Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- claustrophobic
- grimly entertaining
- late night horror viewing
- 90s thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics generally find it a brisk, professionally made cable thriller with committed performances and inventive direction, while noting its predictable plot and limited suspense.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Clint is an everyday working man and carpenter who survives his wife's attempted insurance murder and retaliates.
Clint awakens inside a cheap wooden coffin and must unearth himself after being buried alive.
Joanna and Cort use an extramarital affair, a drug overdose, and an insurance payout as the basis for killing Clint.
The film's made-for-cable production is elevated by inventive direction and a memorable burial sequence.
Films like Buried Alive, and why
Diabolique
murder plot, marital betrayal, psychological suspense, and ironic revenge
The Vanishing
premature burial horror, escalating dread, and survival against a seemingly certain death
The Hitcher
contained horror thriller tension centered on entrapment, bodily peril, and desperate survival
Movie Details
- Director
- Frank Darabont
- Release Date
- 1990-05-09
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (191)
Cast
- Tim Matheson
- Jennifer Jason Leigh
- William Atherton
- Hoyt Axton
- Jay Gerber
- Wayne Grace
- Donald Hotton
- Brian Libby
- Peg Shirley
- David Youse
Common questions
- What is Buried Alive about?
- An ordinary carpenter survives his wife's insurance-fueled murder attempt and wages an unnerving revenge campaign from beyond the grave.
- What is Buried Alive like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Buried Alive as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Buried Alive violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Buried Alive as moderate.
- What did critics think of Buried Alive?
- Critics generally find it a brisk, professionally made cable thriller with committed performances and inventive direction, while noting its predictable plot and limited suspense.
- Which films are like Buried Alive?
- Films with a similar feel include Diabolique, The Vanishing, and The Hitcher.
- How long is Buried Alive?
- Buried Alive runs 94 minutes.
