie follows three friends who share a flat in Edinburgh. When their new flatmate, Hugo, dies suddenly of a drug overdose, they discover that [[BriefcaseFullOfMoney the suitcase he brought contained a very large amount of cash]]. They decide to keep the money, disposing of the late Hugo in a [[TitleDrop shallow grave]], and all seems well, until some of Hugo's associates come looking for him...

''Shallow Grave'' (1994) is a British crime {{thriller}} {{film}} and BlackComedy starring Creator/EwanMcGregor in his first major film role, alongside Creator/ChristopherEccleston and Kerry Fox. Creator/DannyBoyle's directorial debut, the movie follows three friends who share a flat in Edinburgh. When their new flatmate, Hugo, dies suddenly of a drug overdose, they discover that [[BriefcaseFullOfMoney the suitcase he brought contained a very large amount of cash]]. They decide to keep the money, disposing of the late Hugo in a [[TitleDrop shallow grave]], and all seems well, until some of Hugo's associates come looking for him...

* UsefulNotes/BritishCoppers: The film features both [[OldCopYoungCop a kindly old one and an up-and-coming bright young one]].

* CharacterDevelopment: Alex starts as a JerkAss, Juliet is somewhere around TeamMom and David is male version of ShrinkingViolet. Where they end as however...

* CreatorCameo: Writer John Hodge plays one of the police detectives.

* YouDidntAsk: Inverted. Unlike their previous victims, Alex instantly told where the money is to the two thugs. The one beating him with a crowbar is somewhat shocked, if not ''disappointed'', because he didn't even start asking questions and got the answer.

* ShoutOut: The color scheme for the flat was based on Creator/EdwardHopper's painting ''Hotel Lobby''.

* BlackComedy

* DisposingOfABody

* DrawingStraws: This turns out to be possibly the worst idea Alex ever had.
* DrugsAreBad: Naturally.

* MrFanservice: Alex. So very, very much. Especially in the 'Strip The Willow' scene where Juliet puts her foot... yeah.

* AMacGuffinFullOfMoney: The suitcase full of cash.

* OldCopYoungCop

* TerribleIntervieweesMontage: At the beginning, when the three leads are interviewing for a new flatmate. [[Series/AmericanIdol Simon Cowell]] could have been taking notes.