| Product: |
The House by the Cemetary (DVD) |
| Date: |
19.04.01 (34 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Above average Euro-zomb action
Disadvantages: Not as good as Fulci's other flicks
Euro gore-a-go-go ! Yes that's Fulci time again ! So we got the nonsense plot, the wacky camera work and, of course, the carnage.
The plot, if you're interested: despite the warnings, a young professor and his family move into the house with the titular location. Sadly for them, the sinister estate agent failed to mention that the house's previous inhabitant, the illustrious yet infamous Dr. Freudstein, is still living in the basement. Well, not living as such, but he's still shuffling around as a decomposing zombie, killing and mutilating all those unfortunate to stumble across him. As the corpses pile up, the family realise with horror the evil that lurks in the house, but will they be able to stop the dreadful doctor before he claims all of their lives ?
This is not Fulci's best effort. I have always found his direction to be enjoyable in a tacky sort of way, and with the odd camera work, very much a product of it's time. However, in 'House by the cemetary' it doesn't really work, and the film tends to drag a bit, certainly more than in some of his other flicks. As usual, the script isn't up to much, but again, rather than providing some laughs, in this film it seems to slow down the proceedings. In addition to this, parts of the plot are a little confusing, especially the ending.
On the plus side, he does manage to generate some creepy atmosphere, especially with the misty graveyard next door, and the grand guignol scenes in the basement. I first saw this on the big screen at a film festival, and it definitely worked better than when I saw it on video, when the visuals seemed darker and more murky. Overall, despite the criticisms stated above, 'House beside the cemetary', perhaps mainly on the merit of being a Fulci film, is still considerbaly better than many Euro gut-munchers.
The most important thing for most fans of this type of film is the carnage, and strangely. Fulci i
s a little more restrained here, than say in 'City of the living dead', or the classic 'Zombie flesh eaters'. That's not to say that the red doesn't flow: there are some great moments, such as a nice knife through the head, and some disembowelment action. Maybe it's due to the slowness of the film, but these scenes feel more spaced out than usual. There is plenty of ick in the film, and I would have to say that this features some of the most maggots I have ever seen on film.
Overall, this is pretty good for a Euro zombie film, but not up to the standards of Fulci's other works. It does provide some nice atmosphere and gore, and is certainly worth checking out. As usual, make sure you get the uncut version, or chances are, you'll miss out on most of the good stuff.
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