Review: Cemetery of Terror (1985)

(aka Cementerio del Terror)
Directed by: Rubén Galindo Jr.
Starring: Hugo Stiglitz, José Gómez Parcero
Written by: Rubén Galindo Jr., Carlos Valdemar
Music by: Chucho Zarzosa
Country: Mexico
Available on: Blu-ray (Vinegar Syndrome)
IMDb

The debut feature from Rubén Galindo Jr. is a solid phantasmagorical entry into the annals of Mexican horror. A simple story involving some college kids who party at an abandoned house on Halloween and accidentally wake a supernatural killer who can control the dead is a nice setup for the very Lucio Fulci-inspired carnage that transpires. Though this film starts really slowly, spending far too much time focused on the banal interplay among its completely indistinguishable main characters, it’s kind of a joy once it gets going about midway through. Galindo lets loose with zombie carnage soaked in ‘80s atmosphere, including gelled spotlights that illuminate the dead rising from their graves; curling graveyard mists; muck-caked undead straight out of Fulci’s Zombie (1979) or Andrea Bianchi’s Burial Ground (1981); and a synth score that, while a bit overwhelming and inappropriate in spots, is nonetheless fantastically moody and reminiscent of the work of Fabio Frizzi. Unfortunately, all of the film’s gore — great though it is — is spent right when the killer is first resurrected. Once a cast that consists primarily of school children out to wander the titular cemetery for a Halloween fling becomes the focus, you quickly realize there won’t be much more zombie murder. And indeed, from there the movie is mostly a long chase through the eerie graveyard. The last third isn’t boring or anything, but its splatter elements definitely dissipate in favor of something that almost feels like the grimmest Scooby Doo episode ever filmed. For a movie set on Halloween night, Cemetery of Terror is sadly lacking in seasonal adornments. Although the word “Halloween” is spoken, and some kids have candy buckets, I don’t recall a single jack o’lantern, decoration, or anything really indicating fall. This may be the result of its Mexican origins and how the holiday is celebrated in the country, but I would have really liked more to evoke the season. Anyway, Galindo’s first film is a very watchable zombie flick that hits most of its targets, with plenty of good things to offer, even if it isn’t especially ambitious.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10