Dead and Buried

USA 1981
produced by
Robert Frentress, Ronald Shusett, Richard R.St. Johns (executive)
directed by Gary Sherman
starring James Farentino, Melody Anderson, Jack Albertson, Dennis Redfield, Nancy Locke, Lisa Blount, Robert Englund, Bill Quinn, Michael Currie, Christopher Allport, Joseph G.Medalis, Macon McCalman, Lisa Marie, Estelle Omens, Barry Corbin, Linda Turley, Ed Bakey, Glenn Morshower, Robert Boler, Michael Pataki, Jill Fosse, Mark Courtney, Michael Courtney, Renee McDonell, Dottie Catching, Colby Smith, Judy Ashton
screenplay by Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett, based on a story by Jeff Millar, Alex Stern, music by Joe Renzetti, makeup effects by Stan Winston

review by
Mike Haberfelner

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It all starts when photographer Freddie (Christopher Allport) hits the sleepy little fishing village Potters Bluff, meets lovely Lisa (Lisa Blount) who tries her best to seduce him ... and is attacked by some townsfolks who burn him - almost to death. Later his burnt body is pulled from a carwreck, and cop Dan (James Farentino) spends some considerable time finding out the true identity of Freddie, while Freddie, in his hospital bed, is killed by the nurse - who turns out to be Lisa. Interestingly, Freddie turns up later very much alive with a face undamaged by the burns he had to suffer - but that happens much later.

Soon enough, more out-of-towners are killed, all by decent townspeople, and the more Dan investigates, the more clues lead to his own wife Janet (Melody Anderson) and the more Dan comes to the conclusion that everything has to do with witchcraft - especially when corpses start disappearing from the local morgue, run by mortician Dodds (Jack Albertson).

Eventually, Dan finds out that not only his wife but a good deal of the population of Potters Bluff are involved in the murders - and they all have one thing in common, they have died and been brought back to life, by none other than mortician Dodds, who is so perfect in making up corpses he just can't stand the fact that they remaind dead and buried ...

But if you think that this was a shock for Dan, wait until he finds out that he himself has also been killed and brought back ...

Interesting little shocker that starts out as a routine crime drama but gets weirder and more twisted pretty much by the minute until it develops into a full-fledged, pretty original and highly macabre horror movie with an ending that pretty much turns everything that has happened before onto its head - a triumph in scriptwriting actually (and I have to admit my synopsis does not do the film justice). That all said, the film isn't half as interestingly directed as it is written, and the cast is only average, but despite all that, the movie is still highly entertaining and should be watched by fans of the macabre.

Recommended.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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