Grade: B+
Synopsis: A cemetery caretaker (Rupert Everett) pursues a mysterious woman while doing his best to contain an ever-growing epidemic of zombies.
Cemetery Man (Dellamorte Dellamore) is David Lynch meets Dario Argento, combining Lynch’s abstract, Möbius strip plots, with Argento’s lush art direction, clever shot selection, and creative violence. While the result may not be for everyone, fans of either filmmaker will likely find some enjoyment in director Michele Soavi’s film.
The story, adapted from a comic book, centers on Francesco Dellamorte, played by Rupert Everett. The opening sequence sets the tone for the film as Dellamorte disposes of a freshly unearthed zombie before telling us in a nonchalant voiceover that this seems to be happening more and more. As the story unfolds, Dellamorte meets and loses the love of his life, played by Anna Falchi, several times over, during which time the film itself becomes more and more over-the-top as Dellamorte’s world becomes more and more like a living nightmare.
The actual meaning of the story, like most of Lynch’s films, is left to audience’s interpretation. You can read as much, or as little, into the story as you want. It works as a black comedy exploring the futility of love, as a Grand Guignol drama, or even a straight zombie horror. By not forcing any one meaning, Soavi and screenwriter Gianni Romoli have created a film that can be enjoyed by a wider audience, although some will no doubt be put off by its ambiguity.
That said, fans of Italian horror would do well to check this out, as would fans David Lynch’s Lost Highway (1997) or even, perhaps, the recent Shaun of the Dead (2004).
