Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

CDN$ 10.37 + CDN$ 3.49 shipping
In Stock. Sold by ClassicCartoonDvds

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
More Buying Choices
vidco Add to Cart
CDN$ 10.37
Vanderbilt CA Add to Cart
CDN$ 25.97
M and N Media Canada Add to Cart
CDN$ 40.27
Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Drive-In Discs, Vol. 3: I Bury the Living / The Hand

Richard Boone , Theodore Bikel , Herbert Anderson    NR (Not Rated)   DVD
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 11.99
Price: CDN$ 10.37
You Save: CDN$ 1.62 (14%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 1 left in stock.
Ships from and sold by ClassicCartoonDvds.

Product Details


Product Description

Amazon.ca

Newly appointed cemetery chairman Robert Craft (Richard Boone) notices some odd things about his new post: a creepy sense of déjà vu, an inability to get heat in the caretaker's shack, and Andy the caretaker's Scottish accent, one of the thickest in all cinematic history. Craft soon discovers to his horror that sticking pins into his map of the cemetery seems to make people die. As if this weren't bad enough, no one believes him. As Craft grows more and more distraught, his forehead covered in some of the most brightly glistening sweat you've ever seen, people keep trying to prove it's all a coincidence by getting him to stick more and more pins in the map. Though hilariously overwrought, I Bury the Living does take a couple of nice creepy twists at the end. Never before has a movie so eloquently made the case for keeping cemetery records in a text-only database. --Ali Davis


Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5 stars
Most helpful customer reviews
By Daniel Jolley TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
I Bury the Living is one of many classic films that prove you don't need big money, big names, and big effects to achieve suspense or completely capture your audience's attention. I found the premise of this film quite intriguing, and the pace plays out just right as we descend further into the realm of the surreal as our protagonist inches closer and closer to possible insanity. It's unfortunate that all that commitment and effort was significantly offset by the ending. Personally, I thought the conclusion fell flat on its face. It's like going to Disneyworld, only to find a great big hole in the ground when you get there; you could squeeze the state of Texas through the plot hole at the end. I was all set to give this film five stars, and now I feel as if I'm being rather generous in giving it four.

The setup's rather simple. Robert Kraft (Richard Boone) is this year's chairman of the Cemetery Committee in town, which means it's now his responsibility to oversee the paperwork down at the Immortal Hills Cemetery. When someone buys a plot, you stick a white pin on the designated spot on the big cemetery plot map; when someone dies, you replace the white pin with a black pin. Doesn't really sound like a recipe for disaster, does it? When a couple of newlyweds show up wanting reservations for the hereafter, in go the white pins - then, when the couple dies soon thereafter, Bob is creeped out to find two black pins where the white pins should have been. He decides to pick a white pin at random, replace it with a black pin, and see what happens. Sure enough, that fellow falls over dead. Experimenting seems to be really popular in this little town, so a quick succession of pin replacements - and deaths - follows. Pretty soon, Bob starts wigging out, and the cops actually get involved - even though all of the deaths were seemingly due to natural causes.

Except for the ending, this film is great. The suspense really builds up, the writer keeps things interesting by giving you several things to think about in terms of your own theory, and there are some rather impressive visual effects. The big cemetery plot board is just weird in and of itself, as it sports some weird swirls that look like something in between a Dali-drawn bicycle and a distorted human face. The director uses light to great effect (an art form quickly lost once color became the norm), zooms in and out with the best of them, and basically just adds a Hitchcockian touch to it all.

