The House by the Cemetery

Director - Lucio Fulci (Zombi 2, The Beyond)
Starring - Catriona MacColl (City of the Living Dead, The Beyond), Paolo Malco (The Ogre, Escape from the Bronx), and Ania Pieroni (Tenebrae, Inferno)
Release Date - 1981
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Beware the demons forces of the... blood beasts"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When  I was in high school I had a friend that was obsessed with Italian horror.  He would go on and on about movies like Cemetery Man, Suspiria, Zombi, and so on.  When I would go up to his house to party and watch horror movies we would often toss in whatever Italian horror flick we could find.  Our lives may have went down different paths but I can't deny that he brought some amazing films to my attention.  One of the films he showed me is the 1981 Lucio Fulci classic The House by the Cemetery.  Sometime back Blue Underground announced a new blu release of the film.  Many of you know how I feel about BU so I had to have this one.  I reached out and they were kind enough to hook me up with a review copy. Thanks guys!
     The film follows a family that moves to Boston to.  The father is a continuing the research of a colleague that recently killed himself and is trying to uncover the truth behind what really happened.  The home they moved into is unlike any home they have been to and soon the dark secrets hiding in the basement make their way up the stairs.
     

     I love Fulci's line of horror films from the late 70s and 80s.  His atmosphere is unparalleled by other filmmakers and he never shies away from the gore.  The House by the Cemetery may not be the most popular of his films but it is one of my favorites of his.  In fact, this is one of his films that I have owned on several formats over the years.  The acting in this one is typical Fulci flair.  The cast really get into their characters but in times of stress and terror they tend to ham it up.  I know most people praise these films but bash the acting but I can't.  I love the cheesy performances you get in most of the scenes.  It works for me and I really enjoy it.  The story for this one is very interesting and rather bold.  If you stick with it you will find yourself enjoying it but on several occasions during the films running time you will find the story to be rather clunky and not that easy to follow.  A little smoother writing or editing would help but the film is still damn fun just the way it is.  Finally, Fulci doesn't disappoint when it comes to the blood.  We get plenty of blood and gore with this one.  The kills are pretty brutal at times and Fulci does not make them a quick shot.  Fans of the red stuff really get to enjoy the hard work that goes into the effects.  Overall, The House by the Cemetery is a gorgeous fucking release from Blue Underground.  The blu looks phenomenal and fans of Italian horror will want to add this one to your collection.  Grab it now on blu from Blue Underground!