The Dead Are Alive (1972)

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Really Surprised!

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Archaeologist Jason Porter (Alex Cord) becomes the prime suspect after a series of brutal murders at the site of an ancient Etruscan tomb.The first double murder in director Armando Crispino's giallo The Etruscan Kills Again is sufficiently bloody, a couple beaten to death with a big metal probe (a piece of Porter's archaeological equipment); however, the scene is shot with little of the pizazz one expects from the genre.Subsequent deaths only disappoint further, the actual acts mostly occurring off-screen, the victims' bodies discovered once the killer has left the scene. The Etruscan Kills Again also suffers from an overly complex and dialogue heavy script that is difficult to unravel and features a rather unlikeable protagonist (a sexually aggressive alcoholic).A well executed car chase adds a much needed jolt of life to proceedings, the lovely Christina von Blanc delivers the requisite gratuitous nudity, and the final fight scene between hero and killer is well handled, but there's way too much drudgery involved to qualify this as an essential giallo.

A group of archaeologists work on excavating Etruscan tombs. A series of murders start and they seem to be connected to these ancient ruins in some way. Is this the work of the vengeful god Tuchulka? The Dead Are Alive is a giallo/horror hybrid. It follows the conventions of the former but it also incorporates a supernatural horror angle. Like many similar Italian films from the time it's a pretty convoluted affair. Its central story isn't always very well presented and the film meanders a lot of the time. Things aren't helped all that much by an uncharismatic male lead actor who doesn't exactly elicit much sympathy. His character seems to be a bit of a sex pest in fairness. There are better actors in the support roles such as Samantha Eggar - who later starred in David Cronenberg's The Brood - and Horst Frank who plays a slightly sinister homosexual eccentric similar to the role he had in Dario Argento's Cat o' Nine Tails. There is a smattering of bloody violence throughout. And the supernatural angle does offer something different for this type of picture. But overall it's doesn't make very much of a connection.Its director Armando Crispino also contributed the later Autopsy, which was another unconventional giallo. Both films deserve some credit for at least trying to bring in different things to the sub-genre but truthfully neither of them are very good. Riz Ortolani contributes another lush score that tries its best to enliven events.

let's start to say that this movie is not available in Italy (neither DVD or even VHS). It's incredible if you think that this is an Italian movie and in Italy you can find all the sort of American z movies! (even the Americans realize z movies).By the way this is a nice giallo, well directed and well acted, I like very much Alex Cord (he looks like the young Chuck Norris, but Cord seems much more athletic and stunning then Chuck). I think this one has a lot in common with Friday the 13th (the plot, some murders, motivation of the killer...) but it came out almost 10 years before Jason.If you like slashers and gialli , you will like this one

"The Etruscan Kills Again" is a truly odd and extremely rare Italian horror film and, when you do eventually obtain that long-awaited copy, the sound & picture quality are terribly poor and the editing looks unfinished. Nonetheless, I'd still encourage all avid cult-collector and fans of Italian horror to purchase this baby, as the story is really unique and the atmosphere is very compelling. My expectations were already quite high, since the man in the director's chair – Armando Crispino – is the same talented filmmaker who did the 1975 semi-classic "Autopsy", and that is one of the most ambitious and convoluted Italian gialli ever made. "The Etruscan Kills Again" is a giallo as well, but it takes quite some time before you figure that out, as the story presents itself as a murder mystery with historical culprits (the Etruscans) and one of the alternate titles ("The Dead Are Alive") even suggests that there are zombies involved! Right from the start, however, Crispino puts a lot of time & effort into the drawing of the characters and their mutual relationships, so any viewer with a bit of giallo-experience knows to start looking for a killer of flesh and blood. The plot revolves on archaeologist Jason Porter and his crew, who just discovered an ancient Etruscan tomb complete with authentic wall paintings and relics. Immediately after his valuable discovery, the heavily mutilated corpses of a young couple are found inside the tomb, indicating the resurrection of a vengeful Etruscan God. In the meantime, Jason struggles with personal problems (alcoholism, a history of violence…) and becomes the police's prime suspect for the increasing amount of bloody murders. There are a lot of complex characters in this film and the red herrings are numerous, so the story demands your full attention and even then it'll sometimes feel confusing. The background story about Etruscan Gods and buried cemeteries is truly fascinating, as it provides the film with a unique sub theme. The body count is reasonably low but the make-up effects are gruesome and rather convincing, as the killer's victims are sadistically clubbed to death. The music, by no less than Mr. Riz Ortolani ("Cannibal Holocaust"), is astonishing and effectively increases the creepiness of the film. And, for the true fans of Italian cinema, there also is the obligatory car chase (sublimely choreographed, I may add) and a fair portion of sleaze. Warmly recommended, if you can find it.