Cemetery Man

Director - Michele Soavi (The Church, StageFright)

Starring - Rupert Everett (Dead on Time, Shrek 2), Francois Hadji-Lazaro (Brotherhood of the Wolf, The City of Lost Children), and Anna Falchi (Kin Novak is on the Phone, The Tracker)

Release Date - 1994

Genre - Horror/Comedy/Romance

Tagline - "Zombies, gun and sex, oh my!"

Format - UHD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Every movie buff, especially genre fans, have that one film they have tried to watch for years but never had the opportunity. The movie is either hard to find or various obstacles get in their way. I call these movies unicorns because they take on an almost mythical tone. My unicorn is the 1994 Italian horror/romance film Dellamorte Dellamore. When I was in high school I was an active member of the Upcoming Horror Movies message board. One of the other members had an image of what looked like a grim reaper in his signature. I was fascinated with that image for a few days and finally asked them what it was from. He told me about the film Cemetery Man from director Michele Soavi. I rushed to eBay with a friend where we pooled out money together to buy a copy of the film on VHS. It took a few weeks but the day it arrived we prepared to give it a watch. After about 20 or so minutes into our first viewing the VCR started to make a loud whining sound before it ate the tape. It would be several more years before the film would get a DVD from Anchor Bay but I was quick to pre-order it. When it finally arrived the post office was kind enough to customize the package and it’s contents for me resulting in a dislodged disc that wouldn’t play in my PS2 or my friends DVD player. Anchor Bay was kind enough to send over a replacement disc but that took several more weeks. When I was able to finally watch the film I feel in love with it. It was unlike anything else I had seen at that point. The DVD quickly became one of my prized possessions that I still appreciate all those years later. That changed recently when Severin released the film on UHD. While the DVD held some fond memories, I could not wait to add this release to my collection. 

      The film follows a caretaker at a small Italian town. He lives in a little shack on the property with his nearly mute assistant and they are tasked with keeping the dead…dead. Those buried in this particular cemetery return after 7 days to feast on the living. He puts them down with a quick bullet to the head so the town doesn’t get overrun by the undead and for fear he would lose his job. He eventually falls in love with a beautiful widow but when her husband breaks free of his coffin and bites her, the caretaker is forced to shoot her. Heartbroken, and struggling with his own mortality, he befriends a group of college women. One of them shares a striking resemblance to his now dead loved one so he goes with them back to their house. He spends the night with her and the following morning he learns that they are prostitutes that are paying their way through college by selling their bodies. He panics and burns the home down with them trapped inside. Once again heartbroken, he meets a young woman working as the mayor’s assistant. She too is identical to the woman he once loved. She mentions that she has commitment issues and does not want to be with a man sexually. Succumbing to rumors that his impotent, he seeks medical help to take away his manhood so he can be with her only to discover that she was raped and she liked it. Now, he’s heartbroken for the third time and without the use of his penis which forces him to go on a killing spree before trying to skip town. 

      I don’t say this a lot but Dellamorte Dellamore, aka Cemetery Man, is easily the most beautiful horror film I’ve seen in my short life. We have a not so typical horror story that blends comedy and romance in a way I had never seen before or since along with several gruesome scenes that reminds the viewer that they are in fact watching an Italian horror film. I might be a bit biased here but Cemetery Man is one of my favorite horror films and this Severin release is a must own for horror fans and collectors alike. The acting in this one is great. Rupert Everette is absolutely amazing as the romantic cemetery caretaker (he’s not an engineer). His character is what makes the film and his performance is nothing short of brilliant. When you add the fantastic performances from model Anna Falchi and the “Gna” from Francois Hadji-Lazaro you have performances that are truly unforgettable. The characters are so enjoyable and the cast truly gives it their all. The story for this one is a mix of comedy and romance with a lot of horror thrown in. The romance is a huge part of the story and while it does take the front seat, it doesn’t make the horror take the back seat. Both coexist in the film in a way that is rarely seen and never as successful as it is here. You then have the humor to break up some of the more drawn out scenes a little bit. They all work together very well without making the horror feel out of place which became normal after the success of Shaun of the Dead. While I do love SotD I will be the first to admit that the horror is second to the humor and romance. This film keeps it in the front. The film also has great pacing and doesn’t over stay it’s welcome. Finally, this film has some seriously great effects with a lot of gore and beautiful sets. I love the sets and locations used in the film. Movies don’t really look like this anymore and these locations and sets give this film the perfect gothic look and feel. This really works with the film’s atmosphere and tone making it even more effective. You add that with the fantastic make-up and practical effects and you have a film that can only be seen to be appreciated. Overall, Cemetery Man, or Dellamorte Dellamore, is one of the most underrated Italian horror films in cinema history. The film is absolutely amazing and this release Severin is essential for horror fans or fans of this film. Check it out.