A family consisting of a husband, wife and daughter move from New York to Boston. Actually they move to a house that's by the cemetary and that was formerly owned by a Dr. Freudstein. The house is cursed and Dr. Freudstein is still alive in the basement, only to come out to cut people up.
House by the Cemetary is an ok Lucio Fulci flick, although far from his best. And compared to movies like The New York Ripper or The Beyond, this is kind of a let-down.
One thing, actually the worst thing about this movie is definitely the kid in it. This kid is so ridiculously annoying that it practically hurts to watch him on screen. I can't believe how they could go with that retarded little monster. You think someone at the set would've noticed and said something like this kid's gonna ruin the whole flick, or something similar to that. But no, he's there and he'll irritate the hell outta you. Ok I know it's the dubbing too, but the kid is just irritating as hell.
I would say that House by the Cemetary is a movie for Fulci fans exclusively. Those who have watched some of his other flicks will probably enjoy this one too even if they probably think he has done greater work before. But for people who would just watch this for the fact that it is a horror movie, the end result might not turn out to be so good as it's actually not that good of a movie to be completely honest.
Ok so you don't watch this because it has an interesting story to offer, you watch it for the actual gore, and gore you'll get plenty of. If you're a splatter fan, gorehound or something like that then by all means go ahead. But for people not into that kinda stuff or people who want something more, it's probably better to stay away.
I'm being kinda nice giving it a 6 out of 10, but I've seen it a few time over the years and I guess it has kinda grown on me. First time watching this, I would probably have given it a 3 or a 4.
It has a nice atmosphere going at times, especially round the house and can manage to be a bit creepy too. Although it never stays that way for long and so loses the viewers interest.
Recommended for Fulci fans, and for people into splatter and gore. It's a cool old flick, but in the end it's not that great. Totally watchable though.
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ALTERNATIVE TITLE: Quella villa accanto al cimitero
MOVIE YEAR: 1981
DIRECTOR: Lucio Fulci
WRITING CREDITS: Elisa Briganti, Lucio Fulci
GENRE: Horror
CAST: Catriona MacColl, Paolo Malco, Ania Pieroni
COUNTRY: Italy
RUNTIME: 87 min
RATING: 6/10
House by the Cemetary Website/IMDB Click here
House by the Cemetary Trailer
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