Written by: Michael Den Boer on October 27th, 2009
Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1987
Director: Lamberto Bava
Writers: Lamberto Bava, Dardano Sacchetti
Cast: Gregory Lech Thaddeus, Lea Martino, Beatrice Ring, Gianmarco Tognazzi, Karl Zinny, Lino Salemme, Gianpaolo Saccarola
DVD released: November 10th, 2009
Approximate running time: 96 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Letterboxed Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English, Dolby Digital Mono Italian
Subtitles: N/A
DVD Release: Mya Communication
Region Coding: Region 0 NTSC
Retail Price: $24.95
Synopsis: After robbing a convenient store, a group of friends take a wrong turn when they cross paths with the police who have set up a road block. They get lost after taking a detour and when their car breaks down the look for a place to spend the night. During the night while sleeping in an abandoned crypt they are awoken and discover a tavern located near the crypt. Once inside the tavern the inn keeper tells them about a treasure that can be theirs if they are brave enough to spend the night in the catacombs below the tavern. Oblivious of the potential danger awaiting them, the group of friends, accept the inn keepers challenge.
Graveyard Disturbance is one of four TV movies that Lamberto Bava directed for a Brivido giallo an Italian TV series. The only three films are Until Death, The Ogre: Demons 3 and Dinner with a Vampire. The screenplay for Graveyard Disturbance was co-written by prolific screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti whose diverse filmography includes films like The Psychic, Zombie, Cannibal Apocalypse, The Beyond, The New York Ripper, 1990: Bronx Warriors, A Blade in the Dark, Devil Fish, Demons and Ratman. The cinematographer on Graveyard Disturbance was Gianlorenzo Battaglia, a frequently collaborator of Lamberto Bava’s. Other films they collaborated on include A Blade in the Dark, Blastfighter, Demons, You’ll Die at Midnight, Demons 2, Until Death and Delirium: Photo of Gioia. Some other films her also worked as a cinematographer on include Dario Argento’s World of Horror, Warrior Queen, The Barbarian Brothers and Witchery. The score for Graveyard Disturbance was composed by Simon Boswell (Hardware, Dust Devil). This is not one of his better scores and in many ways it is his most forgettable score that I have heard to date.
Graveyard Disturbance is the type of film that is in trouble from the get go. The film sets itself up to be a horror film and while the elements are certainly put in place. The end result is something that is far from frightening (at least in a horrific way). The plot on the other hand is disturbingly bad as every time there is chance to build on something things quickly fall apart. Without giving the film’s main twist away, at least this film accomplishes something that very few horror films have ever dared to do. Those who are brave enough to endure this film until to the very end will know with crystal clarity what I am referring to when the moment arrives. The English dub for this film does offer up some unintentionally funny moments via one liner’s that reference things that were popular in 1980’s American pop culture. With everything else that went wrong with this film, it is not surprising that the films is populated with stereotypical one dimensional characters who are almost as absurd as the events which unfold. Throughout his career Lamberto Bava has directed more than his fare share of bad films. So just how bad is Graveyard Disturbance? It makes a film like Demons 2 which has its own detractors, look like an underrated masterpiece when compared to the abysmal experience that is Graveyard Disturbance.
The DVD:
Graveyard Disturbance is presented in a letterboxed widescreen that retains the film’s original aspect ratio. This transfer has been flagged for progressive playback. For a non anamorphic DVD this transfer looks clean, colors look nicely saturated, flesh tones look accurate and details look crisp throughout.
This release comes with two audio options Dolby Digital Mono English and Dolby Digital Mono Italian. Both audio mixes are in very good shape as they sound clean, clear and balanced throughout. No English subtitles have been provided with the Italian audio mix.
This DVD release comes with no extra content. Overall Graveyard Disturbance gets a well rounded audio / video presentation.