Don't be fooled by the various posters and DVD covers, as you will find no real frights (and certainly no zombies) here. I would not classify I Bury the Living as a horror film at all - it's a suspenseful mystery/thriller. That's why, to some degree, I think you need to be a fan of classic B-movies in order to really enjoy this film. Otherwise, there's a chance you'll find it somewhat boring, as it's remarkably free of action, monsters, and fiends. While the building suspense is effective, it's not the kind of suspense that digs its claws into your arms, and there really is a sort of woodenness about each of the characters. I also have to believe that a number of people, B-movie fans or not, will be rather disappointed by the ending of this otherwise well-made film.
Was this review helpful to you?
3.0 out of 5 stars I Bury the Living July 18 2004
Format:DVD
Although you'll find it listed under "Horror/Thriller," about the only claim I BURY THE LIVING has to the genre is its provocative title and lurid tagline: 'A creature to freeze your blood! A story to chill your soul!'
The creature referred to must be Robert Kraft (Richard Boone), president of Kraft's Department Stores and newly selected committee chairman of Immortal Hills Cemetery. The cemetery's caretaker is Andy McKee, played in not very convincing aged makeup and with a Scottish brogue by veteran character actor Theodore Bikel. McKee introduces Kraft to The Map. The Map displays all the plots in the graveyard and their owners - a white pin in the map means that person is still alive, a black pin means they're dead. On his first day on the job Kraft mistakenly puts a pair of black pins where white ones ought to be and the owners of the plots die. When he replaces a third white pin with a black and THAT owner dies, all sorts of mayhem ensues.
Richard Boone is effective in what is nothing much more than a longish Twilight Zone episode. Rather than a slime creature carting off the living to their final rest I BURY THE LIVING sprays a mist of sweat on Boone's forehead and follows his descent into madness. Well, that may be overstating it a bit, but he does have to wrestle with an inner demon that seemingly gives him the power of life and death over people. At least he believes it's so, long after the audience has cast skeptical eyes at more likely suspects.
You'll have to stretch credibility to the breaking point to accept the premise of this movie and stretch it again some more to accept its resolution. I BURY THE LIVING doesn't deliver many shocks or thrills, but it does offer some fine performances, especially by Boone.
Was this review helpful to you?
5.0 out of 5 stars An Unacknowledged Classic July 15 2004
Format:DVD
This film is terrifying. I expected some hoky fun when I rented it (judging from the cover), but then recalled that Stephen King had listed it (in "Danse Macabre") as one of the ten most frightening films he'd ever seen. All the same, I figured his memory must have gone foggy.

I was wrong. The plot, when laid out bare, sounds ridiculous. A rather ordinary, boring caretaker of a cemetery (accompanied by a hilarious 'Scottsman') happens to gain power over the fundamentals of life and death with a board that lays out the structure of the cemetery--where people are buried, have been buried, and will be buried. All this sounds absurd and very 1950's, yes, but it turns out well. You actually start believing it yourself and can feel the protagonist's anguish. The end is disappointing, but the buildup is more than worth it. Black pin, white pin, black pin, white pin.....

Was this review helpful to you?
Want to see more reviews on this item?
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great FUN With The Drive-In Disc Series!
Hey you! (...) Remember the pseudo-butter popcorn, the syrupy fountain cokes, & hot dogs rotating on the bar grill, the school lunch style pizza slices? Read more
Published on April 6 2004 by Sheila Chilcote-Collins
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty darn clever!
The title conjurs up images of violence, grossness, etc. Nothing could be further from the truth. Made in 1957, the movie has the tone and production values of an episode of... Read more
Published on Mar 18 2004 by RMurray847
4.0 out of 5 stars Neat little chiller
I wont go into the plot because everyone else has, but you might like to know that the Alpha dvd of this title is a superb print and only half the cost of the MGM deal. Read more
Published on Feb 25 2004 by SeaWasp
4.0 out of 5 stars A Cult Classic In The Best Way
I loved this movie from the first time I saw it.It well done for a B-Movie with reasonable special effects and a thoght provoking skript and hell the acting is pritty good to. Read more
Published on Feb 23 2004 by Mrs. Barbara M. Muirhead
5.0 out of 5 stars White Pin Good, Black Pin Baaaad...
Richard Boone plays Bob Craft, recently appointed chairman of a lovely little cemetery. He takes the job reluctantly, trying his best to get out of it. Read more
Published on Nov 30 2003 by Bindy Sue Frřnkünschtein
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting 50's indie...
This independent film, written by Louis Garfinkle, is better than you might think. It's an interesting plot, though the final outcome is somewhat predictable. BUT... Read more
Published on Nov 27 2003 by R. Gawlitta
5.0 out of 5 stars Is your name on the board? A black pin means death.
A Maxim Productions Inc. Presentation. Robert Kraft (Richard Boone) is now Chairman of Immortal Hills Cemetary. Read more
Published on Oct 23 2003 by James McDonald
5.0 out of 5 stars Cemetery Plot
Notwithstanding the title and cover art, this is anything but a zombie send-up. Richard Boone stars in this quiet, intelligent mystery-thriller about a picturesque cemetery and one... Read more
Published on Nov 25 2002 by The Abominable Doctor Phibes
4.0 out of 5 stars TO DIE FOR
With little fanfare, MGM has quietly transferred a handful of great B films to DVD that they not too arbitrarily categorize as "Midnight Movies. Read more
Published on April 18 2002 by Robin Simmons
4.0 out of 5 stars PIN PAL
I BURY THE LIVING is a true lost gem. It covers so many areas in such a short time that you can't help but be impressed by the sheer scope (and speed) of it. Read more
Published on Feb 23 2002 by Thomas E. O'Sullivan
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category


Feedback


ClassicCartoonDvds Privacy Statement ClassicCartoonDvds Shipping Information ClassicCartoonDvds Returns & Exchanges