Review of Dead & Buried (1981) by Nick T — 22 Oct 2007

A series of gruesome murders are being committed in the sleepy little town of Potter's Bluff and local sheriff James Farentino is baffled, not to mention flabbergasted when the victims start returning as zombies! This imaginative chiller from 1981 has an unusual and effective script by Ron Shusett and Dan O'Bannon (most famous for scripting Alien) and some quirky touches to the characterisation.

Jack Albertson, in his final performance, steals the film as a jovial mortician with a penchant for 1940s swing music. A film that certainly shows it's age 'Dead and Buried' is still well worth seeking out.

Sure, some of the plot twists are slightly confusing, but fans of splatter are sure to get their money's worth with FX by Stan Winston (of Terminator and Alien) including burnings, batterings, acid injections and a particularly painful looking needle through the eye.

Certainly lacking the expertise of other gore fests the effects range in quality (the acid injection scene is really quite amateurish in its appearance) Nevertheless, a good atmosphere and neat direction by Gary Sherman helps make this underrated horror gem well worth a watch.

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