Cemetery Man

Reviewer: Craig Phillips
Rating (out of 5): ***

Michele Soavi's demented Cemetery Man (the original, superior title is Dellamorte Dellamore, a play on the protagonist's name and a more appropriate summary of the film), one of the more underrated and artfully directed zombie films, has finally made its way to a stateside DVD release. The film is Italian horror but stars Brit Rupert Everett as a beleaguered cemetery keeper who has to deal with the dead's annoying habit of coming to life seven days after burial. All sorts of complications ensue, including the fact that his Igor-esque, sweet and slow-minded assistant falls in love with one of the dead; she, in turn, loses her head over him, too. A beautiful romantic interest for Everett, meanwhile, is provided by Anna Falchi (with at least one very erotic sex scene that ends, alas, in zombieus interruptus).

It's often gory and gross (dig that bus accident), and just as frequently funny, an odd hybrid of genres and tones, one part Night of the Living Dead and another part Delicatessen. While the sound, which probably was never great to begin with, is a bit tinny and muddied, it's certainly passable, and the print looks better than I remember seeing previously. For horror fans looking for a change of pace, Cemetery Man may be just the ticket. And remember: "You get into all sorts of trouble if you kill people if they're still alive." -- Craig Phillips



Posted by cphillips at June 21, 2006 7:57 PM