Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

thelastblogontheleft Oh man, I loved this little gem so much. Dead & Buried was only director Gary Sherman's second feature film (after 1972's Death Line) and it is the perfect story of a sleepy coastal town harboring a dark secret. Reminiscent of some of John Carpenter's best work (in particular, of course, The Fog), it manages such an awesome combination of claustrophobic mood, competent acting, interesting characters, and enough of a science fiction-y plot (and special effects) that it's amazing that this movie never saw the fame it deserved.It follows Dan Gillis (James Farentino), sheriff of the small town of Potter's Bluff, as he investigates a series of grisly murders. The crimes already belie the tight-knit community, but he becomes more perplexed when it not only seems like his wife may be involved in what's going on, but that the victims seem to be reappearing, alive and well...** SPOILERS! **This was kind of a perfect film for me because I feel like it did such a great job at blending all of the qualities I typically love about horror films. It had strong acting (sure, not equally strong from every single character, but all of the main actors were great, plus we get to see Robert Englund in his pre-Freddie days!), memorable characters, shocking moments that were spread out enough to not lose their effect, some awesome special effects and gory moments, and a fantastic twist ending (that genuinely surprised me).The local coroner-mortician, known as Dobbs (Jack Albertson in his final role), is easily the most captivating character of the whole bunch (he's more famously known for his role as Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory). His love of big band music is a central role - his first scene, driving along the winding road with music pouring from the open windows of his car, is great, but my favorite has to be him putting a record on with a careful, gloved hand before slowly dancing his way across the room to a body, ready to be embalmed. He views his job as an art - "A cosmetologist gives birth; I make souvenirs" - and, in many ways, himself as a god of sorts. In one scene, he's annoyed with Dan for not finding the car crash victim's family because it meant they couldn't ask him to "perform his magic". He thinks it's more obscene for a body to wither away in a casket than for him to preserve the memory of that human being. It's admirable, in a way, and it makes his character just fascinating to watch.As I mentioned, the claustrophobic feeling of the town is ever-present, due in part to Steven Poster's cinematography (who would later become better known as the director of photography for Donnie Darko). There are some truly fantastic shots, one of my favorites being the townspeople approaching the lost family - the mob of them, moving slowly as they are silhouetted in the fog, was standout to say the least. Dan coming in to the morgue to find Dobbs watching videos of various murders - victims he reanimated - projected all over the walls is absolutely awesome.The score - by Joe Renzetti (who would go on to score Child's Play) - is so sorrowful, so haunting. It's perfect. I'm usually happy with music that at least just doesn't distract from the film, but the theme song in particular adds such a degree of moodiness.The special effects weren't over the top but they definitely stand out among some of the cheesiness of 80s horror, like the charred man in the car SCREAMING when he was touched - oof, so good - or "Lisa" putting a needle through our poor photographer's eye. I also really liked the severed arm moving on its own on front of car, clenching its fist repeatedly, as well as Dobbs stripping the hitchhiker girl's face down to skull and rebuilding from the ground up.I loved the feeling of the town sort of breaking down all at once - Dan catching the high school kid who worked at the mortuary applying concealer to his arm, us seeing the man behind the counter's fist cracking as the sheriff picked up his film. Seeing the sheriff go from suspecting a crazed killer to starting to suspect everyone around him - including his wife - is pretty intense.And really, the entire climax of the movie was just... perfect. Janet rattling off options for dinner as Dobbs explains how the only memories she has are the ones he gives her, and how she was a gift to Dan... Dobbs welcoming death ("You will try to kill me, Dan, but you can't. You can only make me dead.") so he can join his "children"... Janet begging Dan to bury him. It was dramatic and heartbreaking (a tearful Dan burying Jan - and watching her pull handfuls of dirt over her own face - was just... wow) and almost suffocating (the entire town coming over, one by one, to drop flowers and well wishes at her grave, to Dan's horror) and I was on the edge of my seat and then THAT TWIST ENDING! Just... too good. TOO GOOD.Seriously, don't sleep on this one. It's freaking incredible.

