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The House By The Cemetery |
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MOVIE SCORE |
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DVD SCORE |
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REVIEWER |
Bub |
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REVIEW DATE |
5th September, 2004 |
Review Quote
"The directing for the most part is very
effective, especially in the climax. However, the editing is sometimes jarring
and Fulci’s obsession with eye close-ups started to really annoy me. He does it
so much in this film."
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The Plot
Dr. Norman Boyle, his wife, and his son are moving into a house previously owned
by a colleague of Norman’s who killed his mistress and committed suicide. This
house is quite strange, though. Not only is a cemetery next to the house, but a
tomb is in the hallway, killer bats roam the basement, and a strange Doctor
Freudstein may still be wandering the premises.
The Movie
I really don’t know whether to hate or to like this film. After watching it, I
was disappointed, but I’m really debating over the film now. I can tell just by
watching the film that it’s a love or hate type of film. I don’t know which one.
The plot is interesting enough but the movie feels purposely dragged out to film
a specific running time. The music is one of the film’s strong points, and it
fits the movie well. The special FX, aside from some corny eyes, is very good.
The makeup works well, too. The death scenes are very effective and were not
pleasant to watch. Gore hounds will like the movie for its excessive blood,
although Fulci’s Zombie is gorier. The directing for the most part is very
effective, especially in the climax. However, the editing is sometimes jarring
and Fulci’s obsession with eye close-ups started to really annoy me. He does it
so much in this film.
The acting isn’t bad at all, but bad dialogue and dumb character moves weakened
this piece. Why does the family stay in the house? Why does Bob’s mother trot
slowly down the stairs when he’s screaming for help? Conversations are also
weak. They’re frequently one sided, which really irritates me. Literally, in one
scene, the mother sees the babysitter cleaning up blood. She asks, “What are you
doing?” and the babysitter replies, “I made coffee.” The movie feels dragged out
and too much time is spent in silence. Fulci’s Narrative is also inane and I
still wonder what the caption from the end of the film actually means. The
mannequin subplot and the ending with Freudstein’s wife is also puzzling.
Literally, the character actions would seem more realistic if the film was sped
up in fast forward.
However, Fulci was never all about clear narratives, great dialogue, and smart
characters. His clear strength was in imagery. But that doesn’t make this a good
film. Zombie was able to have strong imagery and still keep the stupid character
actions and have some fine dialogue. However, the film’s antagonist, Dr.
Freudstein, is truly one sick bastard and is a truly memorable and creepy
villain. His appearance makes him truly scary. But House by the Cemetery is a
disappointment.
The DVD
The DVD is pretty good. There are some very extensive bios on crew members like
Lucio Fulci, which should interest his fans. There are also two trailers for the
film and a TV Spot, which are fairly ordinary features. The photo gallery is a
nice montage of lobby cards, posters, and movie stills. There’s also an easy to
find easter egg. In the Special Features menu, you press the right button, and a
bloodstain will be highlighted. Select it and a deleted scene plays. The DVD
menus are fantastic, featuring swift moves through the house to different rooms.
The sound isn’t great but the picture quality is fine.
This is a pretty good DVD.
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Director
Lucio Fulci
Cast
Catriona MacCall
Paolo Malco
Giovanni Frezza
Ania Pieroni
Giovanni De Nava
Screenplay
Elisa Briganti
Dardano Sacchetti
Giorgio Mariuzzo
Lucio Fulci
Tagline
"Read the fine print. You may have just mortgaged your life!"
Country
Italy
Classification
Not Rated
Year
1981
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Format
NTSC
Region Coding
1
Aspect Ratio
2.35:1
16x9 Enhanced
Yes
Running Time
87 minutes
Year Released
2001
Packaging
Keep Case
Extra Features
TV Spot
Talent Bios
Still Gallery
Easter Egg
Theatrical Trailers
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This Version On DVD
Region 1: Buy Me Now
Other Versions On DVD
Region 0: Buy Me Now
Region 2: Buy Me Now
Region 3: Not Available
Region 4: Not Available
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If you find any errors in this review, know of any other versions of this DVD available or no longer available, send us an e-mail so we can get the word out to the horror community.
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