Buried Alive (1990)

Teen slasher alert, repeat, teen slasher alert. This movie starts out innocent enough – college students are on their way to some much needed R&R and what better way than to spend it at a haunted mansion. They fit the moniker of students and teenagers found in a teen slasher – we know where this is going – a nerd has been thrown into the mix. But before the movie can even get to the gore scenes, it already has haunting visions hitting the characters. While not necessarily scary, don't let that fool you – these scenes are just a precursor of things meant to come. The guy from 'Saw' also makes an appearance as a lecherous old man that bumbles around in search of some fun. The mandatory makeout scenes is here, as is nudity, and a few scenes showing off the curves of the girls. If this is too much of a gender stereotype, a few of the guys get the girls hitting on them and otherwise fooling around. This is all just to fit the moniker though, there's an old legend that the house they are at is cursed. It's only a matter of time before the slashing begins. Be warned, there is gore and as usual, if you fall for any of these characters, most of them are going to die.Originally posted to Orion Age (http://www.orionphysics.com/?p=2475)

It beats me how anyone can rate this film very highly. It is no understatement to call it far fetched. How the guy managed in such a short space of time to construct a wooden maze of underground rooms is quite ridiculous or maybe he was the greatest carpenter since Jesus. The obese sheriff played by Hoyt Axton looked like a refugee from the Jerry Springer show and I found the blonde female lead Jennifer Jason Leigh rather plain. We have an expression here in the U.K. 'mutton done up as lamb' which suits her perfectly. It wasn't all bad however, I enjoyed it immensely when the end credits rolled and 'The End' came up was quite brilliant for this hotch potch of a T.V. movie which if it had been a cinematic release would have been put on video and in discount stores in no time at all.

This is a simply scary film, and one that I have watched for years. Tim Matheson does a great job in his role as Clint Goodman, as a man who takes revenge on his cheating wife and her lover. He reprises his role in the sequel, and he is still great in that one too (even though he dies saving Ally Sheedy's character, which I HATED!). Jennifer Jason Leigh is good enough as Joanna, but I do think they could have gotten someone better. William Atherton is famous for playing the baddie (or at the very least, an annoying person), and he is perfect in this role. It's a shame we don't see any of these guys as much anymore. There is nothing fancy about this movie, and that is why it's so good. I highly recommend this to those who love a good chill but hate slasher flicks, as it is a great story with great actors. Period.

*This contains spoilers*This is one truly great suspense movie. Basically, the story surrounds a couple, Joanna (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and Clint (Tim Matheson) who have moved to the country to start a new life away from the city. Joanna begins expecting a child and sees a doctor, Courtland, who is only interested in scamming Joanna out of the whole fortune Clint's carpentry business is worth. Joanna is not happy being with Clint in the country and wants out of her life. Courtland tells Joanna that he plans to build a clinic in Beverly Hills and says "this is a cash machine just waiting for us to plug into it". The only way to get the money was with Clint's business. Being a doctor, he devises a plan with Joanna to kill Clint by poisoning him so Joanna could sell his business and get the million and a half dollar fortune. Courtland's plan was almost fool-proof, except for one thing; Joanna's dead husband, only, he wasn't dead. Clint couldn't have thought up a better plan to take revenge out on his wife and the doctor. This movie is definitely worth seeing. The ending is unlike anything anybody could have ever expected. The plot is basic and straight forward, with a spectacular performance played by the actors, and a brilliantly written script. This movie is a good example of how greed can completely poison somebody's mind and ruin the lives of other people. Joanna and Courtland definitely deserved the torment they received by Clint's revenge for trying to kill him and ruining his life forever after. Another great movie which is similar to this is "Mortal Thoughts" (1990). Movie rating: 10 out of 10