Dead & Buried

Production: Robert Fentress (Producer) — Richard R. St. Johns (Executive Producer)

Screenplay: Ronald Shusett (Screenplay) — Dan O'Bannon (Screenplay) — Jeff Millar (Story) — Alex Stern (Story)

Music: Joe Renzetti (Original Music Composer)

Cinematography: Steven Poster (Director of Photography)

Several murders disrupt the tranquility of a quiet town in New England. The most disturbing thing is that the same victims seem to come back to life to become, in turn, terrible murderers… It stands out for its discretion and the suggestion of atmospheres a title that in Italy did not have much success, perhaps because today, as in the past, good taste does not always pay off. This "Dead & Buried" by Gary Sherman is a disturbing story in proposing the hypothesis that the "brought back to life" dead person is unaware of their condition as a walking corpse, and chilling when it explains that the author of the horrific machination has decided to replace God purely for the purpose of improving the aesthetics of the human species. A small great cult of horror cinema that bears the signatures of experts in the genre such as Dan O'Bannon (screenwriter), Stan Winston (special effects) and Robert "Freddy" Englund (among the protagonists). Absolutely worth rediscovering.

Mysterious deaths in a foggy coastal town

A puzzled sheriff in a hazy seaside hamlet in Maine (James Farentino) investigates a string of violent murders. Jack Albertson plays the mortician while Robert Englund appears as a mechanic in his pre-Freddy Krueger days.

"Dead & Buried" (1981) is a unique, atmospheric horror that is reminiscent of other spooky flicks taking place in coastal towns, like “The Fog” (1980), “Messiah of Evil” (1973), “The Birds” (1963) and “Humanoids from the Deep” (1980). The opening features some surprisingly classy music (repeated during the end credits) which sets the stage for the slow-paced, moody investigation augmented by some pretty cutting edge and, frankly, shocking effects by Stan Winston.

The striking Lisa Blount stands out on the feminine front, particularly her opening sequence. The head-turning Melody Anderson is also on hand as the sheriff’s wife. Meanwhile Lisa Marie appears as a hitchhiker (not the same actress as Tim Burton’s muse in the 90s). More should’ve been done with these women (not talking ‘bout sleaze).

The film runs 1 hour, 33 minutes, and was shot in Mendocino, California (located about 3.5 hours north of San Francisco on the coast), and The Lot in West Hollywood.

GRADE: B

"Tales from the Crypt" (meets The Stepford Wives) like story that has plenty of entertainment value even though it's more on the creepy spectrum than scary. Jack Albertson as the mortician was a lot of fun and James Farentino had his moments. 3.75/5

Directors

Cast

Crew

REVIEWS (1)

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Final Destination 2

Non Aprite Quella Porta

Venerdì 13 parte VI: Jason Vive

Echi Mortali

Dead Silence

Il Messaggero - The Haunting in Connecticut

La Pelle di Satana

Scarlatti

Creep

Sinister 2

The Taking of Deborah Logan

Autopsy

COMMUNITY REVIEWS (2)

DEAD & BURIED