Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror

Watch Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror

"When the moon turns red, the dead shall rise!"
  • NR
  • 1981
  • 1 hr 25 min
  • 5.6  (6,153)

Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror is a 1981 Italian horror movie that makes horror lovers choke in awe of its dark, gore, and violence. The movie starts with a close-up shot of a zombie's face as it begins to open its eyes. The movie's characters are vacationers in a villa where a curse has reanimated a graveyard of zombies. Notably, the zombies are not slow-moving corpses with lifeless eyes but are vicious, bloody, and hungry.

The movie opens with a ludicrous concept where a young boy snuggles up with his mother and suckles her breast before a camera zooms out to reveal an ancient tomb. Along with the boy and his mother is a team of archaeologists who accidentally awaken the dead when they get too close to the grave. As if that wasn't enough, the zombies don't want to feed on brains or flesh, but they have a pretty simple desire instead: They want to eat the living.

The film's central character, Peter Bark, plays a thirty-year-old man-boy who looks like a twelve-year-old with a bowl cut haircut. His mother (Mariangela Giordano) is a sex-starved and lustful woman who wants to bone her son. Their strained relationship adds to the horror, and their subplot adds more complexities to the movie.

The cast's meager acting abilities make for some of the most unintentionally hilarious moments found in a horror movie. Even though the independent film's budget was low, the movie offers top-notch makeup effects. The zombies look impressively creepy and realistic in their gory, rotting makeup with exposed brains and wound over their bodies.

Additionally, the film offers creative kills that seek to impress horror enthusiasts. One infamous kill involves a young woman who gets attacked when she is on the toilet. The zombie rips the flesh off her face without mercy. Another scene entails a decapitation scene that will surely shock viewers. The zombie gruesomely bites off a man's head, pulling him apart, and eating until it looks like spaghetti and bologna sauce.

The movie takes place over two nights, and the survivors struggle to stay alive while battling the overwhelming amount of flesh-eating zombies. The night scenes are filmed in an eerie forest, which adds to the darkness and suspenseful tone of the movie. The film also avoids spending too much time in a single location to keep the tension and the zombies on the move.

While the dialogue falls flat, the movie's soundtrack is notable thanks to Marcello Giombini's chilling score that adds an atmospheric touch to the horror flick. The score alone can turn a nightmare sequence into a chill-inducing and suspenseful scene.

One of the film's significant strengths is its cinematography by Franco Delli Colli, setting the tone for the zombie flick. The camera moves impressively through the night's darkness, capturing the emotions, horror, gore, and suspense of the graveyard.

In general, Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror is a movie not for the faint-hearted or easily spooked. It's a brutality-filled and violent horror flick that may be more than most can stomach. However, horror enthusiasts will enjoy every moment with its campiness, creative kills, and over-the-top zombies. It is said to be one of the best horror movies of the 80s, a cult classic that deserves to be watched and rewatched for its 80s splendor. While the acting and plot may leave a lot to be desired, the film's gore and camp value will impress viewers.

Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror is a 1981 horror movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 25 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.6.

Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror
Description
Where to Watch Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror
Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror is available to watch free on Plex and Tubi TV. It's also available to stream, download and buy on demand at Vudu. Some platforms allow you to rent Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror for a limited time or purchase the movie and download it to your device.
  • Release Date
    1981
  • MPAA Rating
    NR
  • Runtime
    1 hr 25 min
  • Language
    English
  • IMDB Rating
    5.6  (6,153)