| “ | What if this is something real? | ” |
— Sasha in Grave Encounters
| ||
Sasha Parker, whose real name is Ashleigh Gryzko, is one of the main characters in Grave Encounters (2011), and whose archival footage is briefly seen in Grave Encounters 2 (2012). She is portrayed by the real life actress of the same name, Ashleigh Gryzko.
Sasha is one of crew members of the Grave Encounters team, serving as a paranormal investigator alongside Lance Preston. Her journey through the film is a harrowing descent from rational skepticism to profound terror and desperation.
Grave Encounters (2011)[]
Sasha Parker, along with Lance, T.C., Matt, and Houston arrive at the Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital, ready to investigate rumored hauntings for the paranormal investigative show, "Grave Encounters". Initially, she appears both skeptical and open-minded about the possibility of encountering genuine paranormal activity. She is the one behind the camera for all of the behind the scenes footage, notably filming the awkward reaction of Morgan Turner, and filming a behind the scenes interview with Lance, asking him about his own beliefs about the supernatural. Lance responds by acknowledging his hopes of finding something, but following up with his pessimistic disbelief that they will ever find anything, opting instead to at least make the episode entertaining.
During the tour with Kenny in the service tunnels, Sasha jumps at the sight of her own shadow cast by the camera light.
When the night investigation commences, Sasha remains vigilant and analytical, helping debunk minor noises and occurrences with rational explanations, such as finding a family of rats making eerie sounds. However, her skepticism starts to wane as increasingly inexplicable events occur, such as a wheelchair moving and a door slamming shut.
Sasha decides to use her recorder for an EVP session. While listening closely, Sasha and the crew hear a distance scream, leading to a pivotal moment when Sasha’s hair inexplicably lifts on its own. This experience visibly shakes her, pushing her from skepticism to genuine fear. She demands on returning to the headquarters, signaling her growing apprehension about the hospital's supernatural elements.
Sasha attempting to listen for any EVPs.
After deciding to pack up, Matt, who is in charge of collecting all the cameras, vanishes. The team is alerted to Matt's disappearance, and remarkably, Sasha is the one who insists they go searching for him, fearing that he may be hurt. Having collected herself, Sasha gears up with the rest of the team, searching the abandoned hospital for Matt, leaving Houston behind at headquarters.
Her initial skepticism is replaced by pure survival instinct as the crew encounters increasingly terrifying phenomena, such as endless corridors. Sasha is the one to notice that the door which paradoxically led to more corridors (which was initially the front door leading outside) is marked with spray paint: "DEATH AWAITS", indicating that this was somehow the same front door. During this time, they realize the sun doesn't appear to rise, marking an endless night. Kenny, who was supposed to unlock the front door at 6AM, never appears to show up.
Sasha is shown to be much more terrified than the rest of the crew. As the team looks for solutions to escape, Sasha is seen clinging closely to the rest of the crew, following the team as they exhaust their escape options. During segments in their headquarters, Sasha is often located tightly balled up in a corner, her back to the wall. Whenever she is holding a camera, she is heard whimpering and quietly sobbing to herself.
While investigating the hospital for Matt, the team is startled after a bedframe is thrown at them by an unseen entity. They take off running, before hiding in a small room. The team decides to rest, agreeing to take turns in shifts on who will stand watch. Despite their efforts, Sasha has the word "HELLO" carved into her back, which deeply unsettles her. Suddenly, Matt's voice appears on the walkie-talkie, and the team agree that the short-ranged radios mean that Matt is nearby.
The team continues their search for Matt, but ends up encountering a woman facing a corner. Upon approach, the woman turns around, distorts her face, and roars at the team, sending them into a frenzy down the dark halls. During this frenzy, Houston is lost in the commotion, doomed to walk down the endless corridors in the dark as his flashlight dies on him.
While the team takes another rest in their new saferoom, T.C. falls asleep while on watch, which Sasha scolds him for. After they all awaken, they all realize they have hospital wristbands on them, each one with their names typed on them, which further terrifies Sasha.
