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I Bury the Living (1958)

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25 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
They call this a classic, may I ask why?, 4 June 2002
Author: Erzebet von Tepes de Neirhazi (luciemanet@netzero.net) from Philadelphia, PA

So many people call this movie a modern classic and one of the scariest genre movies ever made. Why? I have seen it more than once and done some research on it and I question all those assertions. Okay, follow me on this, Richard Boone takes the job as caretaker of a cemetery because it is a family tradition. By accident he discovers that if he places a black pin into the map showing the empty plots, the owner of that plot dies. Several friends and business associates actually do turn up dead when Richard sticks black pins into the spots marking graves reserved for them. It then dawns on him that if he can kills people by sticking black pins into the map maybe he can bring them back by substituting white pins. Now this is where we get to the really scary scenes. Boone goes running through the cemetery and sees that all the recent graves have been opened and the bodies are gone. His plan worked! But is it too late?

WARNING WARNING! I am not about to reveal the real ending of the movie, just the way it was originally written in the script. I am not, repeat NOT, telling you how the real movie ends.

As written Boone was to have locked himself in the caretakers shed which was suddenly surrounded by the walking corpses of all the people he had killed by sticking black pins into their grave markers. They do not attack but stand patiently outside calling for him to join them. Richard's grief is so great at having caused their deaths that he dies of a heart attack. Yeah but that ISN'T the way it ended. A "logical" explanation is tacked on that totally ruins the supernatural theme that we have spent the whole movie getting used to. I for one felt let down by this and THAT is why I say this movie is no classic. Yes it has some well staged moments but the copout ending spoils everything. If they had just stuck to the original ending it could have pre-dated NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD by 10 years.

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11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Reeks Of Atmosphere, 11 August 2004

Author: moycon from Atlanta

A man (Richard Boone) has to take over as chairman of the Immortal Hills cemetery. Shortly after the man discovers he has the power to kill sticking black pins in an old cemetery grounds map. Later on, after the man has convinced himself, as well as those around him that he's not crazy, he decides to undo what he's done and pull the white pins out and replace them with white pins.

Brrrrrrr.

This has always been one of my favorite spook flicks. Creepy and with a great twist ending. If you like older black and white spook movies, You will not be disappointed. I have seen this flick no less than 10 times and will no doubt watch it again... Unless someone sticks a black pin in my plot.

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11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Effective 50s b-grade suspense thriller., 1 June 2002
Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia

'I Bury The Living' is a good example of a 50s low budget genre movie that despite a few creaks still holds up all these years later. Richard Boone ('Hombre'), best known as a star of Westerns, is solid as a businessman who is obligated to serve on the committee of a local cemetery, and inadvertently discovers that by using the map of the graves available he has the power of life and death. Boone is supported by Theodore Bikel ('The Defiant Ones', Zappa's '200 Motels') is an eccentric turn as an ageing Scots grounds keeper, and several half remembered TV character actors. The movie's director Albert Band ('Zoltan, Hound Of Dracula') is the father of 80s trash king Charles Band ('Trancers', 'Re-Animator', 'TerrorVision'). I surprised myself with just how much I enjoyed this modest thriller. Especially recommended to fans of early Roger Corman or (the original) 'The Twilight Zone' or 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' TV series.

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10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun things to do at a graveyard: determine people's deaths!, 7 October 2005

Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls

Even though very cheap and amateurish-looking, this cool 50's gem receives a gazillion extra points for enthusiasm! The premise of "I bury the Living" is simplistic, but at the same time so ingenious that it makes you wonder why on earth this film is still so unknown. The similar Roger Corman quickies from that era practically all gained an immortal cult-status and yet Albert Band's treat is shamefully overlooked. Richard Boone (strangely resembling Vincent Price) is great in the lead role and even the supportive cast is a lot better than usually in b-grade movies. Slightly against his will, Robert Kraft is appointed the new caretaker of a fancy cemetery where prominent citizens have the opportunity to reserve their final resting places. He discovers that, by changing the colored pins on the cemetery's ground map, he can shorten the life span of people. Pretty soon, the lives of five people unexpectedly come to an end. Could this all be morbid coincidence or does Robert really dispose of the touch of death? Due to the very limited budget, there are few filming locations and no special effects whatsoever, but this is largely made up by the creepy atmosphere and well-written dialogues. The blackly humorous undertones are sublime and the monotonous camera-work adds a great deal to the tension. The finale is somewhat disappointing and overly messy, but you already love the film too much by then. Definitely recommended in case you're a collector of old sci-fi horror treasures.

