Buried Alive (2007)

Director:

Robert Kurtzman

Writer (WGA):

Art Monterastelli (written by)

Release Date:

8 October 2008 (Philippines)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

A college prank at an abandoned house accidentally awakens a frightening spirit. |

Plot Keywords:

Prank | Killed With Axe | Road Trip | Drowning In Bathtub | Axe In The Head

Cast

Leah Rachel	...	Rene
Erin Reese	...	Laura (as Erin Lokitz)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tobin Bell	...	Lester
Germaine De Leon	...	Phil
Terence Jay	...	Zane
Steve Sandvoss	...	Danny
Lindsey Scott	...	Julie

Also Known As:

Untitled Art Monterastelli Project (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

94 min (DVD) | Germany:60 min (European Film Market)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:MA (2007) | UK:18 | Netherlands:16 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB)

Filming Locations:

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Horror Two

Quotes:

[screams]
Laura: Ok, don't go mad cow on me!

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Not One of the Better Films You'll See, But It Has Tobin Bell

A young man, his cousin, his cousin's boyfriend, a nerd and two sorority pledges go to the man's house in the desert, where everyone thinks they're just camping for the weekend. But the young man knows why they're really there: gold. There be gold in those hills! But does a family curse want them to be there, and what about the old caretaker, Lester (Tobin Bell)? Could be an interesting weekend.

Robert Kurtzman directs, which is a mixed blessing. Kurtzman has a good name in horror from his time at NKB doing makeup and special effects. And he directed "Wishmaster" which many consider to be something of a minor classic. The unfortunate thing about this film is that Kurtzman adds nothing special to his resume: while the directing overall seems much tighter than "Wishmaster", the story he was given to work with just isn't as enjoyable. Better film quality does not always mean a better film (in fact, it rarely means this).

The selling point to this film is probably Tobin Bell (Jigsaw from "Saw"). And I have to say his character is pretty decent, as the dirty caretaker of the desert homestead. Although, the role could have been given to just about anyone (it's a big cameo, but still a cameo). So unless you're a die-hard Bell fan, you shouldn't consider him the selling point. Maybe it's the nudity, as there is a good deal of nudity (plenty of female nudity, repeatedly, and a little bit of male bottom). The film has been called "oversexed" and I think that word fits this perfectly -- take the nude scenes out and the story is even more lame than it already is.

The killer wasn't all that great and the back story on her really made no sense to me. And the thing with the religious protection symbols... what? So in one scene the woman has a tattoo that scares off the demon or ghost or whatever, but in another scene it does nothing. And she covers her body in these symbols, all for no real reason.

Sure, there's a few good gory moments and people get chopped up... one kid even gets split not unlike the woman from "Wrong Turn 2" (which did it better). And again, plenty of nudity if you like women running through the woods or desert bare. Or in the tub. Or in the basement. But overall it was really boring and nothing particularly new... which I guess we should have figured out by the way they wrote the nerd character -- if there's ever been a more stereotypical nerd, I haven't seen him.