ferbs54 When C.M. Eddy, Jr.'s infamous short story "The Loved Dead" first appeared in the April/May/June 1924 issue of "Weird Tales," with its necrophilic protagonist, it so shocked and scandalized readers that--or so it is told--sales of the beleaguered pulp magazine rose dramatically, thus rescuing it from financial failure. The better part of a century later, the subject of necrophilia is no less taboo and discomfiting. I have reviewed several films on this site that I have almost been embarrassed to admit having watched (such as "The Worm Eaters," "The Double-D Avenger" and "Please Don't Eat My Mother," among many others), and I initially thought that the necrophilia horror film "Love Me Deadly," from 1972, would surely be another. But no...to my great surprise, I can say proudly that I really did enjoy this tasteful, suspenseful and quite involving picture.In the film, we meet an attractive blonde named Lindsay Finch (excellently portrayed by Mary Wilcox, in a role that would surely be a challenge for ANY actress). Lindsay's unusual pastime consists of going to the funerals of middle-aged men--total strangers in her hometown of L.A.--so that she can gaze rapturously at them in their caskets and maybe even sneak a kiss on them on the sly. Via flashback, we discover that Lindsay, as a little girl, was extremely close with her now-deceased daddy, and infer that this must have something to do with her current, uh, taste in men. But complications enter Lindsay's life as she simultaneously joins a necrophilic club of sorts (a bunch of REAL deadheads!) that operates out of a nearby mortuary, AND falls in love with and marries a man named Alex (hunky dude Lyle Waggoner, whom many may recall from his extensive TV work in the 1970s), who is perfect in every way except for the fact that he is, well, still breathing...."Love Me Deadly" is a genuine horror film, not just because of its distasteful subject matter, but because something horrible happens to practically every major character in it. Though fairly restrained, it DOES feature several shocking bursts of violence; the first, in which the owner of that mortuary lures a "midnight cowboy" to his doom via a little instantaneous embalming, is kinda hard to watch (I. William Quinn, as the screaming hustler, is outstanding here, and frighteningly convincing). Some may dock the film some points for pushing credulity to the breaking point as regards Alex' beyond-human patience with his frigid wife, but this viewer had no problems there. The film becomes extremely suspenseful as Alex grows suspicious of Lindsay's increasingly whacky behavior and gets closer to discovering her secret, and we are treated to a fairly devastating finale, as--again via flashback--we learn the shocking truth about Lindsay's past. Writer/director Jacques Lacerte turns in a highly professional bit of work here--this is not at all a shoddy B picture--and composer Phil Moody's background music is just superb. Indeed, his "Love Me Deadly" theme song, as sung by Kit Fuller, could almost be the theme for a Bond movie! All this, and a happy ending, too, of sorts, for poor Lindsay, although how long that happiness will endure is anybody's guess. One more thing: This great-looking DVD from Media Blasters features coming attractions for nine other remarkable-looking "psychotronic" films. The picture entitled "Shadow: Dead Riot"--a women's prison/zombie mashup flick--looks just unbelievable!

Johnboy1221 I have a theory that this film got Lyle Waggoner dismissed from The Carol Burnett Show (he left the series the following season, by mutual agreement).Regardless, by today's standards, it's not that shocking. The copy of the film I have seems to have been carefully edited, and not as violent or graphic as I recall it being in the theater production.By 1973 standards, it was quite a shocker...very graphic and gory, complete with a gay subtext. As I recall, it was loosely based around a real-life Los Angeles "cult" of funeral home "lovers of dead" psychos. The story is fiction, but, who knows what goes on behind the closed doors at funeral homes? The acting isn't too bad, and it's fun watching Lyle play against type. The star is quite pretty, too, and she plays her role well. Her hunky boyfriend does a good job of...well, being prepared for cold sex (and so does poor Lyle).In the right frame of mind, this comes across well. In fact, I'd love to see the original, uncut version one day, on widescreen DVD, but I ain't holdin' my breath. This is lurid stuff, and it ain't likely to see the DVD "light of day".If you do see this "sicky", just don't take it too seriously, and it might be fun to watch.

Tristan Harvey E. White To be honest, when one reads the synopsis of this film one expects the worst. Surprisingly, this is an engaging and frank study both of necrophilia and of a daughter's inability to let go of the past.Helped along by a very professional sounding theme tune (sung by Kit Fuller), and a lively score echoing films of much more mainstream cinema, this is a shocking film that will make you think for a long time afterwards. Unfortunately, the good acting and imaginative story is let down by some chronically bad editing - particularly when we are suddenly introduced to the character of Alex - but this aside, you should find much more to enjoy about this movie than you will find to dislike about it."Love Me Deadly" is to necrophilia what "Max Mon Amour" is to bestiality: one of the last taboos to be tackled in an grown-up fashion, but which can be appreciated by an audience without needing to visit a seedy sex-shop; where story comes first, and titillation is far down the line.

Hateful Kunt Hmm...well i have no idea why this is rated slow low. Cool 70's fashion, a chick that's into necrophilia and ......Lyle Waggoner! Although this plays like a TV movie from the 70's with nudity, some gore and chicks fu**ing dead dudes, it's actually pretty good! The corpse loving isn't the thing that's messed up in this flick.......it's the beginning when the credits are rolling that you know things have gone into 42nd street sleaze. I wonder if Lyle Waggoner had this on his resume when he auditioned for Carol Burnett!