House by the Cemetery, The (1981, Italy)

I often show this movie to my young children when they complain about monsters living in the cellar. The House by the Cemetery reminded me at times of The Shining, only in New England, and without snow, and with Zombies. This classic Lucio Fulci film is one of his best, and his last to have Zombies.

In the film, Professor Peterson and his wife had committed suicide in their New England house while researching a sinister Dr. Freudstein (Giovanni De Nava) who had conducted some horrible experiments. It seems the Doctor was able to devise a way of prolonging his life using transplants from his victims.

Norman (Paolo Malco), his wife, Lucy (Catriona MacColl), and their son, Bob (Giovanni Frezza), move into the house so Norman can follow up on some research he shared with Prof. Peterson. One thing leads to another and Norman finally realizes the truth about Dr. Freudstein. Unfortunately, it is too late as he and his wife are killed in the basement by our lovable monster in a vain effort to save their son, who by the way is saved when the ghost of Mrs. Peterson shows up to pull little Bob out of the basement. He sure does seem unaffected considering the fact that his parents were just killed in front of his eyes.

There is one thing I learned from this film. When you have a problematic tenant living in your cellar, you need to file for an eviction immediately. Self help rarely takes care of the problem in a manner satisfying to the own.

ZombieZoneNews rating: