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I Bury The Living (1958)
Directed by Albert Band
I Bury The Living is a 1958 horror
film starring Richard Boone. Boone plays Robert Kraft, who has just been
appointed chairman of the Immortal Hills Cemetery Management Committee.
Kraft is the president of Kraft Department Store and is less than keen on
taking on the extra – unpaid – responsibilities, but his uncle George
pressures him into it, telling him that it is his turn and reminding him
that it is only for a year anyway. Apparently the Krafts have a tradition
of serving on comities and serving for free and that is why they have,
through the generations, become such a respected family.
Despite his misgivings Robert accepts the position, but soon
realizes that there is something strange going on. There is a large map
hung on the wall of the cemetery office and it is vital part of the job.
All of the cemetery plots, full and empty, are marked on the map. If
someone reserves a plot there name is placed in the relevant section of
the map, along with a white headed pin. A black pin indicates that the
plot has been filled and this is how the problems start. When a
couple of newly-weds reserve a plot Kraft uses black pins by mistake. He
doesn't even realize his mistake until he finds out that the couple has
been killed shortly afterwards. When he goes to the map to swap the pins
he sees that he does not need to and gets an odd feeling about it.
Unfortunately for all concerned, Kraft just can't seem to get the hang of
sticking the right colours in the map and every time he sticks a black pin
in by mistake someone dies.
Kraft quickly realizes what is happening but is at a loss to
explain why it is happening and nobody else seems to believe his theory
about the map. In fact the rest of the committee are so convinced that he
is wrong that they insist that he stick black pins into their plots. It is
the best way that they can think of to prove to him that there is nothing
strange going on. Kraft gets his pins out and goes to work and shortly
after that the gravedigger is getting out his shovel and going to work and
Kraft is heading a committee of one. Then he has a brainwave and starts
swapping black pins for white.
I Bury the Living is a strange film that is in a
similar vein to The Twilight Zone series or the movie Carnival of Souls. It is one of the better B
movies of its time and really is very good. Special effects are
limited, the story itself is the driving force and the cast is strong
enough to make it seem believable.
CAST
Richard Boone ...
Robert Kraft
Theodore Bikel
... Andy McKee
Peggy
Maurer ... Ann Craig
Howard Smith
... George Kraft
Herbert Anderson ... Jess
Jessup
Robert Osterloh ... Lt.
Clayborne
Russ Bender
... Henry Trowbridge (uncredited)
Lynette
Bernay ... Elizabeth
Drexel (uncredited)
Cyril
Delevanti ... William
Isham (uncredited)
Ken
Drake
... Bill Honegger
(uncredited)
Matt
Moore ...
Charlie Bates
(uncredited)
Glen
Vernon ...
Stuart Drexel
(uncredited)
WATCH IT FOR
FREE!
Also available
to buy from Amazon
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