Leofwine_draca Here's a rarity - a film that manages to be both atmospheric and gory in equal measures! Originally a borderline nasty, in these enlightened days the censors have seen fit to release an uncut version of this little gem which starts off slowly before building to a tense denouement. My only complaint about the film is that a lot of action takes place at night, making things murky and hard to see. Apart from that minor flaw, it's a classic!The film follows a typical mystery format with a male detective gradually amassing clues and uncovering a conspiracy in his small town. This alone is adequate enough, but the discovery that his town is full of zombies who appear to be human ranks up there with the other small-town terrors of LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH and SALEM'S LOT. The film doesn't skimp on the gore front either, with plenty of brutal deaths - the excuse being that the witch doctor likes to repair his corpses, so has to have them disfigured in the first place! We get needles sticking straight into eyeballs, acid dissolving faces, people burning alive and much, much more. The show-stopping opening mixes in violence, nudity, romance and terror in equal abundance and is a sure-fire way of hooking the viewer! Okay, so the acting isn't Oscar-calibre, but I thought it was at least adequate. James Farentino is slightly wooden as the slow-witted hero, yet in the final third he shows his true colours. A few familiar faces pad out the rest of the cast, including Melody Anderson (THE IMMORTALIZER) and a turn from a young Robert Englund - just three years before he would don Freddy Krueger's razor-blade gloves. Jack Albertson is also very good as the creepy mortician.For the most part, this is a slow-moving shocker with a number of scary images - the crowd of zombies silhouetted in a light, shuffling along slowly but surely even beats similar images from Romero's trilogy. But in the final twenty minutes when the final realisation dawns on our intrepid sheriff, things really hot up, and the film becomes brilliant. There's even one of those twist endings that I adore. DEAD & BURIED is unfortunately mostly forgotten, but once viewed remains etched in the brain of those who have watched - it's that memorable. Nicely suspenseful, this is a perfect little B-movie and deserves tracking down!

Creepy-Suzie Photographers, drifters, vacationing families… no one that enters the quaint little East Coast town of Potter's Bluff is safe. Rest assured that although the murder may be painful and disfiguring, death in Potter's Bluff is never permanent. I was reminded of Burn Witch Burn when the sheriff finds his lovely wife is in possession of witchcraft books and implements.Unlike Burn Witch Burn, however, the confrontation is quickly dismissed as she justifies her "research" as a lesson she will be teaching her class of 9 and 10 year olds. We all know that she would be fired, but her police officer husband doesn't really question it. Sure enough, later on in the film she's teaching the kids about the black arts. Go figure. This is not your typical zombie-witchcraft film though. It's more akin to Stepford Wives meets The Serpent and the Rainbow and the entire town is affected.Although this is an 80's film there is a distinct 70's feel to the atmosphere, and care was taken to acknowledge the charms of a small coastal town without becoming folksy or over the top. Much of the movie was filmed in darkness, but despite this, action shots were always adequately lit. Predictability regarding the plot is debatable. I'm certain there will be some surprises regardless if the ending is guessed. It's a fun ride getting from point A to point B.Oh, and in case you were wondering, the effects were immaculate. That's no mistake. Production brought Stan Winston on board. From the charred "Freddie" to his unnerving hospital stay, to the general rotting flesh of the residents, Winston was absolutely the star of this film. The acting was decent, but I still raise my eyebrows at the unlikelihood of some situations. Fortunately with the unhappy ending, the justification for these instances became clear. If you haven't seen this film yet, check it out. You'll be happy you did.

Scott LeBrun Nicely plotted horror-mystery that puts its own entertaining spin on the zombie genre. In the friendly coastal town of Potter's Bluff, the locals will treat you to their own brutal brand of hospitality. This involves violent murder, but don't think you'll stay dead for long. Who could be responsible for these weird goings on, and could all of it be the result of witchcraft or voodoo? Horror fans will have fun finding out, and even if they figure it out, they can still delight in all of the elements on display. Official screenplay credit goes to Ronald Shusett and Dan O'Bannon, the men behind "Alien", and Gary A. Sherman, making his first stateside horror flick since the excellent 1972 shocker "Raw Meat", guides it all with a steady hand. The colour palette here is largely muted, and even when things get gory, there's not the usual burst of bright red to which one might be accustomed. In fact, "Dead & Buried" is a very solid mixture of atmosphere with gore. This viewer is partial to any horror film set in a sleepy seaside town (John Carpenter's "The Fog" being another prime example), and the filmmakers take full advantage of the setting. The lighting, by Steven Poster, and camera work, by John Koester, are very impressive. Joe Renzetti's music is excellent, especially the haunting piano-driven main theme. Stan Winston is the man behind the superb makeup effects; although there are some sub par effects in some scenes that were added on, these were not his work. There are some absolutely brilliant gags to be enjoyed here - one involves a needle to an eyeball (ouch!), and another, involving a charred body, creates an all too effective jump. A top notch cast is a treat to watch. James Farentino is our determined policeman hero; his histrionics at the end are a little much, but otherwise he's fine. Pretty Melody Anderson of "Flash Gordon" fame co-stars as his young wife, and we also get to see a pre-Freddy Robert Englund, Barry Corbin, Michael Pataki, Christopher Allport, luscious Lisa Blount, Bill Quinn, Macon McCalman, and Glenn Morshower. Stealing the show is the wonderful Jack Albertson, in his final feature film appearance, as flamboyant mortician / coroner G. William Dobbs, a man who truly knows how to make an entrance. His performance is just delicious and he has some highly amusing dialogue to boot. The screenplay may not hold up to a lot of scrutiny, but hopefully while this film is playing out, that won't matter too much. There's a real corker of an opening, and the final revelation is a good one, including a memorable closing line and image. Originally intended as more of a dark comedy, "Dead & Buried" works just fine as a real horror flick and is entertaining stuff worth seeking out for the uninitiated. Seven out of 10.