In the late 1980s, Lamberto Bava had a short-run series of made-for-TV movies called Brivido Giallo. Only 4 episodes were made: Graveyard Disturbance, Until Death, Dinner with a Vampire, and The Ogre. The Ogre may be the most notable due to its connection to the Demons series(The Ogre saw a release as Demons III in some regions) and because it was the first to be released in the US, in 2003. The rest of the series would take until 2009, though by now all four have arrived.
But this isn’t about The Ogre, it’s about Graveyard Disturbance, a tongue-in-cheek zombie movie about kids who rob a store and then get trapped out in the middle of nowhere when their totally rad airbrushed van gets stuck in a stream. They find a nearby tavern built into the side of a cemetery, where they are told a story that they can have a pile of jewelry and money if they are willing to spend the night in the crypts which may lead down into Hell. The kids, being morons, agree. How can I tell they are morons? Well, anyone who uses a massive van with the Heavy Metal movie poster airbrushed on the side as a getaway vehicle is probably not the brightest bulb in the box.
Anyway, they go into the crypt, and there they try to evade and avoid the variety of zombies, monsters, skeletons, and whatever else roams around. No, nobody dies. No, there is no sex, no nudity, no gore, nor really much of anything else. So what is there? Monster designs! That’s really the only reason to watch, if you want to see Lucio Fulci-style critters in a PG setting. The most impressive of these in my opinion is revealed to be the Grim Reaper after he tears his face off to showcase a green skull for a face. In fact it was an image of Death’s face that piqued my interest in the movie in the first place.
Graveyard Disturbance is pretty forgettable, but it served its purpose as a fun little taste of Italian horror cinema from its era. Check it out if you’re a Lamberto Bava fan.
Movie Reviews by a Mook 