Robert Chipman
Welcome to my column dedicated to the appreciation of physical media supplements called: Feature Presentations. The goal of this column is not to say whether a film is good or bad and worth picking up or not—I would like to highlight the discs that go the extra mile and provide film fans with enough tasty tidbits to satisfy even the hungriest of cinephiles. With all that out of the way, today’s article will focus on Vinegar Syndrome‘s release of Edgar Allan Poe’s Buried Alive.
I’ve never been one for adaptations of the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Most film and television adaptations are loose works, at best. For the majority, they are cash grabs and use Edgar Allan Poe’s name as a selling point because the finished product will not compare. So, with that, let’s dive into the recent Blu-ray release of the 1990 film.
I recall seeing this movie at my local video store back in the day—but hadn’t experienced it until Vinegar Syndrome shipped it my way, courtesy of my yearly subscription, and I decided I’d review the disc. Knowing my prior experience with other so-called “Poe adaptations,” I went into Edgar Allan Poe’s Buried Alive with low expectations.
And 90-some odd minutes later, what I felt about past Edgar Allan Poe adaptations continued.
Not to say the entirety of Edgar Allan Poe’s Buried Alive is awful, most isn’t. Instead, we get a better-than-deserving cast running around a spooky mansion in mediocrity. Robert Vaughn, Donald Pleasence, John Carradine, Nia Long, and others can’t elevate the rote material. The film starts well enough, mixing a gothic atmosphere with a woman-in-prison movie, but devolves into a non-mystery where the villain chases the heroine around and spouting nonsense. There’s madness and black cats, but any intrigue the film builds towards disappears after the first act, and the film devolves further from there.
On the physical media side, the disc comes with a specially-designed slipcover featuring new artwork. The case comes with a reversible art wrap with the commissioned artwork on one side and the original marketing poster on the reverse. Be warned, the theatrical art gives away the killer’s identity, though if you’ve seen any movie in your life, you’ll spot them easily.
The disc features two separate interviews. The first one, “Ginger’s Antics,” is a 13-minute chat with actress Ginger Lynn Allen. Allen is bubbly and honest as she recalls her time filming Edgar Allan Poe’s Buried Alive and her time in the film’s location, South Africa. “Ginger’s Antics” is an entertaining and honest sit-down as Allen talks about how she got into smoking, the talent of Donald Pleasence upstaging Robert Vaughn, and why she and Nia Long did not mesh. Equal parts open and warm, “Ginger’s Antics” is a balanced interview that fans of the film or the actress will enjoy.
“Well, I Wanna Be An Actor,” with William Butler, is the last interview on the disc. Butler traces his career from working as a janitor in John Carl Buechler‘s shop to his hiring in Edgar Allan Poe’s Buried Alive throughout this 19-minute dialogue. There’s plenty of positivity that Butler throws around. Notable comments include fun times with the actors and director, his love of painting, and his thoughts on the film’s location. What I found fascinating come from the shared and differing comments from Butler and Ginger Lynn.
Between both interviews, Butler and Lynn find Robert Vaughn an unlikeable presence while sharing the sentiment of Pleasence’s pleasantness. Lynn and Butler diverge opinions on actress Nia Long while both agree that John Carradine was in no condition to be on the Edgar Allan Poe’s Buried Alive film set. I will say: Butler’s tales of meeting Carradine during production and his canceled dinner date with Donald Pleasence both made me laugh out loud.
And there you have it! Unfortunately, Edgar Allan Poe’s Buried Alive didn’t shake away the stink I am familiar with from other Poe adaptations. The movie isn’t awful, it’s got a heck of a cast, and some of the locations are spooky, but that’s about all it has going for it. Thankfully or not, Vinegar Syndrome has resurrected this long-forgotten horror film and given it a second life. The disc packs a one-two punch with engaging and entertaining interviews that made this reviewer not hate this reviewing experience. Others may find more enjoyment in this release, but it’s not for me, despite the entertaining words from Ginger Lynn and William Butler.
