Dead and Buried (1981)

Posted by: alffy, February 19th, 2012, 4:49pm

I came across this a while back and finally got round to watch it the other day. The acting is a little wooden in places but the story is pretty creepy and it's a good spin on a zombie movie. It's not fantastic but worth a look if you like horror and want something a bit different.

Posted by: Baltis. (Guest), February 19th, 2012, 5:34pm; Reply: 1

Dan o'bannon did this obscure, slightly tarnished gem... It's not bad, but slow going at times. It also, towards the end, unravels itself. It had a much better hook going for it before the rabbit is pulled out of the hat and we are privy to the gist of what's going on and why.

The opening kill is very gripping, with the photographer, and will reel most anyone in -- but it never gets back on track after that. There was a nice scene where the passing thru family is being attacked in the house, though. That was pretty gripping.

Posted by: alffy, February 20th, 2012, 2:52am; Reply: 2

I agree the ending was a little flat and didn't get the impact I think they were hoping for. Dan o'bannon, didn't he do 'Return of the Living Dead'? I love that film.

Posted by: Dreamscale (Guest), February 21st, 2012, 10:28am; Reply: 3

Ah yes, Dead and Buried rears its head again. I think there's another thread on this somewhere...maybe Netflix streaming? Not sure.

Anyways, I always remember this flick, as I saw it in the theater, back in 81...oh...those were such good years...

Anyway, this thing disappeared fast and was hard to find on video for many years.

When I finally saw it again, last year, I was surprised how poorly it held up, as in the look, the acting, and yes, the unraveling story that starts out so strong and intriguing.

Don't get me wrong, it still holds a place in my heart and I think it could have really been good...and something that could have stood the test of time better than it did. Numerous obvious flaws in filming and plot. Lots of interesting tidbits about production available online.

There are many, many worse ways to spend 90 minutes if you're not familiar with this little hidden, forgotten uncut gem.

Alffy, O'Bannon was behind Alien, BTW.

Posted by: Electric Dreamer, February 21st, 2012, 11:26am; Reply: 4

This is a sentimental production for me too.
And yeah, it did come up on the Netflix thread, Jeff. Good recall. :P

O"Bannon already had a turbulent time with Dark Star and Alien.
So, this was another production mess that ended with lots of reshoots.

It coulda shoulda woulda, but still has a lot of skill on screen at times.

E.D.

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