Plot: What’s it about?
A family has moved from the hustle & bustle of New York to the more relaxed setting of New England, but as they soon discover, their new home isn’t as peaceful as they might think. The new house is a lush one and has spacious surroundings, but it has a troubled past, as the previous owner was the nefarious Dr. Freudstein. The basement of the home was a lab of sorts, where Freudstein would conduct strange experiments, usually involving humans. It seems that while the Doctor has moved on, part of his experimental legacy has remained behind, as there is something eerie that still calls the basement home. A monstrous creature is present down in that dank basement and it needs to kill, in order to gain more cells from the victims, which in turn keep it alive a while longer. This beautiful home is about to be terrorized and while the family thinks this is a restful place, they’re about to be thrust into a battle for their very lives!
This is what Lucio Fulci flicks are all about, lush sets, intense visuals, eerie atmosphere, and of course, buckets of blood. I am so pleased to own this one on DVD, especially in this complete and uncut edition, to be sure. Yes, the plot gets a little muddled, but this is a horror movie after, so we need to keep that in mind, I think. The storyline is stable enough to hang the other elements on and that proves to be enough, although some instances do seem out of place, I have to admit. But then again, I think the strange plot movements are a part of Fulci’s cinema, so fans of his work won’t be taken back, not by any means. So if you’re a jerk and want to pick out problems, then you can, but why would you in a flick like The House by the Cemetery? In the end, this movie has some great suspense, entrancing visuals, and enough gore to keep the Fulci devotees more than pleased. I highly recommend this release to fans of blood soaked horror movies, as the film more than delivers and this disc is a very good edition.
I wouldn’t call this his best work, but The House by the Cemetery is a great movie and I think it ranks with director Lucio Fulci’s better efforts. He sticks in plenty of his trademark elements, such as well crafted visuals, a tense atmosphere, a supernatural scope, and in this case, he paints the screen red with blood, which adds to the experience. I am a fan of gore movies and Fulci knew when to pile it on, so while not all of his efforts were soaked in the red stuff, this flick has a good amount and the effects are executed well also. As usual, he seems to allow the story to wander off the beaten path, which seems to be the main complaint people have here, although I think the oddball moments just enhance the unusual atmosphere. Other films directed by Fulci include The Smuggler, Manhattan Baby, Zombie, The Black Cat, The Beyond, The New York Ripper, and Slashdance. The cast here includes Paolo Marco (The Sinful Nuns of St. Valentine), Ania Pieroni (Tenebre, Inferno), and Giovanni Frezza (A Blade in the Dark, Demons).
Video: How does it look?
The House by the Cemetery is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This isn’t the pristine transfer I’d hoped for, but it looks decent enough and is better than previous releases, at least the ones I’ve seen. The image looks washed out at times and shows age signs, such as specks and debris, but the image is still stable and by no means unwatchable. Some scenes look very good however, so while it is a mixed bag, I think this transfer should please fans. I do wish the transfer could have been restored in a few places, but it is still better than other editions, so fans won’t want to miss this release.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included 2.0 surround option is quite good, with a little more presence than expected, to be sure. I love the musical score found here and it sounds good in this mix, very full and immersive, at least on my system. The scare sound effects are sharp and hit just right, while the more natural ones also sound just fine, with no problems to report in the least. I did think the track was a little thin at times, but this is due to the limited budget of the film and not this treatment, so I won’t knock the track much on that count. The dialogue was a little off at times, but was never hard to understand and in the end, I wasn’t let down at all here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes Fulci’s talent file, a television spot, a selection of still photos, and two theatrical trailers.
