Carradine's Last Movie

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BURIED ALIVE-1989-A teenage girl runs away from Ravenscroft Hall, a kind of correctional institute for young women, but is caught by a masked person who beats her then walls her up in an underground cave. After the credits Janet Pendelton (Karen Witter) comes to teach at Ravenscroft. She meets Dr. Gary Julian (Robert Vaughan), head of the place. Later after she imagines a brick wall is breathing, she meets the weird Dr. Schaeffer (Donald Pleasence in a wig with German accent). All the girls are an unruly bunch of bitches and Janet gets a little roughed up by Yvonne (Dee Dee Eybers) who's later electrocuted while curling her hair with a mixer. Julian tells Janet she ran away. Then Janet hallucinates she's being buried alive. Debbie (Ginger Lynn Allen) is the big trouble maker. Janet has some problems especially over the death of her father.

One girl says "You're messing with my head, man". Then she's captured by the masked killer and walled up in the basement while the other girls have a secret party. While doing some investigating Janet finds some unusual equipment in the basement and an old man ghost (John Carradine) seems to come out of the wall asking for help (although he's strangling her too!). It turns out the old man is Julian's father Jacob. When Debbie sneaks out to meet her pusher/boyfriend Tim (Bill Butler) they're both abducted. Julian tells Janet she was transferred. After the local sheriff (Arnold Vosloo) looks into their disappearance, Julian asks Janet to marry him! Of course Julian is a nutty killer who kills the sheriff with a spade. When Janet realizes her boss is a loony he loses it completely and chases her through the catacombs of the place while declaring his love for her. Dr. Schaeffer (who it turns out is a former patient) tries to stop him but has his brain fried. When Julian tries to wall Janet up she sticks a needle in his eye. He goes crazy with an ax and then his dad (who he obviously walled up too) comes crashing through the wall in a wheelchair and there's an explosion. Neither father or son seem to be dead in the final scene. 

This kinda whacked horror film was directed by Gerald Kikoine (from France) who made the equally bizarre EDGE OF SANITY with Anthony Perkins the same year. As of this writing they were his last two films. BURIED ALIVE also marked the final film appearance of the great John Carradine who died in November of 1988. The film is dedicated to his memory. Vaughan and Pleasence were also in RIVER OF NO RETURN the same year.

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Demon Seed

DEMON SEED-1977-Computer scientist Alex Harris (the underrated Fritz Weaver) seems obsessed with the computer system that runs his house much to the annoyance of his child psychologist wife Susan (Julie Christie) which puts a strain on their marriage. 


Alex's latest computer project is called Proteus IV which he hopes will help him eradicate diseases like leukemia (which killed The Harris' daughter). He tries to interest various scientists and backers ("Are the proper steps being taken to patent this?" "I have no idea".). A little kid patient throws a tantrum ("It's so god-damn boring here!"). Then when Proteus is allowed to "study man" he begins to disobey his maker's commands and refuses to help in an ocean mining project because it would be bad for the environment. He also takes a liking to Susan and declares that he wants her to have his child! He makes her a prisoner in the house and studies her. ("All that I need to understand, Mrs. Harris, is your body")  


Gerrit Graham plays a nerdy scientist who tries to help rescue Susan but is crushed to death by a giant sphere. Proteus takes cells from Susan and genetically alters them so she will bear his child (in 28 days) and "be whole". There are some interesting 2001 inspired visuals while Susan is studied/violated and Proteus' rational philosophizing voice (un-credited Robert Vaughan) is the real highlight. 


DS upset a lot of critics at the time with it's implications of rape and "computer sex". It's no classic being talky and depressing at times but does hold a certain fascination. Director Donald Cammel seems to walk a fine line but never lets the story descend into parody or unintentional comedy (which it surely could have)and despite some occasional over wrought acting by the stars it remains a serious, eerie Sci-Fi story, based on a novel by Dean Koontz. 


Scottish born Cammell, a former painter, was a screenwriter (THE TOUCHABLES) before making his director debut (co-directing with Nicolas Roeg) with PERFORMANCE in 1970. 10 years after DS he would make his next film WHITE OF THE EYE and in 1995 his last film THE WILD SIDE (which he had his name taken off of). He committed suicide in 1996. 


DS also marks the last role for character actor Berry Kroeger who's career began in the early '40's.


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