Dead & Buried Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1981

Dead & Buried is a quality early 80's horror gem that featured a unique spin on the zombie movie genre and some cringe-inducing special effects from one of the masters: Stan Winston. Strangers passing through the sleepy seaside town of Potters Bluff are being viciously murdered by certain townsfolk, but days later these same victims are seen alive and well… and in an even odder turn of events, they have decided to become permanent residents of the seemingly peaceful town.

A visiting photographer is snapping photos of Potters Bluff's beautiful landscapes on a serene beach when he catches view of a beautiful temptress that peels off her clothes for his camera, providing him with some snapshots that would make any Playboy fan very happy. The photographer soon learns that taking photos of overly accommodating women can be dangerous, for a group of locals beats him, ties him to a stake and then burns him alive.

Quite an introduction to the town, and a gripping introduction to the movie!

Sheriff Dan Gillis (James Farentino) arrives to investigate the murders, but for the most part he comes up empty. The charred body is sent to the town mortician, G. William Dobbs (Oscar winner Jack Albertson), a fellow that takes immense pride in making the dead bodies appear lifelike. Gillis and Dobbs have their work cut out for them, because others soon join that body, such as a fisherman that was brutally slashed to death.

The investigation takes a turn for the absurd when the sheriff notices that past victims are reappearing as living and breathing friendly townsfolk. These residents don't appear to recall anything about their previous murders; as far as they know they have always lived in Potters Bluff. Is Sheriff Gillis losing his grip on reality, or is the community harboring a deeper mystery?

Due to the novelty of the movie's storyline, I don't want to go into as much detail about the plot happenings as I normally would since in this case divulging such details would ruin much of the enjoyment of the film.

Dead & Buried speeds along at a brisk pace, playing out much like a thriller/mystery movie interwoven with scenes of brutal violence, such as a needle being inserted through a victim's eye, the aforementioned stake burning, and more. The scenes don't take the forefront of the film, but they will definitely please most gore fans. And for those who enjoy a good story but hate graphic violence, the scenes are easy enough to divert your eyes from momentarily so you can be entertained with the intriguing story without being knocked out from the visceral elements.

Dan O'Bannon (Alien, Return of the Living Dead) is responsible for the screenplay, while special effects master Stan Winston (Terminator 2, Aliens) lent his magic to all but one of the graphic kill scenes. Director Gary Sherman isn't one of the better-known directors in the business (his most popular work would probably be Poltergeist III), but he did a fine job portraying an idyllic community that harbors a dark secret. Dead & Buried starts off with a shocking bang, and keeps the tension throughout until it culminates in one of the best endings in the genre.

Actors James Farentino and Jack Albertson were great fun to watch and did a fine job with their performances. Melody Anderson, who played Janet Gillis, put forth a good showing as the sheriff's beloved wife… a woman that could end up being his greatest threat. Even horror-legend Robert Englund drops on by in a smaller role as one of the town residents with something to hide.

As is to be expected with films of this nature, you'll have to take certain plot elements with a grain of salt and acceptance, because not every aspect of Dead & Buried will be wrapped up in one tidy, airtight package. There are a few plot holes to be found if you scrutinize the movie closely enough. The good news is most viewers simply won't care – if you just sit back and accept the movie as a couple hours of twisted and thrilling entertainment then any minor plot weaknesses will barely, if at all, be noticeable.

Dead & Buried isn't a perfect film, but it scores extremely high for two reasons:

The standard genre elements (such as nasty deaths) are fantastic for an early 80's effort – good enough to stand proud even today, 20+ years later.
The storyline is deeper than most horror flicks, presenting a story that would capture the attention of even those who don't normally enjoy such films. And the plot twist at the ending was ingenious… and also similarly used in a more recent big production.

If you're a horror fan, you'll want to thank Blue Underground for bringing this classic to DVD.

Note: Dead & Buried was released by Blue Underground as a special limited and numbered edition (complete with a bonus disc). While it's still available at the time of writing this review, it's possible in the future all copies will be sold out.

Movie rating: 9 stars

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