Director James Wan Praises Forgotten, Free-to-Stream Horror Gem: “I tried looking into the remake rights”

James Wan
Director James Wan, on set, 2021. ph: Matt Kennedy /© Warner Bros. /Courtesy Everett Collection

Powerhouse director James Wan has been known to share off-the-beaten-path movie recommendations by way of social media. And a while back, he did exactly that, taking to Instagram to sing the praises of a zombie picture you may have overlooked.

The film in question is Dead & Buried. Wan’s IG post laments the fact that the picture has never really reached a wide audience, in spite of being an effective offering from talented creators.

The caption to the thread reads: “I don’t know how in the world this movie isn’t more highly regarded and celebrated. Directed by Gary Sherman, with a script by the legendary Dan O’Bannon (Alien, Return of the Living Dead), this is an atmospheric movie set in a small coastal town where the sheriff is investigating the murders of visiting tourists, and the corpses are coming back to life.”

@blueundergroundofficial has put out a terrific 4K version of this, that sits happily amongst my physical media collection.”

“Side Trivia: In the early 2000s, after Saw, I tried looking into the remake rights for this film, but unfortunately I didn’t get very far with it.”

“I love this film, and not enough people know of it, so I’m here to tell you all to watch this great, macabre horror flick!”

I count myself a big fan of this film as well and would love to see Wan reimagine the premise. It’s a bummer that never panned out.

If you are keen to watch (or rewatch) Dead & Buried, you can scope the film for free (with ads) on Tubi as of the publication of this post.

The setup is as follows: A sheriff (James Farentino) and his wife (Melody Anderson) realize the town coroner (Jack Albertson) has been creating an army of rural zombies.

That’s all we have for you at this juncture. Stay tuned to the site for more recommendations from the masters as we learn them. And be sure to follow us on Twitter @DreadCentral so you never miss an update.

Share: 
Tags:

Categorized:

Sign up for The Harbinger a Dread Central Newsletter