"Dead & Buried" takes place in the small coastal community of Potter's Bluff, where mysterious locals seem to be hacking tourists and passersby to death—but instead of dying, they are coming back from the dead and joining the mob of their zombie-like murderers.
Giving the fairly prolific cast (James Farentino, Robert Englund, Jack Albertson) and other talent behind this film (including Dan O'Bannon, co-writer of "Alien"), I had fairly high expectations of this film. The opening scene entails a photographer who is lured onto an empty beach by a beautiful woman who asks him to photograph her; suddenly, a mob of ghoulish townspeople appear out of nowhere, and he meets a gruesome fate. It's a terrifying scene, exacerbated by the fact that it occurs in broad daylight on such an innocuous sunny beach.
"Dead & Buried" is, as many have said, an atmospheric film; it has the dreary coastal atmosphere down to a T, and it is also extremely well-shot. At times, it reminded me of 1973's "Messiah of Evil," which has a similar premise. It is also fairly well-acted from its lead cast. Where the film falters is in its pacing and plotting—there are bizarre editing choices and arrangements of scenes throughout that are frankly distracting. While some films use this kind of approach with purpose, such does not seem to be the case here; it feels as though the editors legitimately did not know what they were doing, and the result is that tension and suspense buildup are never really given an opportunity to grow.
As I mentioned, the acting is solid, with James Farentino playing a convincing cop, and Jack Albertson (who most will recognize as Charlie's grandpa in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory") playing the local coroner. The film has an intriguing twist ending that demands a serious suspension of disbelief, but it is nonetheless a legitimately weird plot twist that colors the film with light shades of science fiction.
Overall, "Dead & Buried" is a bit of a mishmash. While the film is atmospheric and has some legitimately scary scenes, it is also badly-edited and not nearly as suspenseful as it feels it should be. Its wilder psychotronic elements that come into play during the final act have earned it a cult following, and understandably so—but at the end of the day, it is a flawed film—one with some exceptional scenes and ideas, but no less flawed. It is worth watching for the general weirdness of its atmosphere and a handful of spooky moments, though it still feels like a gem that needed just a bit more polishing to really reach the next level. 6/10.
Giving the fairly prolific cast (James Farentino, Robert Englund, Jack Albertson) and other talent behind this film (including Dan O'Bannon, co-writer of "Alien"), I had fairly high expectations of this film. The opening scene entails a photographer who is lured onto an empty beach by a beautiful woman who asks him to photograph her; suddenly, a mob of ghoulish townspeople appear out of nowhere, and he meets a gruesome fate. It's a terrifying scene, exacerbated by the fact that it occurs in broad daylight on such an innocuous sunny beach.
"Dead & Buried" is, as many have said, an atmospheric film; it has the dreary coastal atmosphere down to a T, and it is also extremely well-shot. At times, it reminded me of 1973's "Messiah of Evil," which has a similar premise. It is also fairly well-acted from its lead cast. Where the film falters is in its pacing and plotting—there are bizarre editing choices and arrangements of scenes throughout that are frankly distracting. While some films use this kind of approach with purpose, such does not seem to be the case here; it feels as though the editors legitimately did not know what they were doing, and the result is that tension and suspense buildup are never really given an opportunity to grow.
As I mentioned, the acting is solid, with James Farentino playing a convincing cop, and Jack Albertson (who most will recognize as Charlie's grandpa in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory") playing the local coroner. The film has an intriguing twist ending that demands a serious suspension of disbelief, but it is nonetheless a legitimately weird plot twist that colors the film with light shades of science fiction.
Overall, "Dead & Buried" is a bit of a mishmash. While the film is atmospheric and has some legitimately scary scenes, it is also badly-edited and not nearly as suspenseful as it feels it should be. Its wilder psychotronic elements that come into play during the final act have earned it a cult following, and understandably so—but at the end of the day, it is a flawed film—one with some exceptional scenes and ideas, but no less flawed. It is worth watching for the general weirdness of its atmosphere and a handful of spooky moments, though it still feels like a gem that needed just a bit more polishing to really reach the next level. 6/10.