Idiot-Deluxe I Bury The Living/1958. The cast and crew cranked out this fun and entertainingly twisted, somewhat unnerving low-budget thriller in a mere 9 days and it all comes together pretty effectively. It would have been interesting to see what Hitchcock could have done with this material, that being said director Albert Band did a fine job, with keeping the tension near constant and creating several creepy "under your skin" moments throughout the film, as well as getting an excellent performance from the star.This one was a real team-effort, as there's obviously a good deal of talent all around, from the cast to the crew, especially the music by Gerald Fried and the sparsely used, but very effective optical effects. Fried's music generally alternates from brutally crushing monotonous brass and crashing cymbals, to long sustained organ chords, or a quirky, dexterously composed harpsichord ditty, that frequently underpins the stars growing mental turmoil and him losing his grip on reality. Most effective Mr. Fried.The star, Richard Boone, does an excellent job of making the viewer pity him, with first his understandable reluctance to take up a position he doesn't want (that was pretty much forced upon him); as the head honcho of the local cemetery (a super-intendant I guess) and then the ultra-heavy-weight psychological torture and torment he's rung through over the course of the next few weeks. Richard Boone's (who frequently breaks out in cold sweats) extreme misery of mind and mood, an "unravelling" you could say, is what REALLY anchors this movie and gives it it's grounding and is the the real meat of the story (combined with the loud and brash, often simplistic, music of Gerald Fried). The levels of tension achieved in this film is commendable. Once you've seen this film I think you'll agree, that never has there been such prominence placed on black pins and white pins and a cemetery plot map. Ultimately I find this movie to be good, but not great movie. I also get the distinct feeling it's a bit on the under-rated side. This creepy old black and white is great to watch alone, late a night and if there's a thunderstorm brewing, think of that as additional atmosphere and a definite a bonus, which should only enhance the experience that is: I BURY THE LIVING.Happy Viewing.

mark.waltz Then try the men who run the cemeteries where the work of those usually tall, lanky Lurch like men ends up, if not in some crematorium. Creepy cemeteries have haunted audiences ever since the silent movies, and this one is a definite rise above the cardboard headstones of "Plan Nine From Outer Space". There aren't any grave robbers here; In fact, there seems to be a goal in filling up the cemetery rather than taking bodies away for medical experiments. Richard Boone is the new director of the cemetery and as soon as he takes over, the bodies of the board members begin to pile up as the pins on the maps change from "white" (available) to "black" (unavailable), even though the grave plots for the board members have already been purchased. The map gets more sinister looking as the film goes on, looking like a pair of evil eyes staring down at whoever enters the office with definite evil intentions.Right before taking on the role of Captain Von Trapp in the Broadway production of "The Sound of Music", Theodore Bikel added old age make-up to his handsome face to play the very Scottish cemetery handyman who is put out to pasture with a lifetime salary guarantee. He spouts all sorts of Scottish wisdoms as if he was MacBeth on acid, and it is a hoot to behold. Richard Boone is the frantic new director who believes that somehow he might have become possessed to kill off the board and even seems to suffer from blackouts. Obviously made on the cheap, but convincingly set up, this is better than a lot of shock fare released on either the big screen or in drive-ins during the late 50's. One of the cast members, very recognizable, is Herbert Anderson, the wise father of none other than "Dennis the Menace".

Neil Doyle Up until the last fifteen minutes or so, I BURY THE LIVING makes you think there's a paranormal explanation for all the weird things going on at a cemetery where Richard Boone is put in charge. But the whole story collapses like a house of cards when the writer couldn't figure out how to resolve the plot.In the meantime, you'll be reminded of a "Twilight Zone" similarity between the plot that does exist and you'll certainly expect an ending that is more satisfying than the twist supplied here.Richard Boone hasn't much of a characterization to build on but does a passable job of acting as the man who feels he's being manipulated by a board that shows the layout of the cemetery and its white and black pins for designating life and death.As a Scottish caretaker who is facing retirement, Theodore Bikel is hardly recognizable behind some heavy age make-up that has an artificial look. His character gets a bit annoying after scene one, decidedly lacking in the likability department. Other performances are rather lifeless in support of Boone, who is left to do most of the heavy emoting.An undistinguished, jarring background score is no help in sustaining the mood, but the B&W photography is effective enough.Summing up: Promises more than it delivers with an ending that's a complete letdown and seems too fabricated.

Bezenby Richard Boone is a executive who somehow ends up running a cemetery as one of his companies' 'helping the community' schemes. However, he discovers that when he puts black pins into the plots on a sinister map, people end up croaking. No one believes him, so he ends up being 'dared' by folks to try out the black pin theory on them, and, obviously, they end up dying too.This film is basically one man versus a sinister map. A lot has been made of the cop-out ending, but I didn't see it that way at all. Even though some sort of Scooby-Doo ending is given, if you look beyond that you can see that the map WAS evil. It changes size throughout the film for a start! And even though they thought they'd caught the guy with the thing and all, Boone even explains that the map made him do it. Plus the sinister chipping sounds, the deja-vu, and that damned heater that won't start up (it gets a proper kicking at the end, that heater).It's like Bay of Blood by Mario Bava - The indicators are there that people are killing not for the lake, but because of it. Don't be so superficial folks!