15 Great Italian Horror Films You Must See Before You Die

7. Burial Ground: The Nights Of Terror (Andrea Bianchi, 1981)

“Mother, this cloth smells of death!”

There was no shortage of shoddy, low-budget Italian zombie flicks shamelessly attempting to recreate the success of Romero’s Dawn of the Dead from the late 70s, but Bianchi’s offering deserves your attention more than most. I won’t lie to you – this film is utter garbage. It’s unapologetically sleazy, dirty and cheap looking… and I love every damn second. Although the zombie make-up is noticeably lacking in places, the design is actually strangely effective.

But as anyone familiar with the film will tell you, Burial Ground is worth watching purely for one character alone, Michael: the obviously (and hilariously) twenty-something year old dwarf portraying a pre-adolescent boy with a seriously unnerving Oedipus complex. Trust me, it really is every bit as wonderful as it sounds.

Dawn of the Dead it most certainly is not. Even some of Romero’s other blatantly shameless imitators displayed at least some degree of competence. That being said, Burial Ground is an absolute treat. Have a couple of drinks, order a takeaway, and enjoy.