Produced in the wake of George A. Romero’s worldwide smash hit, DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) and Lucio Fulci’s equally popular Italian cash-in ZOMBIE (1979) – which were promoted in Italy as ZOMBI and ZOMBI 2, respectively – Andrea Bianchi’s BURIAL GROUND (1980) was just one of many zombie pictures trying to capitalize on the sudden surge of all things zombie. Other films, such as Bruno Mattei’s NIGHT OF THE ZOMBIES (a.k.a. HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD, 1980) – which even had the audacity to pilfer Goblin’s memorable DAWN score – Umberto Lenzi’s CITY OF THE WALKING DEAD (a.k.a. NIGHTMARE CITY, 1980) and Marino Girolami’s unforgettable cannibal / zombie mash-up DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D. (a.k.a. ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST, 1980) soon followed and, as enjoyable as they all are, nothing can match the sheer gusto and sleazy vibe of Bianchi’s low-budget zombie opus.
The set-up – such that it is – is pure porno trash: a group of weekend vacationers gather together at a large villa, but unbeknownst to them, the resident Professor (Renato Barbieri) has discovered a secret about the ancient Etruscans (“It’s true! It must be! IT MUST BE!!!’), and for reasons unclear, they begin to emerge from the centuries-old graves to munch on the unsuspecting guests.
Crass and undeniably silly, Bianchi’s film does not indulge in any sociopolitical messaging and simply exists for one purpose only: to show people getting slaughtered and eaten by crusty-faced zombies, and on that level, it succeeds brilliantly. Shot at the Villa Parisi, a big foreboding castle located just north of Rome in Frascati, this was a popular location for many film crews, which producer Gabriele Crisanti utilized to full effect while helming a series of now infamous low-budget sleaze shockers, including Bianchi’s MALABIMBA (1979), Mario Landi’s PATRICK STILL LIVES (1980), and Mario Bianchi’s MALABIMBA follow-up SATAN’S BABY DOLL (1982). Imposing and bleak, this once-prominent stately home looks about as decayed as the zombies are, which definitely adds to the sinister atmosphere, and Bianchi doesn’t hesitate for a second to take full advantage of it either. Delving into heaping piles of steaming viscera, these shuffling, maggot-infested zombies almost seem to be part of the villa’s crumbling façade, and prove that death is inescapable for our luckless guests. Adding to the generally weird and morbid tone is Berto Pisano’s (here credited as Burt Rexon) and Elsio Mancuso’s pilfered score (parts of which were originally used in Romain Gary’s KILL! [1971]), which perfectly encapsulates the delirious nature of this impoverished production as it alternates between breezy jazz cues and some truly bizarre, discursive, but energetic synth work; a CD release would be most welcome.
Populated by an interesting cast of Italian B-movie veterans, which includes softcore starlets Karin Well and Antonietta Antinori, Simone Mattioli (Franca Stoppi’s husband and co-star in Bruno Mattei’s THE OTHER HELL [1980]), Gianluigi Chrizzi, Roberto Caporali, Maria Angela Giordano as the hysteric, but resourceful Evelyn (dubbed on English prints by the always wonderful Carolyn De Fonseca), and of course the insanely creepy-looking Peter Bark as Evelyn’s son Michael. Scripted by the incredibly prolific Piero Regnoli, who is responsible for well over one-hundred writing credits (including Lenzi’s aforementioned CITY OF THE WALKING DEAD and Bianchi’s MALABIMBA), his work herein doesn’t bother to even try and attempt to develop anything of any real substance, most of the cast isn’t given much to do except battle zombies and sputter an inordinate amount of preposterous dialogue (“You look just like a little whore, but I like that in a girl!”), which most hardcore fans of the film can readily quote. However, a typically perverse subplot interspersed among the zombie mayhem involves Evelyn’s son Michael and his rather questionable ‘feelings’ towards his Mother, which culminates in one of the film’s more audacious and unforgettable moments of any Italian horror picture.
