Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

SunnyHello Nice effects though.

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Scott LeBrun One wouldn't think it possible for filmmakers to make a somber, serious film about necrophilia - that particularly unusual taboo of having carnal relations with corpses. But they pull it off here, with this surprisingly sensitive and tasteful portrayal. Therefore, it's actually going to come as a crushing disappointment to exploitation film lovers hoping for something extremely trashy and depraved. Under-rated '70s hottie Mary Wilcox plays Lindsay Finch, an attractive young woman who seemingly can't maintain a normal relationship with guys. She's already tried once with the studly Wade (Christopher Stone), and comes at least somewhat close with nice guy art gallery owner Alex (Lyle Waggoner), but still is uncomfortable with the act of making love. She prefers her guys to be stiff in a different way. Approaching her is funeral home operator Fred McSweeney (Timothy Scott), whose other occupation is heading a cult that defiles dead bodies. She's horrified by this at first, but soon enough...The film is written and directed by Jacques LaCerte (based on an idea concocted by Roger Wall and Robert Cleere) and produced by Buck Edwards, both of whom have uncredited bits. Not only is it not going to appeal to people with more extreme tastes, it also has the potential to bore some viewers as the pacing is quite deliberate, and despite the "sick" subject matter, the film is more of a drama than anything. In flashbacks we get to see that Lindsay was *very* close to her beloved father (Michael Pardue), and we get a sense of what life is like for her. The good thing is that even in light of her predilection, the character of Lindsay is not exactly unsympathetic and Wilcox really does a nice job in the lead. The other familiar actors are all very good, as well: both Waggoner ('The Carol Burnett Show', 'Wonder Woman') and Stone ("The Howling", "Cujo") are quite likable, and Scott graces the movie with an quietly effective, creepy performance. The score by Phil Moody and the very '70s tunes sung by Kit Fuller are good, and the cinematography by David Aaron helps to give the film a slick look. All things considered, this is an interesting little production that understandably isn't too well known, but adventurous and patient cult movie lovers should find it a reasonably provocative viewing experience. Trivia note: drive-in flick legend H.B. Halicki of "Gone in 60 Seconds" fame takes an associate producer credit, and has a role in the film as a racer. Seven out of 10.

Michael_Elliott Love Me Deadly (1973) ** (out of 4) After the death of her father, Lindsay (Mary Wilcox) begins to visit the funerals of strangers because she finds herself sexually attracted to the dead. Soon she meets an embalmer who runs a cult of people who prefer snuggling up with cold dead flesh but soon Lindsay finds herself falling in love with a man that's able to breathe so will she be able to walk away from the dead? LOVE ME DEADLY sounds like a sick exploitation movie but I think most people will find it to be an example where the actual storyline is a lot worse than anything we actually see. Horror movies have proved that they can tackle any subject but necrophilia is the one that hasn't had too many films based around it. There was a Canadian movie called KISSED that looked at the subject matter in a very serious way. Then you have the German NEKROMANTIK, which is out there to make one repulsed. This film here was probably one of the first to deal with the subject and while it does feature some very memorable moments, on the whole it's a pretty disappointing affair. Things start off incredibly strong as the embalmer gets his rocks off by picking up a male prostitute and taking him back to his office where he straps the guy down and embalms him while he's still alive. This first death sequence is shot pretty well and it's rather effective but all of the death scenes that follow are extremely tame and weak. The film starts off with our female victim taking a trip up to a coffin where she plants a wet one on the corpse but the graphic nature really doesn't get worse than this. I was really shocked to see how serious the film took its subject matter but the problem is that not much happens throughout the rather long 95-minute running time. The love triangle thing just really kills the film as its boring and I doubt too many are actually going to care if she wants to be with the living or the dead. The strange thing is that in the middle of the movie we get this long sequence with a love song showing clips of Lindsay becoming "hopeful" that she's manage to be turned on by a living man. THe performances really aren't too bad with Wilcox doing a fairly good job in the lead. There are a few moments where she goes way too over-the-top but for the most part she's fine. Christopher Stone of THE HOWLING fame appears as one of her boyfriends here. LOVE ME DEADLY takes itself way too serious but there are some really bad moments that are so campy that you can't help but laugh. The before mentioned male prostitute gets some of the worse dialogue in film history when he's being killed. When it finally dawns on him that this guy means him hard he begins to scream: "Oh, you're serious! You're serious! You're a maniac!" This is followed by him eventually getting cut open to which he starts to scream "On, my blood! My blood!"

lazarillo Traumatized by the death of her beloved father, a young woman compulsively attends the funerals of strangers. After she is caught sucking face with a male corpse by a creepy mortician, the mortician inducts her into a bizarre cult of people who enjoy making love to dead bodies. But then she falls in love with a living man and the real drama develops.This is one of the few movies about necrophilia where there is really an equal emphasis on the "necro" and "philia". There's a very disturbing scene where the creepy mortician picks up a male prostitute and proceeds to embalm him while he's still alive(!), but generally this movie isn't nearly as gruesome as stuff like "Der Mosquito", "Lucker", "Beyond the Darkness" or "Nekromantic". It does, however, have one of those sappy 70's love plots (complete with a syrupy 70's soundtrack) that is definitely odds with the more gruesome content. But, in my opinion anyway, it also makes the film more interesting than if it had just been a pure gorefest.This film is also yet another entry in strange series of 70's exploitation films (i.e. "Dream No Evil", "Toys Are Not for Children", "Baby Rosemary") all focusing on female Norman Bates-types whose obsessive love for dead or absent fathers results in severe adult sexual dysfunction, and ultimately tragedy. The most recent movie it resembles is the "indie cult" film "Kissed" with Molly Parker. But while others may disagree, I definitely prefer 70's exploitation to modern-day "indie" quirkiness. This is definitely worth seeing.

Johnboy1221 I have a theory that this film got Lyle Waggoner dismissed from The Carol Burnett Show (he left the series the following season, by mutual agreement).Regardless, by today's standards, it's not that shocking. The copy of the film I have seems to have been carefully edited, and not as violent or graphic as I recall it being in the theater production.By 1973 standards, it was quite a shocker...very graphic and gory, complete with a gay subtext. As I recall, it was loosely based around a real-life Los Angeles "cult" of funeral home "lovers of dead" psychos. The story is fiction, but, who knows what goes on behind the closed doors at funeral homes? The acting isn't too bad, and it's fun watching Lyle play against type. The star is quite pretty, too, and she plays her role well. Her hunky boyfriend does a good job of...well, being prepared for cold sex (and so does poor Lyle).In the right frame of mind, this comes across well. In fact, I'd love to see the original, uncut version one day, on widescreen DVD, but I ain't holdin' my breath. This is lurid stuff, and it ain't likely to see the DVD "light of day".If you do see this "sicky", just don't take it too seriously, and it might be fun to watch.