For the 33 Chilean miners who had been trapped beneath 700m of earth since the 8th of August the drama of their ordeal could not have been more terrifying, however with their rescue reaching its conclusion last week, the story of “Los 33” is one of true survival and bravery rather than one of tragedy, and a film adaptation is already rumoured. Yet how can one actually imagine their nightmare? Stuck deep underground with over 2000 feet of rock and soil closing in above you, the feeling of claustrophobia must have been unbearable. This is a feeling some of cinema’s best and worst exponents have attempted to explore down the years, and with the release of Rodrigo Cortés’ Buried at the end of last month, audiences are again to be confronted with the unassailable fear of being buried alive. So to prepare you for such a horror here are five handpicked classics sure to have you clamouring for fresh air and pleading for daylight.
To experience the true buried alive “sensation” make sure you watch this 1988 original before trying the far inferior remake featuring Kiefer Sutherland. The French/Dutch film adaptation of Tim Krabbe’s novella The Golden Egg is classic kidnap story and arguably the ultimate buried alive movie. 3 years after the disappearance of his girlfriend (Saskia), still consumed by the desire to discover her fate, Rex is finally confronted by her abductor. Only his fanatical obsession to find out exactly what happened to Saskia keeps Rex from killing the abductor who convinces him that he too can experience what she felt. After drinking from a spiked coffee given to him by the abductor, Rex awakens to learn that, just like Saskia, he too has been buried alive.
The second instalment in the story of a murderous bride’s (Uma Thurman) quest to enact revenge on her betrayers, though not usually thought of as one of Tarantino’s greats, nonetheless contains a beautifully mastered scene of premature burial. Again the victim awakens to find their fate, however this time, to the eerie sound of Ennio Morricone’ L’Arena, the bride is able to methodically work her way out of the coffin. Though perhaps not as powerful as The Vanishing, Tarantino’s eccentric take on film offers a very different outcome to the conventional buried alive scene. Perhaps Rex should have brushed up on his martial arts.
“So they made an example of him and his brother, they buried them while they were still breathing…” Scorsese’s second extremely violent yet extremely brilliant gangster film of the 1990’s, also contains a horrific scene of premature burial, this time Nicky (Joe Pecsi) and his brother are beaten to within an inch of their lives, hurled into open graves and then covered with earth. The scene lasts just long enough for Nicky’s open mouth to be seen bloody and gasping for air as the soil is thrown over him. Brutal Stuff.
Joel and Ethan Coen’s directorial debut is named after a phrase used to describe the way people can become deeply addled and fearful after prolonged exposure to violence, again not happy viewing then. Nevertheless the Coen’s artistry can be found in no rawer a form than here, and their illustration of premature burial is a perfect example of that. Ray (John Getz) discovers the body of his lover’s husband so he attempts to dispose of it, thinking that it was she who killed him. However after attempting to dump the body in a car by the road, Ray realises that in fact the man is still alive, in a panic he grabs a shovel and begins to bury him even as the body still twitches. The scene reaches its most evocative point when the make-shift grave can be seen writhing and throbbing as the body breathes his last breath.
5. The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
So far we have had four strikingly different interpretations of premature burial, but how about something a bit less subtle, well that is if you don’t take the work of Wes Craven too seriously. An anthropologist (Bill Pullman) is sent to Haiti to learn about a drug apparently being used by voodoo practitioners to turn people into zombies; however his job is not as straightforward as first thought after he finds out that the authorities are in on the scheme. This time there is no stylistic camerawork or delicate strains from a classical western soundtrack, just plenty of blood and screaming, as Pullman is not only buried alive but also turned into a zombie. Though probably not quite as reputable as the other examples here, The Serpent and the Rainbow nonetheless contains some utterly terrifying scenes, not least the all important premature burial.
Evidently then, being “buried alive” is a long standing theme at the movies, a device used for both shock value and suspense. Is there really any more petrifying a way to be disposed of? So if you think you are truly ready then, go catch Buried at cinemas while you still can, at least now you will know what ‘s waiting for you.
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Hi,
A good piece. Another film worth looking at is Double Jeopardy with Ashlet Judd, Bruce Greenwood and Tommy Lee Jones. Though the film is not a classic there is a good ‘buried alive’ scene. Judd the heroine is locked inside a casket which in turn is in a mausoleum at a cemetery. Another kind of double jeopardy!
Darby.