History Film / GraveEncounters

** BreakTheHaughty: Lance, [[spoiler: who started off the film as a super confident ghost hunter (with a bit of cynicism over how every location they went to wasn't that haunted with ghosts) is reduced to a broken, insane driven man who's eventually lobotomized]].

* JerkAss: T.C. after the hauntings begin. Although it's understandable as to ''why'' he's feeling that way he ends up taking out his anger on Houston repeatedly. At one point, a ghost knocks over the floodlights in the lobby, and T.C. immediately assumes Houston did it.

* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: Early on, T.C. gets a phone call from his partner and child, so he puts the camera down to answer it. As he talks, [[spoiler: the wheelchair behind him moves by itself ever so slightly just as he says "Don't worry, monsters aren't real."]]

* StylisticSuck: Houston is only pretending to be a psychic for the purpose of the show... and it shows in his blatantly [[LargeHam hammy]] and cheesy performance. WordOfGod states that Houston was based on a real-life "psychic" employed for a ''Series/GhostHunters''-style show.
** Early in the film we see a title sequence for the show - it's pretty cheesy and suitably low-budget for what's supposed to be cheaply made reality tv.

* BaldOfEvil: Dr. Arthur Friedkin as his beginning picture shows.

* BolivianArmyEnding: [[spoiler:Lance ends up lobotomized, but it isn't made clear if he dies or not.]] [[Film/GraveEncounters2 The Sequel covers what happened]]

* AssholeVictim: Deconstructed with the Grave Encounters crew: While they have their arrogant moments (mainly Lance, Houston, and T.C.), it's clear they're just a normal TV crew just wanting to make entertainment. Lance ''does'' seem invested in haunted locations, however seemed jaded that he can't find the right location. Sasha and Matt seem to only be with the crew out just for the job and arguably because they do enjoy the paranormal, but that's about it.

*** The window from the beginning of the movie that Kenny talked about did open with Matt in the room.

* GhostlyGoals: Type B; the ghosts in the hospital don't seem to have any purpose beyond running around scaring everybody, causing extreme harm, and killing.

* ActionSurvivor: [[spoiler: Lance]] in the sequel. Surviving for nine months, [[spoiler: only nine months on the inside, with the weird time shenanigans inside the asylum he perceives 9 YEARS having gone by]] in the hospital takes a toll on his sanity, but it's impressive nonetheless.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[TagLine They were searching for proof]]... [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor they found it.]]]]

* DevelopingDoomedCharacters: It works better than other movies, though, as no one really grips the IdiotBall, and their backstories help the audience empathize more strongly with their situation - a key element in a movie built on NothingIsScarier.

[[quoteright:246:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/GraveEncounters_2840.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:246:[[TagLine They were searching for proof]]... [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor they found it.]]]]

** [[spoiler: Houston's death is a result of this. We see him blunder down a hallway in pure darkness, unaware of the overhead camera's set up to watch, and is unable to see because his flashlight died. As he wanders down the hall, the viewer can clearly see Houston is the only visible entity on camera, but as he nears the end of the hallway, he is lifted off the ground and choked by some invisible entity. Houston is in total darkness and thus cannot see, so he begins swiping at the air trying to hit whatever's grasping him, but the viewer can clearly see whatever it is, it's apparently not only invisible, but intangible. Houston then gets violently launched down the hallway and dies from the impact.]]

* FiveManBand:
** TheHero: Lance
** TheLancer: T.C.
** TheBigGuy: Houston
** TheSmartGuy: Matt
** TheChick: Sasha

[[caption-width-right:246:[[TagLine They were searching for proof]]... [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor they found it.]]

* VolumetricMouth: The woman in the corner reveals herself to be a ghost when she shows she's got a Volumetric Mouth ''and Eyes''. [[spoiler: So does the surgeon at the end.]]

* JerkAss: T.C. after the hauntings begin, taking out his anger on Houston repeatedly. At one point, a ghost knocks over the floodlights in the lobby, and T.C. immediately assumes Houston did it.

* Baldofevil: Dr. Arthur Friedkin as his beginning picture shows.

** Played with repeatedly throughout the movie. Regularly the crew tries to hole themselves up in a room to try and rest, and every time they're attacked or spooked in some fashion.

* JerkAss: T.C. after the hauntings begin, taking out his anger on Houston repeatedly.

** Lance, although he's definitely more reserved and it's less on him being angry and rude and more dissolute at the fact he hasn't been able to find the right haunted location. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor He gets it in the end]].

* IWantMyMommy: During a scene where Sasha [[spoiler: is projectile vomiting blood out of her mouth]] she starts crying and desperately cries out that she wants her mom.

* BodyHorror: Multiple ghosts in the movie can distort their faces rather drastically and their eyes become glowing marbles, losing all eye color and iris otherwise.

* NightmareFace: Ooooh boy.

* FoundFootageFilms: In the vein of TheBlairWitchProject.

* ActionSurvivor: [[spoiler: Lance]] in the sequel. Surviving for nine months, [[spoiler: only nine months on the outside, with the weird time shenanigans inside the asylum he perceives 9 YEARS having gone by]] in the hospital takes a toll on his sanity, but it's impressive nonetheless.