Burial Ground (aka Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror) [4K UHD]

It's hard to recommend this film unless you love it as much as I doThis is one of the first non American zombie films I seen on dvdI remember blind buying it at Best Buy for $18.00 early on during the dvd boomWhen Best Buy actually had a huge chunk of the store devoted to films!Burial Ground is a step below Romero and Fulci's workBut, it's extremely Grindhouse and sleazyThe main setting is more along the lines of a Hammer filmBut, it's filmed like a adult filmIt's Night of the Living Dead turned on it's ear and done very differentwith over the top nudity, sex, violence and creepy incistThis isn't your Father's Zombie filmI've had both dvd and original blu-ray distributed by Shriek ShowThis newer version by Severin Films is hands down a solid upgrade even against the previous blu-rayShriek Show is infamous for putting out dvd's and blu-ray's that have a poor lifespan (Not sure if it's the disc they use or what)The PQ is much better next to the previous blu-ray (I'm pretty sure that the Shriek Show dvd was upconverted to HD and put on there blu-rayIf you want a pure HD remaster this version is the way to goI watched 1/2 the new blu-ray release it's a much better transferThe new exclusive extras with all honesty were a let down (All extras have English Subtitles)The interview with Peter Bark was done at a Horror convention (very loud the crowed/fans were very loud and rude)this interview was interesting but, too short and done lazily (Berk comes off extremely likeable and humble the man looks good for his age)Just for the Money: Interview with Actor: Simone Mattioli was also interesting and honest But, very shortThere are a few more extras just haven't had the time to view themThis release is for Fans like myself that love the film for what it isIt's not perfect but, it's still very unique and fresh for a sub-genre that has decayed more and more each yearStill to this day no other zombie films has really been done like thisIt's truly on it's own little island 8/10UPDATE 9-8-2017If you are a huge fan of Burial Ground or Andrea Bianchi there is a second choice for a blu-rayBut, you'll need a region free playerThe second choice isThe Italian Collection by 88FilmsThis is a true to God Collector's editionwith a good size amount of extrasBonus Features Include:****Brand New HD Restoration from the original 16mm Negative***Uncompressed LPCM English Soundtrack,*** LPCM Italian soundtrack with English Subtitles***** Interview with Mikel Coven, Author of La Doice Morte, On the films of Andrea Bianchi (This is super interesting)*****Audio Commentary by expert John Martin, moderated by Calum Waddell(A fun enjoyable commentary)**** Deleted scenes***Burial Ground Trailer, Zombie Holocaust trailer,*** Reversible Sleeve with Alternative art***** Alternative Grindhouse Version of Burial Ground transferred from the Only existing 35mm print (Blu-Ray Exclusive)This in itself makes the 88Films version the Superior home video versionIf you haven't pulled the trigger and got the Severin Films the 88Films version is the better home video version all aroundLike i said though you'll need a region free player (But, any fans of all types of films should have a region-free player

The Severin Blu-ray of Burial Groundis a big upgrade from the MBlasters dvd!I was hesitant to purchase the Blu-ray as I have literally watched Burial Ground to death- with every line of dialogue permanently etched in my memory!It was always my go-to in the the dark days of early video rental stores with their terminally lean and mostly cruddy horror sections.Burial Ground ALWAYS served up the goods-with heavy and effective splatter, an eerie synthesizer soundtrack, freaky looking zombies, serious weirdness and Euro exploitation goddess- Mariangela Giordano bashing in the skull of hot female zombie on the edge of a bathtub!I remember a review in Deep Red magazine that described the murky darkness of the film as if the camera lens was tinted w/ blood. In actuality,it was just the crappy, dark copy of the old vhs tape.Burial Ground is just Hardcore Horror at it’s finest and weirdest. And this print is near perfect!!

