L'etrusco uccide ancora (1972)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Armando Crispino

Writers:

Lucio Battistrada (writer)
Armando Crispino (writer)

Release Date:

31 December 1972 (West Germany)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

There's No Place To Hide When ... THE DEAD ARE ALIVE!

Plot:

A photographer on an archaeological expedition digging up Etruscan ruins in Italy begins to suspect that not all the Etruscans buried there are actually dead. |

Plot Keywords:

Etruscan | Italy | Archeology | Reincarnation | Supernatural

Cast

Alex Cord	...	Jason Porter
Samantha Eggar	...	Myra Shelton
John Marley	...	Nikos Samarakis
Nadja Tiller	...	Leni Samarakis
Enzo Tarascio	...	Inspector Giuranna
Horst Frank	...	Stephen
Enzo Cerusico	...	Alberto
Carlo De Mejo	...	Igor Samarakis
Daniela Surina	...	Irene
Vladan Milasinovic	...	Otello
Christina von Blanc	...	Velia (as Christiane Von Blank)
Mario Maranzana	...	Sgt. Vitanza
Wendy D'Olive	...	Giselle
Pier Luigi D'Orazio	...	Minelli
Ivan Pavicevac	...	Policeman

Also Known As:

Das Geheimnis des gelben Grabes (West Germany)
Die Etrusker (West Germany) (working title)
Overtime (Europe: English title)
The Dead Are Alive (USA)
The Etruscan Kills Again (International: English title)

Runtime:

105 min | Germany:99 min

Country:

Italy | West Germany | Yugoslavia

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2006) | West Germany:18 (nf) (original rating) | Norway:18 (video premiere) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Spoleto, Perugia, Umbria, Italy

Company:

Central Cinema Company Film (CCC)

Trivia:

70mm blow-up version released in Spain.

Awful.

I am not a fan of Armando Crispino's often praised "Autopsy", but the title ("The Dead Are Alive") and the cover of the (allegedly uncut) DVD version of this movie promised some cheap thrills, so I gave it a try. Wrong move! It's a dud. Not only is the story very convoluted, but the director also has a very poor sense of time and place - his failure to clearly establish where a scene is taking place, how the characters got there or even who they are sometimes, leaves you feeling completely disorientated. The interrelationships between some of the characters are also very poorly defined...be prepared for a lot "wait a minute, who's that guy supposed to be again?" questions. The male lead is also very uncharismatic, he seems to be doing most of his acting with his fists. The best thing in the movie is Riz Ortolani's beautiful score. (*1/2)

P.S. The print used for the DVD is rather severely damaged, and the film is presented in a distracting-as-hell ultra-widescreen aspect ratio.