Dead and Buried

Welcome to Potter’s Bluff, a small coastal town where things aren’t always as they appear. The film gets twisted fast, as we follow Officer Dan Gillis and his investigation of a sudden surge of violent murders against a few unlucky outsiders. Chock-full of all the necessary elements to create a truly bizarre viewing experience, including half-cooked heads, an obsessive mortician, missing corpses, and a run in with the black arts, Gary Sherman’s Dead and Buried is a refreshing take on the zombie mythos.

Keith’s Take:

Judging by Dan O’Bannon’s track record (Return of the Living Dead, Total Recall, Alien), he must certainly be responsible for much of the twisted vision that is Dead and Buried. That is not to say that Dead and Buried is the most disturbing film I have ever seen, in fact, far from it. However, the merciless nature of the film’s murders creates an air of injustice and helplessness present throughout the film.

These bizarre and ruthless murders, committed and photographically documented by throngs of townsfolk, quickly spiral into a full-blown Invasion-of-the-Bodysnatchers-type conspiracy that naturally rope you into the investigation led by Officer Dan Gillis. Generally, or perhaps traditionally, zombie films are not centered on exploring the zombie’s origin, and this facet leaves Dead and Buried at a unique advantage in terms of the film’s originality. Yet to say that this film is strictly concerned with exploring the diegetic origin of the undead’s insurgence would be misleading, since it is not altogether clear whether or not there actually is an insurgence to speak of. Nor is the film’s interpretation of a zombie completely transparent. A schoolteacher even suspiciously claims that “although they are conventionally dead, they are capable of very closely imitating the living.”

Beyond the masterful design of Dan O’Bannon and company there are certainly other superb qualities of this film that deserve mention. Namely the well-balanced composure of many of the film’s shots, including some artistically handled panning that actually manages to contribute to the scene’s narrative (see the second murder sequence), great acting, believable script, some genuinely disturbing visuals, and a moodiness borrowed from the isolated setting of Messiah of Evil.

Lauren's Take:

Though the title suggests the contrary, the characters in this film are pretty concerned with keeping things alive and reviving the forgotten, in their own twisted way. The dead are preserved via post-mortem beautification by a mortician obsessed with making the dead look better than they did when alive. Missing face tissue and eyes are re-constructed with non-human materials and give the illusion of living beauty. He regrets having to seal up and bury his work where no one will see it. This mortician also blares songs of yesteryear in an attempt to preserve these forgotten tunes. Possibly the strangest part of this film is the murderers' tendency to photograph every murder as it goes down. It seems counter intuitive to take a lot of photos of a person being killed, and things just get stranger as the number of these voyeuristic photographers grows with each murder. They want to keep the moment of death alive by preserving it on film. Or maybe they just need proof that the person really did die a traumatic violent death? This film is complex and twisted, and so are the motives behind the murders. Still not sure if I understand how all the pieces fit together. Dead and Buried is a pretty fun zombie mystery that keeps you second guessing every character up until the very end.

Rating: 10/10

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Mr. Vampire

It’s difficult to casually describe the nature of a film whose primary antagonist is half-rotted corpse, from the Qing dynasty, that hops after its victims. Ricky Lau’s Mr. Vampire (1985) is just this sort of film, as it follows the day-to-day of an ass-kicking Taoist priest and his bumbling, girl-crazy apprentices, as they attempt to quell the mayhem wrought by a recently resurrected corpse and she-ghost with a lust for the living.

However, unlike the western-style zombies that we’re familiar with, these eastern-style vampire-bunny-zombies, known as jiang shi, come with a set of rules and mythology all their own. Although jiang shi range in appearance from wrinkled and moldy to just plain bizarre, they are particularly easy to spot as those that rise from the grave are garbed in traditional, imperial-officer uniforms of the Qing dynasty. Armed only with long black fingernails, vampire-like fangs, and the ability to track the living by their breath alone, the jiang shi’s attack is rather primitive. Yet, as unintimidating as these hopping hunks of flesh may sound, unlike Romero’s children, a mere shot to the head will not kill jiang shi. Legend dictates that stopping power comes in the form of sticky rice, chicken’s blood, and magic yellow notes. Yet performing such complex rituals can only be done by the most adroit of Taoist practitioners.

The vampire-bunny-zombie may seem like a cheesy monster mash-up, but the Stooges-like slapstick of these films adds to its self-awareness, keeping any serious analysis at bay. However, that is not to say that Mr. Vampire is devoid of any anxiety inducing moments. The film’s central characters are likable, and well developed, so it’s easy to root for the good-guys in times of terror.

Don’t be discourage by the misleading title, these films have little more in common with vampires apart from their resemblance to Nosferatu. Jiang shi are far more similar to our beloved Romero-style zombies than your every day vamp. They are decayed corpses, lack knowledge and personality, and bite and claw at their victims to spread their infectious condition. Though extremely agile for someone with rigor mortis, these guys fit the bill in terms of appearance: arms outstretched, creepy blind-man stare, and blue-green skin. Really it is the teeth that seem to be where the whole vampire thing fits into the equation, but fangs alone don’t make a vampire.  

Although, Mr. Vampire may not hold up to the prestige of Sammo Hung Kam-Bo’s Encounters of the Spooky Kind, perhaps due to Mr. Vampire’s inferior kung fu sequences, and a unnecessary sub plot concerning a run-in with a ghost, it is equally enjoyable and likely a top-tier jiang shi film.

Rating: 8/10

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