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From the opening shot of a B&W still photograph jumpstarted to life, I was all in. Coastal, small-town dread with a Twilight Zone narrative. Thematically resonant of the early-80s: the rebellion of small-town innocence.

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“1/2 star for the hospitality, 5 stars for the rejuvenating spa amenities!”

This is the epitome of “campy cult classic”. Make-up effects legend Stan Winston flexes his chops handsomely in this pulpy 80s horror tale of a New England small town with something sinister lurking beneath its surface. Having grown up in a New England small town myself, I can confidently say this movie is 99% accurate, except in reality the townsfolk are way meaner to the tourists.

I love a good flick where the whole cast commits to being kooky as hell, especially when that cast includes Grandpa Joe from Willy Wonka. 

P.S. so you’re telling me there’s a Robert Englund movie that starts with a guy being burned alive, and it’s NOT an Elm Street prequel??

Spooky Season for Scaredy-Cats

The only place more evil than England is NEW England. Every bit as backward, clannish, violently ignorant and dedicated to ritual murder as anywhere in the Deep South, the coastal enclaves of Massachusetts throb with a hatred of outsiders and ancient occult malevolence. The only bulwark protecting the rest of this nation from their abominable witchcraft is the great state of New York and our noble Dutch forebears.

In this one, transients, derelicts, tourists, and yuppies are being brutally murdered by loathsome townies. Dragged a bit in the second half, but when you've got screenplays by the great Dan O'Bannon, you can't go wrong!

Chills/Thrills: moderately frightening, great and brutal opening scene.

Gore/Ownage: It excels here with effects by Stan Winston, we get hypodermics jabbed in eyes, bodies burned, and a head melted from the inside with acid pumped in through the nose.

Horniness: Plenty!

Actual Evil Contained Within: Negligible

Welcome to Potters Bluff

A small town with a big secret, where all outsiders end up in the mortuary (dead not visiting!) and it's up to Sheriff Dan Gillis to find out ...

"What the hell is going on in this town?"

A creepy little horror which starts off like a Sunday afternoon lifetime movie that quickly goes off the rails soon after with lots of gruesomely satisfying death scenes - if that's your bag? (Hell Yeah!) An excellent performance from James Farentino as Dan (what the hell is going on in my town) Gillis and also stars a pre Freddy Krueger Robert Englund.

"How do you know I'm not a dirty old man?"

Good Point! ... like a needle in your eye!

Dead & Buried is a genre-bending mind twister from the 80s that's criminally underrated for its ingenious storytelling and refreshing originality. It's a spine-chilling ride that's bombarded with twists and turns that are far more than capable of fooling even the most seasoned horror fans.

With a general premise of murders and dead people coming back to life, Dead & Buried manages to maximize such dread via its froggy, atmospheric small town setting. A potent enough script enabled director Gary Sherman to focus purely on the technical side creating his own paranoid universe, while the cast collectively delivered highly convincing performances to this low-key tale of life after death.

There are for sure buildups that overstay their welcomes, but once you're over these hurdles, the more adrenaline-pumping side of the tale is guaranteed to offer a highly entertaining body horror experience. highly recommended.

Gary Sherman is really something else when it comes to evoking a sense of place. These are some Moby Dick visuals. That's probably why I disliked Raw Meat so much, he evoked England.

Great little movie that drags a little in the middle when it seems like you're way ahead of it (it's the twist from Hot Fuzz) until it reveals that it's not so much that you're ahead of it as it is that it's standing right behind you smiling.

Really cool gore. I could go on but I'm not getting paid to go on so fuck you.

I had heard whispers about this movie since forever but I had somehow never gotten around to watching it. When Helen recently mentioned on twitter that this was her favourite slow burn, Michelle and I knew that we had to watch this for one of our watch parties.

Having now seen it all I can say is: wow, what a movie!

This is a horror movie of the highest quality in my opinion. It is really puzzling to me why it isn't talked about more. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I think it can easily hold its ground against a juggernaut like The Wicker Man.

It is that exceptional.

So if you haven't seen this already do yourself a favour and check it out. I don't think you will be disappointed.

[Michelle's write-up]

We visited Potter’s Bluff and weren’t initially convinced. The coastal town exudes a creepy vibe, and we found ourselves constantly harassed by the locals' camera flashes. However, after meeting the coroner, we've decided to stay forever.