WARNING SPOILERS!!! Here's an Italian zombie/gore film I love for all the wrong reasons. The film begins with Professor Ayres (Renato Barbieri) discovering an ancient Etruscan burial ground among the ruins of a dilapidated country estate. Somehow he reanimates the decaying corpses of the Etruscans (it is never explained how he does it), who chow down on him ("No! Don't! I am your friend!"). We are then introduced to the sex-starved people who are spending the weekend at the country estate: Professional photographer Mark (Gian Luigi Chirizzi; TERROR EXPRESS - 1979) and model/lover Janet (Karin Well; SKIN'EM ALIVE - 1978), who has bad feelings about spending time at the estate (Mark should have listened to her rather than telling her that it is all in her head). Also at the estate are George (Roberto Caporali), his new wife Evelyn (Mariangela Giordano; PATRICK STILL LIVES - 1980) and her creepy-looking, bugeyed son Michael (Peter Bark), who has the hots for Mom. He will do whatever it takes to stop George from making love to her and is the sole reason why this film is special to me.It doesn't take long for the zombies to attack. As the zombies chase Janet and Mark through the estate's grounds (Janet: "What is it?" Mark: "Whatever it is, it's not human. It's a walking corpse!" How could it be not human and be a corpse? Don't think too hard because this film is full of absurd dialogue.), Janet steps on a bear trap (!), while necking couple James (Simone Mattioli; THE OTHER HELL - 1980) and Leslie (Antonella Antinori) come running to her and Mark's rescue, caving-in the skulls of two zombies by bashing their heads with rocks. George is the first to die, as zombies tear him apart and eat his innards, while Evelyn and Michael escape. Pretty soon, all the survivors are trapped in the house, while dozens of zombies chop away at the front door with axes (these are not your normal, mindless zombies)."They can only be killed if we blow their heads off!" says James, as he uses the zombies for target practice, blowing their heads off with a shotgun while standing on a second floor terrace. A short time later he runs out of shotgun shells, so everyone will have to find another way to kill them (Earlier in the film, Evelyn and Michael set two zombies on fire, but it would be stupid to do the same thing inside the house). Leslie is the next to die when a zombie pulls her through a broken window, the broken glass cutting her face into bloody pieces (The zombie that kills her suddenly drops dead! But why? Like I said earlier, don't ask too many questions!). Leslie becomes a zombie and puts the bite on Michael (who just put the sexual moves on Mom, in the film's most hilarious/unsettling moment). Evelyn discovers Leslie chewing on Michael's torn-off arm and she bashes Leslie's head in on the side of a bath tub. This won't be the last time that Evelyn has to deal with Michael, though. The zombies break through the front door and invade the house, so Mark and James pick up two swords and make mincemeat out of several zombie heads with well-placed blows. Professor Ayres (Remember him?) is now a zombie and kills butler Nicholas (Claudio Zucchet; YETI: GIANT OF THE 20TH CENTURY - 1977), chewing on his flesh like it is some fancy filet mignon dinner.Mark, Janet, James and a near comatose Evelyn (she is grieving for Michael) escape to an abandoned monastery, but it is not as abandoned as they thought. James sees a group of robed monks in the monastery's chapel, only these monks are now zombies who make James their latest meal. The trio escape from the monastery and end up in some model builder's workshop. They are greeted by a zombie on the second floor, while the rest of the zombies try to get in through the front door. Mark hits the zombie with a hefty piece of wood (but keeps missing its head!) and eventually throws it over the stone railing. Michael shows up as a zombie missing an arm and exposes Evelyn's right breast (A delirious Evelyn says, "Yes, just like when you were a baby!") and, in a scene that will not likely be forgotten, Michael bites off her nipple! The film concludes with all the zombies invading the workshop, as a zombified James grabs Mark's arm and puts it in the path of a spinning blade of a table saw and the zombies surround Janet. The film ends on this note, as an end scrawl proclaims: "The Earth shall tremble....graves shall open....they shall come among the living as messengers of death and there shall be the night of terror...." - Profecy of the Black Spider (Their spelling, not mine)Like I said in the beginning of this review, this film is entertaining for all the wrong reasons. The person who dubbed Michael's voice is hilarious to the extreme and the dialogue that comes out of his and everyone else's mouths are risible, such as when Michael says, "Mother, this cloth smells of death!" (How in the hell would a child know what death smells like?). Speaking of Michael, actor Peter Bark (real name; Pietro Barzocchini) became a minor celebrity thanks to this film, appearing at horror conventions worldwide (an extra on this Blu-Ray is of an interview with Bark at such a convention in 2013). The fact is that Bark is more frightening-looking than any zombie in this film (he looks like a miniature Dario Argento!) and his incestuous relationship with his mother brings on more horror than director Andrea Bianchi (the amazingly entertaining crime thriller CRY OF A PROSTITUTE - 1974; the giallo STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER - 1975) wanted to convey, but since most of it is due to the atrocious dubbing, we can't blame him. The zombies are appropriately creepy (lots of maggots and worms), but static (very seldom do we see their mouths move). This film, also known as BURIAL GROUND: THE NIGHTS OF TERROR, was lensed at an historic Italian landmark known as Villa Parisi (another extra on the Blu-Ray is a tour through the location as it stands today). The location shoot is very atmospheric, making it a character unto itself. The script, by Piero Regnoli (CITY OF THE WALKING DEAD - 1980), is full of zombie cliches (no matter how fast our survivors are, the slow, shuffling zombies always manage to catch up with them) and, if you think too hard about this film, you will realize that it is a rather boring affair. Just keep your brain in check and you will probably have a good time with it.Originally released Unrated on VHS from Vestron Video, with an Uncut widescreen version on DVD by Shriek show to follow. Now available in a beautiful anamorphic widescreen print on Blu-Ray from Severin Films, who seem to be the go-to guys for gore-filled Italian Horror flicks (see my reviews of DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D. and EATEN ALIVE!), filled with great extras (one of the extras on the disc is deleted scenes, which add much more to the sudden appearance of James and Leslie). This is the preferred method of watching this film (I once saw it at a midnight showing in the mid-'80s, hosted by Gore Gazette's Rick Sullivan). Unrated.

Greatest zombies ever, and all kinds of grisly splatter fun, with the Oedipal love of mom reaching it's yucky zenith.

Disjointed a bit-----zombie make up is...well, Google for screen shots. Gave it a 5 as GOOD example of the 70's Drive-in imports fare that I saw much of-----and the creepy man/child just stays in your brain for a long time----good cheap splatter Italian fare.

This movie is so stupid, but I love it. Michael is a little weirdo

Cover is different

Truly a classic horror zombie movie, and the package of the DVD 📀 it's sealed in plastic , and the DVD 📀 it's brand new