Buried Alive

Buried Alive is such an oddball little horror movie 😁 It takes this Poe-inspired gothic setup, drops it into a girls’ reform school, throws in slasher elements, and somehow gives us Robert Vaughn, Donald Pleasence, John Carradine, and Ginger Lynn Allen in the same movie. That cast alone had me sold.

The movie has a strange, dreamlike atmosphere that I really dug. Gérard Kikoïne gives it plenty of creepy imagery and sleazy late-’80s energy, and even when the story gets a little messy, there’s always something weird happening to keep me interested. Donald Pleasence doing his thing certainly doesn’t hurt either.

The Blu-ray presentation is a big upgrade for a movie like this. The 2K restoration from the 35mm interpositive keeps the film texture intact while bringing out a surprising amount of detail, and the artwork on the limited slipcover looks killer.

Is it completely ridiculous? Oh yeah. But obscure horror like this getting a proper release is exactly why I collect Vinegar Syndrome in the first place. Definitely staying on the shelf. 😁

Buried Alive is one of those late 80s slashers that I probably enjoy more for its atmosphere than anything else. The old boarding school makes a great setting, there is a suitably nasty killer wandering around, and the whole thing has that slightly grubby video store feel that immediately works for me. It takes its time and is certainly not one of the great forgotten slashers, but I found it easy to settle into and enjoyed the oddball cast, particularly Donald Pleasence doing what Donald Pleasence does. Nothing essential, but a fun little horror discovery and another obscurity I am glad VS pulled out of the vaults.

Cool Slasher

Enjoyable

Really love the design of the killer and this movie had me on edge great atmosphere a real thriller