Burial Ground
a.k.a. The Nights of Terror / Le notti del terrore
1981 · Directed by Andrea Bianchi · Italy
Burial Ground, aka Nights of Terror (1981), is an Italian zombie exploitation horror directed by Andrea Bianchi. An archeology professor discovers an ancient crypt and unleashes a horde of the undead. A group of people arrive at the professor’s home, invited to celebrate his discovery. Little do they know the professor is now one of the zombies, and they are coming for them. And come they do, from under sods of earth, from bushes and ornamental planters of all things.
The zombies are appropriately decayed, with maggot-infested faces, crusty eye sockets and buck teeth. The film was made in just four weeks and the majority of the budget went on make-up and effects. Well done to Gino De Rossi and Rosario Prestopino for the make-up and effects. The zombies may be slow, but they ooze muddy liquid when shot and their heads crumble like cookies. The gore is plentiful, and there are wheelbarrow loads of offal to go around for the hungry dead.
The cast includes Peter Bark (Pietro Barzocchini), who at 25 years old is one of the oddest choices for an adult playing a child I have watched. The scene when Michael munches down on his mother’s breast is a sight to behold. Poor Mariangela Giordano was just happy to have him close after finding him armless on the bathroom floor.
The film score begins with a be-bop jazz vibe but soon morphs into space rock sonic warbles when the zombies take hold. Criticised as sacrificing plot for creative death scenes, the zombies utilise a scythe, axes and a battering ram to get their fill. The gore does a lot of carrying, as the pacing is uneven. There is a laissez-faire attitude to one of the group meeting a grisly end, and the film concludes with the last two of the group facing a bloody end.
The film leaves us with the following quote from the “Prophecy of the Black Spider”:
The earth shall tremble…
graves shall open…
they shall come among the living
as messengers of death there shall be
the nights of terror…
You have been warned.
Director Andrea Bianchi was prolific in exploitation cinema and has Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975) among his directing credits. This can also be found on the shelves of the Psychotronic Film Library.
Gallery
Trailer
From the score
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Elsio Mancuso & Berto Pisano – Burial Ground (score)
