Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Burial Ground Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 12, 2016

Andrea Bianchi's "Burial Ground" a.k.a. "Le notti del terrore" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent British distributors 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers; new featurette with Dr. Mikel Coven; and deleted scenes. The release also arrives with a 14-page illustrated booklet featuring Calum Waddell's essay "It Won't Stay Buried". In English or Italian, with English subtitles for the Italian track. Region-B "locked".

The zombies

The plot is very simple. In the short prologue a scientist (Renato Barbieri) discovers some sort of a message that unlocks a giant tomb. However, almost immediately he is killed by a group of incredibly ugly zombies.

Soon after, three couples arrive in a secluded Italian villa. This is one of those places that you can typically see in a Luchino Visconti’s films -- massive and incredibly elegant. They unpack their bags, have dinner and then some of them proceed to have some good ol’ fashioned adult fun. For a while it seems like the guests will have a wonderful time in the villa, but the ugly zombies reappear and then all hell breaks loose.

There are a couple of things that I want to say about Andrea Bianchi’s Burial Ground. Let me start with a small warning for those of you that are going to see the film for the first time on Blu-ray: If you do not have a strong stomach, make sure that you see it before you have lunch or dinner. It is not the most graphic zombie film ever made, but there are quite a few segments with some pretty nasty close-ups of rotten faces and dismembered body parts. If you know for sure that you can control your stomach, then ignore my warning and grab your popcorn.

So how good is this film? I would not rank it in the same group as some of Lucio Fulci’s classic zombie films, but in terms of excess and atmosphere it actually competes very well. The bulk of the action, for instance, is shot with the crucial understanding that the ‘foreplay’ before the graphic footage is incredibly important. As a result, there are a number of segments with very effective build-ups. The overall atmosphere is also good. Obviously, this is still a pretty intense film that isn’t even remotely interested in paying homage to the classic Gothic masterpieces, but it certainly feels very comfortable manipulating light and shadows in a variety of different ways.

Most of Bianchi’s films -- including his non-horror films -- have some colorful or downright wacky moments that tend to inspire interesting discussions. In Burial Ground there are a few such moments with Pietro Barzocchini, who plays the spoiled son of one of the main characters. This actor has an absolutely incredible face and when he looks straight into the camera it literally feels like he is about to step out of the film and do something truly horrible. I am not exaggerating. His face, his eyes, even the manner in which he moves his tiny body can be genuinely creepy.

I also have to mention Berto Pisano and Elsio Mancuso’s incredible ambient soundtrack. It mixes clean synthesizer solos with different sound effects that add a distinctive surreal vibe to the film. I also think that the music actually makes the entire film look a lot more coherent and in some areas even more ambitious than it is.

The film is based on a script by Piero Regnoli, whose writing credits also include Bianchi’s cult thriller Cry of a Prostitute and Malabimba - The Malicious Whore, Sergio Corbucci’s Navajo Joe, Marcello Andrei’s Season for Assassins, and Umberto Lenzi’s Nightmare City, amongst others.

Burial Ground Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Andrea Bianchi's Burial Ground arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

There are two different presentations of Burial Ground on this release. The first comes from a recent master prepared from the original 16mm negative in Italy. During various close-ups the grain frequently has a powdery appearance that impacts fluidity. For example, when the camera moves some extremely light smearing occasionally pops up (see screencapture #11). However, even during static shots it is easy to see that depth isn't optimal (see screencapture #14). Colors are stable, but there appears to be a shift towards a wide range of neutral tonalities that make some sequences look suspiciously flat. Overall image stability is excellent. Also, there are no large damage marks, cuts, debris, stains, or warped frames to report in our review. Ultimately, I think that the basics qualities are stronger here than they are on the Region-A release, but I also think that the film should have a better balanced organic appearance.

The second presentation comes from a new master prepared from new 2K scan of a 35mm projection print. Here the film looks quite rough -- density isn't convincing, contrast levels are too high, color balance isn't managed well, and there are plenty of debris, marks, and scratches. As a "Grindhouse" presentation it actually works rather well, but the film's native qualities are more or less unrecognizable. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Burial Ground Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 and Italian LPCM 2.0. English subtitles are provided only for the Italian track.

I viewed the film with the English track. The quality of the lossless track is about as good as one can expect it to be. Some unevenness is present, but it isn't difficult to tell that it was introduced during the post-production overdubbing. The ambient score breathes quite easily, but you should not expect to be wowed. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report.

Burial Ground Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Burial Ground. In Italian with original English titles. (4 min).

• Deleted Scenes - a collection of deleted scenes. Presented with music only because the original audio does not exist. (10 min).

• WTF: An Interview with Mikel Coven - in this new featurette, Dr. Mikel Coven discusses the unique/bizarre qualities and themes that define the work of Andrea Bianchi. Several of the director's films are also discussed in great detail. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Zombi Holocaust Trailer - original trailer for Zombi Holocaust. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Booklet - 14-page illustrated booklet featuring Calum Waddell's essay "It Won't Stay Buried".

• Cover - reversible cover with original poster art.

• Art Card - collectible art card. (See the screencaptures).

Burial Ground Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Andrea Bianchi's Burial Ground isn't one of the top zombie films, but it delivers a solid dose of graphic action with the right atmosphere. To be honest, I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. This recent release from 88 Films is probably the best one on the market, but I think that the film could look even better in high-definition. Still, consider picking up a copy for your collections. RECOMMENDED.