Long available on home video since the VHS rental days, BURIAL GROUND first appeared on video store shelves in the U.S. and Canada in 1986 thanks to Vestron Video’s easily accessible VHS videocassette, and although it was uncut (beware of heavily-cut versions in Canada!), the overly dark transfer left much to the imagination during key scenes of violence. Around the same time, a very nice (and much brighter) widescreen VHS tape emanated out of Japan via TCC Home Video, which was pretty much the gold standard at that time. Although available on European DVD during the format’s early days, BURIAL GROUND made its official debut on U.S. DVD in 2002 courtesy of Media Blasters’ sub-label Shriek Show, which presented a decent, but somewhat drab-looking 16x9 transfer, which, like the Japanese tape, also included the film’s original export title THE NIGHTS OF TERROR. Extras included interviews with Maria Angela Giordano and the not very-enthusiastic Gabriele Crisanti (11m00s), a still and poster gallery (2m57s), the film’s original English-language export trailer (3m28s), and a 4-page liner notes booklet with writing from AV Maniacs’ Charles Avinger and European Trash Cinema’s Craig Ledbetter. In 2011, Shriek Show revisited the film on Blu-ray, which was definitely a step-up in picture quality, if certainly not what everyone was hoping for, but – in an even more frustrating turn of events – this BD contained a slightly shorter version of the film, trimming the ends of reels or certain shots altogether (excisions totaling some 1m45s), and even though the gore was left intact, it’s a fairly significant amount of footage, to be sure. Retaining all the extras from the DVD, the BD also contained a number of previously unseen deleted scenes (albeit presented with no sound, 9m30s), which were definitely a nice bonus, and sweetened the package just a little. In 2013, German label Illusions Unlimited had their go at the film - complete with packaging housed in one of those slick mediabooks – but it turned out to be a port of the SS Blu, containing the same extras, minus the deleted scenes.
In 2016, as part of their long-running ‘Italian Collection’, British label 88 Films issued their own Region B disc, which turned out to be the most pleasing edition to date. Remastered from the original 16mm camera negative, colours were rich and robust, and 88 Films’ new transfer possessed a healthy amount of natural grain and excellent detail throughout; plus, it finally reinstated all those missing trims from the SS disc. Extras included an audio commentary with former Giallo Pages editor John Martin and Calum Waddell, which of course, focuses on the film’s bowdlerized release in the U.K., VHS collecting during the Video Nasty era, an overview of “journeyman” director Bianchi, the surge of Italian zombie films that emerged out of Italy at that point in time, and their general lack of enthusiasm for the film itself. Other extras included What the F***? The Films of Andrea Bianchi (26m40s), wherein author Mikel Coven takes a look at Bianchi’s interesting career, the aforementioned deleted scenes, the film’s trailer, and as an added bonus, 88 Films have also provided an alternate version sourced from a 35mm ‘Grindhouse’ U.S. print, which runs a tad shorter (84m21s) due to the abbreviated BURIAL GROUND credit sequence. Reversible packaging and a nicely-illustrated booklet with liner notes from Waddell round-out the extras. Both English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks are included on the restored version with English subtitles provided for the Italian audio track.
Later that same year, Severin Films released their own separate BD (the first 3000 copies included a slipcover with Wes Benscoter cover art) and DVD releases. As good as the 88 Films BD was, Severin’s disc looked even better, which appeared slightly darker, but with more pronounced, authentic colours and nicely textured grain, which looked especially good during all the film’s gory close-ups of rotted flesh. The excellent disc also came loaded with several fascinating new extra features beginning with Villa Parisi – Legacy of Terror (15m47s), in which film critic Fabio Melelli takes the viewer on a detailed tour of the famous location used in a number of classic (and some not-so classic) Italian films. In Peter Still Lives (7m35s), actor Peter Bark is part of a short, but delightful Q&A at a film festival, while actor Simone Mattioli doesn’t to seem to recall a whole lot about the film in Just for the Money (8m57s), but he does remember having quite a bit of fun on set. In The Smell of Death (9m20s), the aforementioned interviews with Giordano and Crisanti have been properly re-edited together for a much smoother and tighter viewing experience, and even though it’s not listed on the packaging, the deleted scenes have also been included, while the film’s now familiar English export theatrical trailer finishes things off.
