Don't Believe the Hype

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The joiner Clint Goodman (Tim Matheson) is a man that has built his comfortable house and his construction company in his hometown with hard work. He loves his wife Joanna (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and they have been unsuccessfully trying to have a baby. Clint's best friend is the Sheriff Sam Eberly (Hoyt Axton) and every now and then they spend the night fishing in the lake. Clint does not suspect that Joanna is having a love affair with the local doctor Cortland 'Cort' van Owen (William Atherton). The lovers plot to kill Clint and sell his company and his house, and then they would move to New York City. Cort gives a poison to Joanna and she spikes Clint's wine with the drug. Clint has the effect of a heart attack and is immediately buried without autopsy in a cheap coffin. During the night, Clint awakes buried alive, but he succeeds to escape. He goes to his house and he finds the truth about his wife and the doctor. Further, he learns that Joanna was pregnant and Dr. Cort had made an abortion of his child. Clint plots a dark revenge against Joanna and Cort. "Buried Alive" is a dark tale of betrayal and revenge for television by Frank Darabont in the beginning of his career. I saw this B-movie for the first time in the 90's on VHS and today I have just seen on DVD. The good thing is this film has not aged and is still great. Jennifer Jason Leigh is excellent as usual and Tim Matheson and William Atherton had good performances.The plot has many coincidences, but is engaging. The unforgettable conclusion in the cemetery explains the title of this film. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Sepultado Vivo" ("Buried Alive")

I recently bought BURIED ALIVE recently at a two dollar shop as I was attracted by it's title.Often these movies can be complete duds or quite good.BURIED ALIVE is one of the better ones.The plot is good,it's well directed and the actors are very well cast including the dog. There is plenty of suspense and creepiness along the way with some humorous situations as well.Bsically BURIED ALIVE is all about deceit,money,and revenge.Tim Matherson plays Clint and is the nicest bloke one would wish to meet and he absolutely adores his wife Joanna played by Jennifer Jason Leigh.Joanna is one real horrible number and is having an affair with the doubly horrible doctor and encourages her to kill Clint with one very bazaar toxin.The movie rolls on and locks the viewer right in.The shallow grave scene had me worried although if it was any deeper the movie would have ended real early as it would have lessoned Clints chance of digging himself free.The ending had me a little frustrated as I feel Clints decision not to go straight to his sheriff mate cost him dearly.Good movie 7 out of 10.ENJOY!

**SPOILERS** Breaking his back by working long and hard hours at the construction site to make things fine and wonderful for his ungrateful wife Joanna, Jennifer Jason Leigh, the good natured hard working but somewhat naive, in what Joanna is planning for him, Clint Goodman (Tim Matheson) is unaware that his wife has been cheating on him. Joanna's having an affair with the family doctor Courtland "Court" Van Owen, William Atherton.Wanting to have a child to add to his family Clint has been very disappointed in not having Joanna conceive feeling that maybe it was his not her fault, thats about he only bad thing that has happened to him since he married her. What Clint doesn't know is that in fact he did get Joanna pregnant but she had the fetus aborted by, you guessed It, her secret lover Dr."Court". Dr. Court, a Japanese fish and food gourmet, gives Joanna a vile of this poison from a tropical fish that he had, together with her, for dinner. Telling Joanna that it, by putting poison in his wine, will not only kill Clint but make it look like he had a sudden and fatal heart-attack. The next day Joanna, after having second thoughts about doing it, slips the poison into Clint's wine as the two have a toast to their great and happy marriage. Within seconds Clint suddenly goes into excruciating convulsions and falls to the floor as dead as the tropical fish that Joanna, and Court, ate the previous evening. Joanna is to inherit almost two million dollars from her late husbands estate but is so cheap that she doesn't even want him to be embalmed and buys the cheapest and flimsiest coffin, that you can easily put your fist through, that she could find at the funeral home which in the end will do her not Clint, who it later turns out is not really dead,in.The story reminds me of something that I read in an old "Tales from the Crypt" comic book where Clint raise from the dead, and his grave, and comes back home for a surprise visit to both haunt and finish off his two "killers" Joanna & Court. With the help of the family dog Duke Clint has the two, after he put them both to sleep, locked in the house with Duke keeping them at bay as he sealed all the doors and windows to make sure that they don't escape. The ending is just too much even for a couple of swines like Joanna and Court when Joanna finds out that her "Lover" Court is really trying to do her in, and take off with all the money. The claustrophobia of Court & Joanna being locked in the house, like rats in a maze, had the two play right in to Clint's, wearing a black visor covering his face, hands.Gut wrenching and horrifying ending that even made you feel sorry for the two slime-balls, Joanna & Court, who ended up where they wanted to put their intended victim Clint Goodman together with the money that was the motivating factor for them wanting to murder him.

I liked the premise. This flick is more a thriller than a horror (in fact, it's _just_ a thriller) like many may think.Tim Matherson -- I hated him at the beginning (he sounded as John Ritter in "Child's Play") Leigh -- perfect as the witch (although sometimes her good side drops) and she's hot like Hell! Atherton -- stereotyped bad guy, who loves animals (fishes!) he didn't convince very much Axton (sheriff Sam) -- the worst person in the whole movie! I mean, what the Hell was him? He isn't tough for a sheriff, he isn't funny (is that supposed to put fun at all movies' fat cops?? well it didn't work!)...I'd put more here, but it could be spoilers. All the others characters are unnecessary.