Buried Alive

Director - Robert Kurtzman (Wishmaster, The Rage)
Starring - Terence Jay (Green Street Hooligans), Leah Rachel (The Hollow), and Steve Sandvoss (Nip/Tuck, Letters from Frankenstein)
Release Date - 2007
Genre - Horror
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     People say that the horror community is the most diverse of all the genres.  I call bullshit on that.  Sure, we all take our horror a little differently but deep down we all like the same thing. We want to be entertained and not given a putrid pile of shit to watch by someone who could not give a rats ass about those watching.  It is because of this that hardcore horror fans tend to follow those that are dedicated to the genre.  Directors like John Carpenter, John Landis, George A. Romero, and a slew of others are the ones fans wait for in anticipation for them to complete their next project.  They can not always satisfy their fans but they damn well try.  Special effects master Robert Kurtsman is no stranger to the directing chair.  Though he is more known for his special effects skill he has still directed multiple flicks.  His film Wishmaster is became a classic among the genre and the film The Rage is one most fans refer to as being so bad it is good.  I personally really like The Rage and Wishmaster so I was opened minded to this movie.  I found it at Big Lots of all places for just $3.  I grabbed it because the artwork was badass.  I really liked it and it did the job of suckering me in.  I had to watch it and the second I got home with it I did just that.
     The film follows Zane (Jay) as he takes his cousin Rene (Rachel), her boyfriend, a nerdy guy named Phil, and two sorority pledges to his family's home.  The home is looked after by gold digger Lester (Saw franchise's Tobin Bell).  He warns the group about going up to the home but they do not listen to him and venture on. While there the group parties it up just like your typical college crowd.  Soon Phil heads outside to make a phone call and is split in half (literally) by an unknown force using an axe.  Soon after that one of sorority pledges is injured during a hazing prank and not long after that Rene's boyfriend is killed sending the remaining members of the group in to a state of panic as the ghost of Zane's ancestors hunt them down one by one with an axe.
     Like I said before, I really enjoyed The Rage and Wishmaster.  I will be honest and admit The Rage was a really bad movie but I really thoroughly enjoyed it.  After finding Buried Alive and seeing the amazing artwork for the DVD I knew this movie would fall in the same range as The Rage.  Deep down I knew it would be bad but I tried to be optimistic.  The acting is what you would expect with a film of this caliber.  The entire cast did their jobs but did not go the extra mile like most indie actors.  You can tell that most of the cast has been in other films and no longer try to impress. Instead, they do their job, barely, and that is a damn shame.  The story for this one is nothing new.  This is a normal slasher with the supernatural element added to it.  I really enjoyed that aspect of it but it was poorly executed.  More thought and care should have been added to the story because it definitely had the potential.  Finally, the film actually let me down in regards to special effects.  With Robert Kurtzman directing I assumed this one would have spectacular kills and amazing special effects, however, I was wrong.  We do get a few instances where we see some great practical effects but they ruined the on screen effect by adding CGI to it.  The gag would have been effective the way they were but they ruined it with the CGI add-on.  Also, the kills were very unrealistic.  I understand the kills is supernatural but an axe is no-where sharp enough or shaped the right way to kill someone the way this film depicts.  I know this sounds silly but you will just have to see the film to understand what I am talking about.  Overall, this is a film where a horror vet and legend has let us down.  It is evident throughout that he has forgot what fans truly want to see.  This film deserves at least one watch but do not waist your money on it.