An interesting item from director Dario Argento disciple Michele Soavi, who seems to have at last come into his own. The story concerns a cemetery caretaker, Francesco Dellamorte, and his troubles both comic and nightmarish keeping the dead in their graves. Soavi’s direction succeeds in style without self-indulgence, lending an appropriately surreal edge to the oft-bizarre proceedings. He’s helped immeasurably by the performances, most notably that of Rupert Everett in the title role.
The Package
CEMETERY MAN (1994; originally titled DELLAMORTE
DELLAMORE) is based on the popular Italian horror comic strip
DYLAN DOG. The character of Francesco Dellamorte was
originally conceived with English actor Rupert Everett in mind,
leaving the filmmakers in something of a fix in terms of
casting. Thankfully their concerns were unfounded, as
Everett turns in his first (and so far only) truly
memorable performance. You won’t soon forget his
shuffling, impotent Dellamorte; his inevitable descent into
madness is both convincing and disturbing. Equally fine is
French singer Francois Hadji Lazaro’s work as Gnagi,
Dellamorte’s half-witted assistant. His short and stocky
appearance makes a fine contrast to Everett’s tall and thin
gravedigger.
The Story
Here is where this otherwise top-notch production’s
crucial flaws appear. Much like Argento, screenwriter
Gianni Romoli insists on throwing everything and the kitchen
sink into the mix: romance, horror, gore, surrealism, black
humor and even some heavy philosophizing about (what else?)
death. The script doesn’t present a storyline as much as a
series of often disconnected episodes. The whole thing
calls to mind the structureless, sloppy plotting of Argento's
recent films, most notably his segment of
TWO EVIL EYES (which
also features a misanthropic character losing his mind).
Needless to say, the results are wildly
uneven--sometimes funny as in the events leading up to
Dellamorte’s attempt to castrate himself, but sometimes merely
silly, as when a severed head chases after Gnagi. And what
of the unfathomable ending? I won’t ruin the surprise, but
concerning the events of the last five minutes of the movie,
your guess is as good as mine (They had to put an end to it all
somehow, I guess).
The Direction
Director Michele Soavi certainly has an impressive
history within the Italian horror film industry. His
first film, STAGE FRIGHT (1986), was produced by Joe D’Amato.
Earlier, he acted in Lucio Fulci’s legendary zombiefest
CITY OF
THE LIVING DEAD (1980). In 1985 Soavi directed a
documentary on the films of his mentor, DARIO ARGENTO'S WORLD OF
HORROR). Argento would go on to produce and
co-author Soavi’s next two films, THE CHURCH (1988), and
THE
SECT (a.k.a. THE DEVIL’S DAUGHTER, 1991), films which reflect
the maestro’s influence perhaps a bit too clearly.
With CEMETERY MAN Soavi seems to have developed a style
of his own, one that may become every bit as distinctive as
Argento’s. Even though the Italian film industry has
produced enough George Romero-inspired Zombiefests to fill a
graveyard, Soavi here manages to keep the walking-dead antics
fresh. He wisely avoids Argento’s swirling camera
movements, as well as Fulci’s extreme gore (though rest assured
there is plenty of the red stuff on display here). Instead
Soavi opts for a subtle, toned-down approach that gives the
horrors a surreal and even darkly romantic edge lacking in his
mentors’ work.
Vital Statistics
CEMETERY MAN (a.k.a. DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE)
October Films/Anchor Bay Entertainment
Director: Michele Soavi
Producer: Tilde Corsi, Gianni Romoli, Michele Soavi
Screenplay: Gianni Romoli
Cinematographer: Mauro Marchetti
Editor: Franco Fraticelli
Cast: Rupert Everett, Francois Hadji Lazaro, Anna Falchi,
Stefano Masciarelli, Mickey Knox