Dead & Buried is an American independent horror movie directed by Gary Sherman and starring James Farentino, Melody Anderson, Jack Albertson, Dennis Redfield, Nancy Locke, and a young Robert Englund. It was released in theaters on May 29th, 1981 and was put onto the United Kingdom’s infamous “Video Nasty” list. I am watching a high-quality stream on the Shudder network.

Synopsis

Strange murders are taking place in the friendly small coastal town of Potter's Bluff, Rhode Island. The local Sheriff Dan Gillis is investigating these bizarre happenings. He happens upon a strange conspiracy that involves the town conspiring to kill visitors. However, things really ramp up when his investigation begins to unfold a deep and dark secret involving black magic.

Analysis

Director Gary Sherman does a great job of delivering a fantastic looking film. But the acting doesn’t seem to do it any favors. James Farentino is a pretty boring leading man. He is passable at best. The best acting we get is from veteran actor Jack Albertson. He’s a treat. It’s unfortunate that this would be his last on-screen performance before his death at 74.

This is a surprising little feature that has great special effects provided by the famous Stan Winston effects studio. I love how grotesque these deaths are. Very original and gory. No wonder they got labeled a Video Nasty. Dan O’Bannon is credited as writing the film but tried to have his name removed from the project.

The opening scene is fantastic. I love it. The horror you feel for the poor photographer being burned alive is real and it sets the tone for the film. The movie gives away the villain(s) very early on in that scene. But it’s nothing that detracts from the entertainment factor. You can still feel the dread that our poor Sheriff feels as he draws closer and closer to his towns dark secret. It’s very reminiscent of The Wicker Man and had clearly influenced Hot Fuzz.

My issue is with the townsfolk being the main antagonists. They show up at the scenes of the crimes seemingly at random. There was a scene with a young family that is trying to find help in a creepy abandoned house, almost the entire town shows up in the house to kill this family. How did they get there? How does no one notice this whole town trying to kill them until it's too late?

Overall

Dead and Buried is a fun horror film that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s entertaining and well made. However, the hokey and corny comedy of the film bleeds through when it can. It tries to keep things lighter. But only succeeded in misfiring. I liked this movie and wouldn’t mind watching it again. It’s entertaining and interesting enough to keep my interest.