Underrated, once hard-to-find horror film from writer Dan O'Bannon (of "Return of the Living Dead" and "Alien" fame) opens with a photographer who stumbles upon a beachside beauty (Lisa Blount from "An Officer and a Gentleman") and is lucky enough to take nude shots of her—only to find himself suddenly confronted by local townsfolk who tie him up and burn him alive.
The town sheriff (Farentino) investigates and is horrified when even more murders take place. Things get even more complicated when the mutilated victims appear to come back to life.
This flick for the most part delivers the goods—including some outstanding effects by make-up effects master Stan Winston. Watch for Robert Englund in a small role as one of the murderous townsfolk. Unfortunately, some interference by a series of new producers who purchased the film while it was still being film hampered the final product. Some elements of the story don't make sense -- such as characters who aren't dead yet are shown as the undead.
But overall, "Dead and Buried" is a solid piece of horror entertainment -- the kind of bloodthirsty stuff that doesn't get made anymore. Anderson puts in a great appearance as the sheriff's wife, and steals the show toward the end of the film. "Dead and Buried" finally got a terrific DVD treatment from Blue Underground in 2003.
Director Sherman, by the way, has his own web site, http://www.dadoomp.com. Prior to "Dead and Buried," he helmed the well-received "Raw Meat."
