The Dead Are Alive
The Dead Are Alive
R | 22 June 1972 (USA)
The Dead Are Alive Trailers

A photographer on an archaeological expedition digging up Etruscan ruins in Italy begins to suspect that not all the Etruscans buried there are actually dead.

Reviews
BA_Harrison

Archaeologist Jason Porter (Alex Cord) becomes the prime suspect after a series of brutal murders at the site of an ancient Etruscan tomb.The first double murder in director Armando Crispino's giallo The Etruscan Kills Again is sufficiently bloody, a couple beaten to death with a big metal probe (a piece of Porter's archaeological equipment); however, the scene is shot with little of the pizazz one expects from the genre.Subsequent deaths only disappoint further, the actual acts mostly occurring off-screen, the victims' bodies discovered once the killer has left the scene. The Etruscan Kills Again also suffers from an overly complex and dialogue heavy script that is difficult to unravel and features a rather unlikeable protagonist (a sexually aggressive alcoholic).A well executed car chase adds a much needed jolt of life to proceedings, the lovely Christina von Blanc delivers the requisite gratuitous nudity, and the final fight scene between hero and killer is well handled, but there's way too much drudgery involved to qualify this as an essential giallo.

... View More
tigerw-860-395483

let's start to say that this movie is not available in Italy (neither DVD or even VHS). It's incredible if you think that this is an Italian movie and in Italy you can find all the sort of American z movies! (even the Americans realize z movies).By the way this is a nice giallo, well directed and well acted, I like very much Alex Cord (he looks like the young Chuck Norris, but Cord seems much more athletic and stunning then Chuck). I think this one has a lot in common with Friday the 13th (the plot, some murders, motivation of the killer...) but it came out almost 10 years before Jason.If you like slashers and gialli , you will like this one

... View More
Coventry

"The Etruscan Kills Again" is a truly odd and extremely rare Italian horror film and, when you do eventually obtain that long-awaited copy, the sound & picture quality are terribly poor and the editing looks unfinished. Nonetheless, I'd still encourage all avid cult-collector and fans of Italian horror to purchase this baby, as the story is really unique and the atmosphere is very compelling. My expectations were already quite high, since the man in the director's chair – Armando Crispino – is the same talented filmmaker who did the 1975 semi-classic "Autopsy", and that is one of the most ambitious and convoluted Italian gialli ever made. "The Etruscan Kills Again" is a giallo as well, but it takes quite some time before you figure that out, as the story presents itself as a murder mystery with historical culprits (the Etruscans) and one of the alternate titles ("The Dead Are Alive") even suggests that there are zombies involved! Right from the start, however, Crispino puts a lot of time & effort into the drawing of the characters and their mutual relationships, so any viewer with a bit of giallo-experience knows to start looking for a killer of flesh and blood. The plot revolves on archaeologist Jason Porter and his crew, who just discovered an ancient Etruscan tomb complete with authentic wall paintings and relics. Immediately after his valuable discovery, the heavily mutilated corpses of a young couple are found inside the tomb, indicating the resurrection of a vengeful Etruscan God. In the meantime, Jason struggles with personal problems (alcoholism, a history of violence…) and becomes the police's prime suspect for the increasing amount of bloody murders. There are a lot of complex characters in this film and the red herrings are numerous, so the story demands your full attention and even then it'll sometimes feel confusing. The background story about Etruscan Gods and buried cemeteries is truly fascinating, as it provides the film with a unique sub theme. The body count is reasonably low but the make-up effects are gruesome and rather convincing, as the killer's victims are sadistically clubbed to death. The music, by no less than Mr. Riz Ortolani ("Cannibal Holocaust"), is astonishing and effectively increases the creepiness of the film. And, for the true fans of Italian cinema, there also is the obligatory car chase (sublimely choreographed, I may add) and a fair portion of sleaze. Warmly recommended, if you can find it.

... View More
dbborroughs

This is a good but poorly paced Italian thriller from the 1970's. The plot concerns a series or murders occurring to people connected to a recently discovered Etruscan burial sight. One of the repeated shots is the face of the Etruscan demon god that was found on the wall of the tomb. As the police investigate the lives of everyone involved are revealed and wee see that not everyone is as innocent they would like us to believe.A good, but not great mystery with supernatural overtones this movie is graced with good performances across the board. Better is the fact that the characters are very complex with no real clichés in the bunch. The film also keeps you off balance with some interesting camera work and music. The only thing that I'm not a fan of is the fact that the pacing is a bit to slack. There are several times when I would have liked them to move things on and not take a quiet contemplative moment. I'm probably over reacting but the desire to speed things up knocked down the rating a couple of points on this good thriller.

... View More