In 1986, Tiziano Sclavi’s horror comic series Dylan Dog was published by Sergio Bonelli Editore and became a huge success. The comics caught the attention of filmmaker Michele Soavi, and he expressed interest in making a film adaptation. While Sclavi had already sold the movie rights, he gave Soavi a manuscript for a novel to consider adapting. Soavi wasn’t entirely sold, but after producer Tilde Corsi and co-producer/writer Gianni Romoli revamped the script, Soavi signed on. For the lead role, they hired up-and-coming English actor Rupert Everett, who Sclavi based the look of Dylan Dog on. With a roughly $4 million budget, filming occurred in two Italian cemeteries in Carsoli and Guardea. Shooting lasted eleven weeks, and the production had many issues, but they persevered and finished the movie. Originally released in Italy as Dellamorte Dellamore in 1994, the film hit stateside in 1996 as Cemetery Man.
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Synopsis
Francesco Dellamorte (Rupert Everett) is the caretaker of a cemetery where the dead rise seven days after their burial. With his mute assistant Gnaghi (François Hadji-Lazaro), he has to put these “returners” back in their graves. One day, Francesco meets a young widow (Anna Falchi) whose older husband recently passed and falls in love with her. They make love on top of her late husband’s grave, but he rises and bites her, presumably killing her. Francesco shoots her in the head when she gets up, but she comes back later as a returner. After killing her for good, Francesco slips into a fit of depression, culminating in a mass shooting spree. At the same time, Gnaghi falls for the mayor’s underage daughter, Valentina (Fabiana Formica), even after she’s a severed head. It’s a twisted tale of love and death, loss and life, friendship and existentialism.
Review
Unfortunately, there’s more to the plot that I can’t cover because to describe everything that happens would make this longer. So much wild stuff happens in Cemetery Man that spoiling any of it would be a disservice. Whether you love it or hate it, Michele Soavi’s twisted tale of love and death must be seen to be believed. Like many Italian horror films, this one is more concerned about style than making any logical sense. Speaking of, the film has a dark, gothic look that permeates throughout, with tons of fog and moody lighting. Even the daytime scenes in the cemetery have a strange presence, which offsets the intentionally dull city-bound scenes. While the film isn’t as gory as the works of Fulci and Argento, there are some pretty bloody effects. Italian effects legend Sergio Stivaletti did some of his best work here, especially the zombie designs.
As the groundskeeper, Francesco Dellamore, Rupert Everett gives an appropriately dry and sardonic performance as a man bored of life. You get the sense that being surrounded by the dead for so long has taken its toll on him. It doesn’t help that his only friends are the primarily mute Gnaghi and a state worker who believes him. While her character isn’t given a name, the undeniably gorgeous Anna Falchi stands out as the young widow. When she returns as a returner, she somehow remains beautiful despite being covered in roots and leaves. She shows up later as two miscellaneous characters, which leads to theories that Francesco might be getting punished. Another standout is the late Mickey Knox as Marshall Straniero, who has some great back-and-forths with Everett. There are so many wild characters that add to the overall absurdity of the film.
Like many of the best horror comedies, this one achieves that perfect balance of laughs and scares. For all the scenes of zombies rising to attack people, there are just as many darkly comedic moments. For example, when the mayor finds his daughter’s reanimated head, he’s more concerned about her wanting to marry Gnaghi. This sort of movie would fit right at home in either an arthouse or a grindhouse theater. There are plenty of moody, artistic touches for the more artsy crowd, with some sleaze added for exploitation fans. That said, your enjoyment of this movie largely depends on how much you’re willing to suspend your disbelief. So much is left unexplained, and not much makes sense, but you’ll enjoy the ride if you go with it. Overall, Cemetery Man is one of the most uniquely bizarre horror comedies ever and is a must-watch for genre fans.
Buy Cemetery Man from Severin Films: https://bit.ly/4bFLZAt.
