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 I
had originally read about Dellamorte Dellamore (aka Cemetery Man) back in
Fangoria #137 and I thought to myself "finally a new freakin' zombie
movie". I was going through a bad case of zombie withdraw. This was
well before I had the internet and before I discovered such great films as
"Tomb
of the Blind Dead", "The Dead Next Door",
and even "The Beyond", but I was
still as big a zombie nut than as I am today.
There are many reasons why I
like Cemetery Man. First, of course the zombies or as they are called in the
film "returners".
Sergio
Stivaletti, a veteran of many
Argento films,
did a wonderful job on the "returners". I usually can't stand
talking zombies either, but I think they added to the atmosphere of this
movie. These are some of the best zombies I have seen since "Day of the Dead."
Second, Michele Soavi. This
was the first movie of his that I actually got to see. Since, I have seen
"The Church" and "Stagefright", but I still have to see
"The Sect" (aka The Devil's Daughter). Soavi has wonderful vision
and cinematic pacing. You can definitely see
Argento's influence
on him and I think he has the talent to be even better than Dario. Keep an
eye on this guy. He definitely can be a major mover and shaker in the
genre today if given the chance.
Third and finally, the film's
social commentary. Soavi put a lot of emotion into this film and he explains
in Fango #149 that this film isn't "about a fear of dying; its concern
is a fear of living." This goes against the traditional zombie theme,
which focuses on stopping the living dead, but rather concerns itself with
how one can conquer life. The "returners" are just obstacles in
Francesco's nightmarish world. Little reminders of his fears and troubles.
He cannot escape his problem even when he tries. He must conquer his own
life, before moving on. Does he??? I won't tell. This movie will really make
you think and you will probably have to watch it a few times before its
sinks in. ENJOY!!!!
As always please
e-mail me
if you have anything you can add to this page, or if you have any comments,
criticisms or suggestion.
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If you were the caretaker of a
cemetery, you'd think your life would be pretty simply, right? Well
not for our hero Francesco Dellamorte (Rupert Everett), the
engineer
of the Bullora Cemetery. It seems that Francesco and his mentally
challenged sidekick Gnaghi (Francios Hadji-Lazaro) have jobs that entail
more than just providing the final resting place for the recently
deceased. No, it appears the dead won't stay dead. These "returners"
as they are called come back seven days after their deaths to wreak havoc.
Francesco has accepted his
charge in life and realize no one in their right mind would believe him. He
knows that without the cemetery, he would have no life. Unexpectedly, that
all changes when "she" (Anna Falchi) walks into his ossuary. I
never realized that ossuaries has such a strong erotic attraction for women.
Quickly, they both fall in love. Oops!!! I guess I left out the part about
her husband recently dying. While making love on his grave, "she"
is viciously bitten by her "returner" husband. Before passing on,
our star crossed lovers promise to love each other forever. Pronounced dead,
Fransceco waits for her return and he painfully puts an end to her unlife???
Well, you would think that
would be the end of the film, but it is only the beginning. Franscesco and
Gnaghi continue to do battle with the "returners". Nuns, boy
scouts, motor riding returners, and even the mayor. Gnaghi falls in love
(boy it is strange) and "she" comes back, but not just as
a...."returner". Death makes an appearance in two excellent
scenes. Soavi's vision is spectacular if not overwhelming at time. He tries
to say a lot in the film and succeeds on most levels. I really dug the
surrealism of the ending. One of the most original horror films of the 90's.
Check it out!!!!!!! |
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The budget for this
film was $4 million.
This movie is loosely
based on one of the hottest selling comic books in Italy, "Dylan
Dog". This comic sells well over a 1 million copies a month.
Gnaghi (Francios
Hadji-Lazaro) is also a French rock musician. He also star in
Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "City of
Lost Children". Check it out.
The Japanese laserdisc
of "Dellamorte Dellamore" is 5 minutes longer than the
domestic release. I will let you know the differences as soon as I get
it.
The "returners"
get their energy from the Mandragola roots in the cemetery. (Soavi,
Fango #149)
Tangerine Dream was
originally supposed to do the soundtrack, but something else came up.
An American company was
willing to fund and distribute the movie if Matt Dylan was cast as
Francesco. Thank god, Soavi said no.
Michele Soavi, the director, hasn't made a film since
Cemetery Man. He is devoting all his time and effort caring for one of his
children who is terminally ill. We, at the House of Horrors, send out our
warmest wishes to Michele and his family in their time of need.
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Checkout the new
House
of Horrors t-shirt for sale now
Checkout
Rotten Cotton's cool Dellamorte Dellamore t-shirt.
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