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
An excellent little B-movie, 4 November 2005

Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England

These sorts of films were mass produced in the late fifties and early sixties, and while many of them are in good standing today; I Bury the Living has strangely managed to fly straight under the radar. It's a shame, too, as this film is at least as good as many of it's quickie contemporaries. The film utilises a graveyard as it's central location, and this represents one of it's major assets; as graveyards often make for intriguing horror locations, and when combined with the atmospheric cinematography and the brilliantly compelling story; I Bury the Living becomes more than it's B-movie status suggests it should be. Of course, I'm not claiming this film to be a great masterpiece; but for what it is, it's very good. The plot follows a man who becomes the chairman of a cemetery. This cemetery has a map of it's plots on the wall, with filled ones represented by a black pin, and ones owned by people who are still alive being represented by a white one. After accidentally inserting a black pin into the plot owned by a newly married, and very much alive, couple; the man is astonished when they turn up dead...was it merely coincidence, or can he control who lives and who dies?

The film was obviously shot on a low budget, and as such; most of the murder scenes take place off-screen, and the film lacks a certain bite. However, it really doesn't matter because what we do see more than adequately carries the film, and director Albert Band always ensures that the plot moves well and the film stays on track. Richard Boone takes the lead role, and his morbid presence does the movie no end of favours. It is important that you get the right leading man in films like this, and Richard Boone is definitely that man. The rest of the performances range from good to not that good, but nobody particularly stands out as being terrible. The plot lines really manages to get the audience thinking, which is always a positive element in a film; and while this has nothing on similar films about similar topics, such as Dellamorte Dellamore, it holds it's own as a thought-provoking drama. My only real criticism of the film is that it takes itself a bit too seriously. This tone is better than a jokey one; but it could have lightened up just a little. Overall, I Bury the Living is well worth seeing and comes with high recommendations from me.

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11 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
A Haunting Sigil, 27 June 2003

Author: Vornoff-3 from Portland, OR

In my opinion, good film operates on the level of dream, and is not constrained by mundane logic and consistency. By this standard, a good horror/thriller should function as a nightmare, in which each inconceivable fear finds inevitable expression, and the protagonist finds him or herself helplessly drawn to the next shock, without any hope for escape until the climax and resolution (awakening). By taking this kind of narrative technique, adding a bizarre and haunting score, repeating certain eerily iconic images and superimposing a decidedly downbeat and pragmatic dialogue, Albert Band created a uniquely dreamlike horror picture that broke through the cliched 50's take on the genre.

Working with a cast of almost unknown character-actors, and the makeup of Jack Pearce, Band's vision finds expression through action focused almost entirely in one room, a room dominated by a map of a graveyard. The map itself is defined by a kind of Magical Sigil, a map of some unexplored part of the human brain, a symbol more deeply meaningful than any modern writing, and far more inscrutable in meaning. It isn't long before Kraft, the oddly un-heroic (and unattractive) protagonist learns that this map contains the power to kill, and he is drawn back, time and again, to use its power in spite of himself. As if to emphasize the powerlessness implicit in the nightmare, it is usually at the bidding of others, not his own volition, that he uses the dread power.

Band cues us many times to the nature of the dream. Kraft complains of deja-vu, as if the dream is a repetitive nightmare. The room he works in is constantly cold at night: for some reason the heater does not function after dark. A homicide cop advocates the existence of paranormal powers that can cause death. A reporter calls Kraft from inside his own (Kraft's) home without a word of explanation. Each time Kraft suggests a thing, that thing invariably happens – just as is often the case in the best and worst of dreams.

The end of the film simply makes no sense, breaks all the rules established by the narrative, falls apart into a tangled mess. This seems acceptable, however, because our dreamer is waking up, struggling to find resolution so that he may repress the dream to go on with the business of the day. The feeling lingers, however, that as night falls and the heater once again fails, Kraft will find himself, again, in that half-remembered room with the looming image of his own mind bringing fear and powerlessness.

