Dellamorte Dellamore (aka Cemetery Man) (1994) ***1/2

Dellamorte Dellamore (aka Cemetery Man) (1994) is a film I've seen a few times and which I loved in my twenties and thirties. It used to be my favorite of Michel Soavi's films, but it didn't hold up quite as well on this latest viewing, dropping below both Stage Fright (1987) and The Sect (1991) (review) in my rankings.

There is no denying that DD is visually impressive and very out there. "Kitchen sink" movies can (and often do) work for me and this one does, for the most part, but overall I was left wanting this go around. I appreciate the use of practical effects but a lot of them looked worse than I remembered (not the angel of death skeleton dude though; that still rips). There's clearly an influence/kinship to Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy (my reviews here, here, and here) and Peter Jackson's Dead Alive (1992) (my review here), all films that I love. 

But DD comes off as dime-store philosophy with a few icky plot points, including pedophilia in what is supposed to be the most sympathetic character, ridiculous dialogue about rape, and very poorly written female roles (Anna Falchi's "She" is really just a buxom male fantasy and nothing more). The film’s musings on life, death, sex, existential dread, etc. never get explored in a satisfactory manner.

Really I just wish that the filmmakers had toned down the goofiness and upped the surreality. DD is loosely based on the Dylan Dog (1986–present) fumetti, though moreso on creator Tiziano Sclavi's 1991 novel which shares this film's title. (There is also 2010’s Dylan Dog: Dead Of Night, a more direct adaptation of Sclavi's comics, which I have yet to see.) As far as film adaptations of fumetti go, I much prefer Mario Bava's Danger: Diabolik (1968) (my review here), which nails its tone better (though I do recognize that DD and D:D are two very different types of films).

I will say this—Dellamorte Dellamore has the best use of a motorcycle in an Italian zombie movie this side of 1985's Demons (my review here), which incidentally featured director Soavi in a small role (the guy in the chrome half-mask handing out tickets). On this viewing I enjoyed seeing younger moviegoers discover the picture for the first time and hearing their reactions, as they seemed to feel how I did when I first saw it. I still think DD is a great, fun, unique film, but with caveats.

You can find my Michele Soavi Feature Films Ranked list here.