Directed by-Joe D'Amato
Starring-Kieran Canter,Cinzia Monreale, Franca Stoppi
Holy Dinty Moore is this one foul and disgusting flick! I'd been warned but since I'm not all that easily disgusted I didn't think twice about popping this baby into my VCR and sitting down with dinner on my lap. At least I was pretty well finished eating before the really nasty bits!
The story concerns a young taxidermist, Frank, who lives with Iris, an extremely freaky woman (described by some reviewers as a housekeeper and by others as an aunt) in a sprawling old mansion. Following the death of his girlfriend Anna, our young hero hatches a plot to dig up her corpse and embalm her. Seems he loved her deeply and can't stand the thought of the two of them being apart. The fact that she's DEAD is apparently of no importance. He proceeds with his plan but unfortunately an assortment of people keep stumbling onto his little secret. Needless to say, they must be silenced. Luckily for Frank, Iris is a very willing and able helpmate who is quite skilled in the fine art of corpse disposal. In between bouts of killing Frank manages to spend some good quality time with Anna, who has been dressed in a nightgown and put in his bedroom. Of course things eventually begin to unravel, particularly when Frank refuses to get rid of the body in his bed despite the fact that police have been snooping around. Finally, an unexpected visitor shows up and all hell breaks loose.The film builds to a bloody crescendo and then goes out with a twist.
Despite a few inconsistencies, Buried Alive is a pretty good horror film. Part of what keeps it from being just another gory exploitation flick is the perverse, yet ambiguous relationship between Frank and Iris. The movie never really explains who Iris is and we're left to speculate. There are a number of disturbing scenes between the two of them, which include simulated nursing, hand jobs and tag-team dismemberment. There is also an incredibly icky scene that takes place at the dinner table. Don't worry, you can't miss it. The other thing that pushes Buried Alive a, ummm...head above the competition is the excellent score by Argento favorite, Goblin. The music adds a lot to the movie, as long as you're not adverse to a little late 70's electronica. If you have a strong stomach and you're in the mood fora bit 'o cannibalism, necrophilia and general perversion look no further! This film is slated to be released soon on Region 1 DVD, under it's original Italian title, Buio Omega. -Jenny Stumps
Rating-3 Brains |