In 2023, 88 Films debuted this scrappy Italian trash classic as a 2-disc UHD / BD combo, which was scanned in 4K (!) from the “best surviving element (35mm blow-up interpositive)” and looks even better than their previous HD remaster with a more pronounced colour scheme and sharper detail. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks also sound crisp and clear, and once again English subtitles are included for the Italian audio track. The aforementioned John Martin and Calum Waddell audio commentary is carried over, but 88 Films also commissioned a new audio commentary from Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson, and authors Troy Howarth and Eugenio Ercolani, which is far more in depth and appreciative of the film even as they venture into many different – and pleasing – tangents about Italian horror in general and their love for this singular Italian horror film. Some of the many details they discuss include Bianchi’s wide-ranging career and some their favourites films including his violent mafia actioner CRY OF A PROSTITUTE (1974) and the wonderfully sleazy STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER (1975), but all agree that BURIAL GROUND is his “biggest accomplishment”, but they also admit that some of this should be rightly attributed to producer Crisanti who Ercolani regards as “the unsung hero of this film” and a “pivotal figure” of late ’70s Italian sleaze. Of course, they also discuss the film’s location at length, which was regarded as the “villa of Z-movies”, Peter Bark’s brief career and his juicy role herein, and how he became an “object of mystery” who was eventually found working in a fetish nightclub “being brought around in a collar and leash!” Further discussions include the “campy vibe” of the English dub track and the many familiar voice talents involved, the inherently sleazy atmosphere of the entire production, the film’s quirky score and the film’s talented composer Berto Pisano, numerous other Italian zombie films of the time and this film’s unique place within the genre, it’s “nihilistic” nature, it’s bizarre incestuous subplot and how producers were taking advantage of the “loosening of censorship”, the overall “nightmarish quality” and “showstopper” finale, and just how much fun Bianchi was having with the material. Overall, this is another intelligent and highly enjoyable audio commentary from this always knowledgeable trio, who have quite a bit of fun here, adding plenty of value to this already entertaining film.
On the Blu-ray, other extras include Return to the Burial Ground (13m51s) from Eugenio Ercolani wherein Peter Bark (a.k.a. Pietro Barzocchini) divulges all sorts of cool anecdotes about the film's shoot, with Ercolani giving the viewer even more shots of this ornate villa as it stands today, which is real treat for fans of the film or Italian horror in general. In The Borders of the Extreme (22m44s), Ercolani discusses the film at length putting it into perspective within the ever-changing world of Italian cinema of the ’70s and ’80s, while Pierpaolo De Sanctis discusses Berto Pisano’s diversive and rather curious career in Zombies in Melodies (27n58s). 88 Films have also included the previously mentioned What the F***? The Films of Andrea Bianchi, the deleted scenes, the film’s trailer and the alternate ‘Grindhouse’ U.S. print. Slickly-packaged, the limited edition set also includes a slipcover with art by Devon Whitehead, a two-sided fold-out poster, and a liner notes booklet with writing on the film by Martin Beine and Daniel Burnett.
Earlier this year, Severin Films released their own UHD, which utilizes the same 4K restoration and looks superb; North American fans should find plenty to appreciate. Naturally, both English and Italian audio options are once again included with the latter featuring English subtitles. As with the 88 Films disc, both audio commentaries are also included, and the film’s trailer finish off the extras on the UHD, whereas the BD includes all of the extras featured on Severin’s previous disc as well as Ercolani’s Return to the Burial Ground featurette. This 2-disc set also includes a beautiful slipcover featuring original art from the film, and they even offer The Death Smells Bundle, which also includes a newly-commissioned T-shirt from Pallbearer Press and one helluva pillowcase!
As usual, Severin’s UHD upgrade of this no frills, primo gut-cruncher is another must have, but no matter which edition you may choose, it’s great to see Bianchi’s picture endure after all these years, emerging as one of the great all-time Italian trash classics.
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