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
96% Good, 11 November 2001
Author: tostinati from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Spoilers present. See the film first. This film rates a Ten (Outstanding) for the eerily compelling music score; the earnest attempt to portray mental disintegration on a low budget --which perhaps because of the very limitations of resources, at times harks back to German Expressionist films of the Twenties; and Boone's usual more than competent performance. The films liabilities are Bikel (who for whatever reason was envisioned by the producers as a Scottish caretaker with a very iffy brogue when he could have played a little Polish Jewish caretaker very handily); and the denouement which sort of undercuts the terrific buildup of events toward a climax. About this last, I must say I came to this film with very little prior knowledge of what to expect. I grew increasingly perplexed as the film moved toward its finish, spellbound, anxious to see what was back of all that was happening. Maybe the film cast its spell so well over me that no ending could have lived up to my level of anxiety and wonder. If so, that speaks very highly of the film as an experience. In any event, for me the end was a let down, a bit like the end of an episode of Scooby Doo when the guy with the pencil mustache is exposed, yet again, as the hand behind the haunting of some old mansion or castle. ("And I'd have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for those darn kids!") This film demonstrates the heights to which low budget independent films of the 50s and early 60s could soar. This tops any Roger Corman production, as far as I am concerned, in the scope of its concerns, and in what it aims to do, which is subtly and convincingly show someone undergoing things that make them doubt their sanity. (This is handled better here than in most mainstream or big budget horror and suspense films of the same period, where someone is okay one minute, and gargling drano and setting the kids on fire the next.) Ten Stars See it.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Strange happenings in the graveyard, 5 June 2006

Author: Chris Gaskin from Derby, England

I Bury the Living is an enjoyable and creeper chiller from 1958. I've seen this a couple of times.

A chairman is newly appointed the head of a cemetery and there is a map with pins on it in the shed. Black pins are for empty plots and white pins for taken ones. Something strange then starts happening: when the chairman puts pins in the empty plots, the owner of that plot dies. Several deaths occur and the police come to investigate. Has the chairman got supernatural powers?

I Bury the Living is very creepy, helped by the music score. That map gives you the creeps too.

The cast is led by western actor Richard Boone and is joined by Theodre Bikel, Peggie Maurer and sci-fi/horror B-movie regular Russ Bender (It Conquered the World, War of the Colossol Beast).

I bury the Living is worth tracking down. Very good.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Pin the Tail on the Corpse, 7 August 2000
Author: BaronBl00d (baronbl00d@aol.com) from NC

What happens when Richard Boone, recently put in charge of a cemetery, mistakenly puts a black pin in the hole of a map of the grounds instead of a white pin(black meaning the customer is dead and white alive)? Why the person dies and convinces Boone that he has supernatural powers. What does Boone do then? He keeps testing his theory and people begin to die left and right. Is Boone still yet convinced? I'm really not sure. I Bury the Living is a unique film in many ways as it rests its foundation in the supernatural world. Nothing like it had been done..and little since in the same vein. Richard Boone is pretty good in his role, but none of the other actors seem to come close to over-achieving. The sets are cheap as is the film's budget. I liked the film overall, but must agree to a small degree with one other viewer(although not to the extreme he did)) that the film is overrated. Yes, the film has a good creepy atmosphere, but almost all of that is washed away by the film's ridiculous ending. And Theodore Bikel...a good character actor...is incredibly bad playing a Scotsman. I found myself groaning every time he opened his big mouth. I think for the uniqueness of the film that this will be an enjoyable film for most, however.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Black Push-Pins of Death, 24 November 2007

Author: yetanotherharris from Satan's Colon

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The ending of a movie can make all the difference in a viewer's enjoyment, and I BURY THE LIVING is one such example. Had the creators of this movie gone with a more supernatural-themed ending, it may have a higher rating here.

Done on an obviously low budget, most of the action takes place in the caretaker's house at a cemetery. Robert Kraft (Richard Boone) is hired as the new chairperson and must see to the business end of things. He is shown a large map of the cemetery grounds showing each of the plots, and each plot is given either a white push-pin or a black push-pin, depending on whether or not the plot is vacant or occupied. As his first order of business, Kraft sees to the sale of two plots to a young newlywed couple, and sticks two pins on the map--except he accidentally gives them the black pins instead of the white pins. The next day, the couple turns up dead. And so it begins: every time Bob Kraft sticks a black pin in a vacant plot, someone dies. Although he would like to stop doing it, every time someone dies, someone else demands that Kraft try it again, in hopes that eventually they'll debunk the very idea of a cursed cemetery map.

The suspense and build-up as Bob Kraft struggles with this strange ability of his is excellent, aided greatly by the use of shadows and music. Unfortunately, when Bob Kraft decides to start putting white pins in occupied plots, the supernatural element of the movie disintegrates, and horror fans are probably going to be left disappointed. In spite of the ending, though, this is a very solid psychological thriller that was able to do a lot with what little it had.

This is very much worth watching for fans of 1950's horror, and, as it is public domain, it should be easy and inexpensive to see. It is available for free online and via several multi-movie boxed sets.

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