''Buried Alive'' (also known as. ''Edgar Allan Poe's Buried Alive'') is a 1990 horror film, directed by Gérard Kikoïne and based on the work of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

. It stars

Robert Vaughn Robert Francis Vaughn (November 22, 1932 – November 11, 2016) was an American actor noted for his stage, film and television work. His television roles include the spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s series '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.''; th ...

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...

and

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later ...

. This film is considered to be

Nia Long Nia Talita Long (born October 30, 1970) is an American actress. Best known for her work in Black cinema, Long rose to prominence after starring in the film ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), and for her portrayal of Beullah "Lisa" Wilkes on the NBC sit ...

’s acting debut. The script was based on the works of

. The film marks Carradine's final performance is dedicated to his memory.

Plot

At the Ravenscroft Institute, an all-girl school for

juvenile delinquents Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior as a minor or individual younger than the statutory age of majority. In the United States of America, a juvenile delinquent is a person ...

, several girls go missing as they are assaulted by a man in a Ronald Reagan mask, who drags them to the basement of the school and immures them into darkened chambers to die a slow and agonizing death by way of entombment. Janet, a new teacher, arrives at the school and becomes a target of the killer.

Cast

as Gary Julian *

as Dr. Schaeffer * Karen Witter as Janet *

as Jacob *

Ginger Lynn Allen Ginger Lynn Allen (born December 14, 1962), known professionally as Ginger Lynn, is an American pornographic actress and model who was a premier adult-entertainment star of the 1980s. She also had minor roles in various B movies. ''Adult Vid ...

as Debbie (as Ginger Allen) *

as "Fingers" *

Arnold Vosloo Arnold Vosloo (born 16 June 1962) is a South African-American actor. He is famous for roles such as Imhotep in '' The Mummy'' and ''The Mummy Returns'', Colonel Coetzee in ''Blood Diamond'', Pik van Cleef in ''Hard Target'', Dr. Peyton Westlak ...

as Ken Wade

Production

''Buried Alive'' was

's final film, who died in 1988. Filming took place in the country of

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

Release

As with the other three

Harry Alan Towers Harry Alan Towers (19 October 1920 – 31 July 2009) was a British radio and independent film producer and screenwriter. He wrote numerous screenplays for the films he produced, often under the pseudonym Peter Welbeck. He produced over 80 f ...

productions inspired by Poe, ''Buried Alive'' was released direct-to-video in the United States. On March 15, 2011, MGM released the film on DVD-R format through its MGM Limited Edition program.

Reception

In a contemporary review, ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' described the film as browsing through several themes of Edgar Allan Poe with "dull results". The review noted the historical footnote of the film being the final film featuring Carradine, but noted that it disappoints as "there's only a few seconds of blurry Carradine footage." The review noted that audiences may be disappointed that Karen Witter remains clothed throughout the film, while noting that former porn actress

Ginger Lynn Ginger Lynn Allen (born December 14, 1962), known professionally as Ginger Lynn, is an American pornographic actress and model who was a premier adult-entertainment star of the 1980s. She also had minor roles in various B movies. '' Adult Vi ...

"has one of her best mainstream jobs as a tough-talking inmate who proves to be an excellent screamer."

References

Footnotes

Sources

External links

* * * 1990 films 1990 horror films American independent films 1990s English-language films English-language South African films South African independent films Films based on short fiction Films based on works by Edgar Allan Poe 1990 independent films South African horror films 1990s American films {{1990s-horror-film-stub