Now missing two crew members, the team recalibrates and agrees to focus on searching for an exit, agreeing to go back for Matt and Houston once they have help. During their search, Sasha begins to butt heads with Lance, arguing about not wanting to film any more of their already terrifying experience. As they argue, Sasha is suddenly grabbed by an arm through a door window, which wraps around her throat. Quickly saved by Lance, Sasha sprints away, before dropping to the floor. Petrified and exhausted, Sasha attempts to give up, but Lance comforts her, goading her to be strong and carrying on through the hospital.
Back on her feet, the remaining team members find Matt, who is rocking against a column in a large empty room, wearing a hospital gown. He appears to be in an altered mental state, and the team moves him to another saferoom when they hear noises approach them.
They ask Matt questions, but he is delirious, acting as if he was a patient at the hospital. He tells them that they can all leave once they are all better, stating that "he can make them all better". As the team once again rests, Sasha begins to feel ill. Lance notices her temperature has been raised, and mentions that she might have come down with a fever.
The team's sleep is interrupted by a barrage of arms coming out of the ceiling and walls reaching straight for them. The team makes a break for it, ending up in the bathroom full of tubs, where Kenny had mentioned a girl slit her wrists in one of the tubs. Much like the warning given to Kenny's story, the team hears running water, and spies a bathtub filled with blood. Matt is standing over it, staring deep into the murky tub. Lance asks T.C. to pull Matt to safety, which results in T.C. being pulled by a dark figure into the tub, with both T.C. and the figure vanishing completely.
The final three members walk through the dark hospital, reduced to their flashlights and camera lights. Hearing noises all around them, they come across an elevator. Though the power is out and the elevator is inoperational, the team decides to try their luck with the elevator shaft, hoping to climb down it. Lance goes to find an object to pry open the elevator doors, while Sasha stays behind with Matt.
Hearing Lance being chased by a tongueless demon, Sasha assists Lance in blocking the hallway door, keeping the aggressive ghost out. While they fend off the entity, Matt suddenly picks up a camera, chuckles to himself, and purposefully falls down the elevator shaft to his death. Successfully fending off the tongueless demon, Lance and Sasha discover Matt's body at the bottom of the shaft, and make their way down.
Sasha's final moments before the fog takes her away.
At the bottom floor, they step out to find themselves in the service tunnels. They make their way through absolute darkness, but Lance points out that they should've hit a junction where they were. Sasha suddenly drops to her knees, vomiting blood, crying out for her mother. Realizing they are in an infinite loop of tunnels, the duo rest against a wall, taking a small nap together, with Sasha resting peacefully on Lance's shoulder. As they fall asleep, a fog rolls in, fully covering the two of them. As the fog rolls out, Sasha is no longer with Lance, leaving Lance completely alone for the rest of the film.
Character Description[]
Sasha's early skepticism is hinted at in her approach to capturing behind-the-scenes footage and interviewing crew members about their beliefs in the supernatural. As the investigation progresses into the night, Sasha's skepticism is challenged by a series of inexplicable events, notably the moving wheelchair and a door slamming shut. She tries to maintain her composure and rationality, debunking minor noises and occurrences, but the paranormal activities gradually erode her skepticism. A critical moment for Sasha is when her hair is mysteriously lifted by an unseen force, marking a shift from skepticism to palpable fear. Her demand to return to the headquarters underscores her growing concern and apprehension about the supernatural elements in the hospital.
Sasha is shown to toughen up when others are at risk of being hurt. Sasha's sense of responsibility comes to the forefront when Matt goes missing. She insists on searching for him, fearing he may be hurt, showing her deep concern for her fellow crew members despite her own personal terror.
Sasha becomes increasingly fearful as the film continues. She is often seen tightly balled up in a corner, overwhelmed by the situation, and clings closely to the rest of the crew as they desperately seek a way out. Sasha's mental and emotional breaking point is reached during the team's frantic search for an exit. After being grabbed by an arm through a door and witnessing the disappearance of other crew members, her fear escalates to a point of near-paralysis. Despite Lance's efforts to comfort and encourage her, Sasha's resilience is severely tested.
Trivia[]
- Sasha seems to be the most terrified of the group, closely followed by Houston. We often hear her whimpering, shutting down, and even calling out for her mother.
- Sasha seems to contract an illness partway through the film, which gives her a fever and makes her vomit blood. Vomiting blood is a serious symptom, which if left untreated, can result in death, seemingly sealing her fate.