#15 - Dead & Buried (1981)

Dead & Buried (1981)

(dir. Gary Sherman)

Small towns in horror movies are usually hiding some dark secret, like a cult or maybe some kind of cannibal cook-off.  Here, the townsfolk of Potters Bluff like to pass their time by murdering tourists in extremely gruesome ways - tourists who then seem to show up perfectly healthy a few days later.  We know immediately who is doing the killing, but the "why" of it is the central mystery of the film.  Hint - business is booming at the local funeral parlor.

I thought this was a decent enough movie, but other than some very good effects by Stan Winston and a great performance by Jack Albertson as the town's eccentric mortician, there isn't a whole lot to write home about.  The tone seems kind of off - there is a smattering of humor, but I think it could have been a better film if it was a little more of a dark comedy.