Films Outside the Loop Jeanne Chappé

This movie literally starts off with a gunshot through the head. The first of many gunshots in this hysterically macabre film. What if you gave laughing gas to Wes Craven and George Romero? Then you would have a hint about this amazing Italian movie directed by Michele Soavi and written by Giovanni Romoli! Don't worry, the version that I viewed was not subtitled.

Rupert Everett plays Francesco Dellamorte (St. Francis of Death). He is the caretaker of a very unusual graveyard. He gets a salary and a nice little house. The reason that this cemetery is unusual is that the corpses tend to come back within a 7-day waiting period. These are called 'returners'. The only way that you can kill them again is to split their heads open. A sharpened shovel or a gun will do the trick. Gnaghi (Francois Hadji-Lazaro) is Francesco's assistant. He digs the graves and has a passion for dead leaves. He hates it when the wind blows them away. Francois plays this character to extreme brilliance and Rupert is an incredibly gorgeous man to watch!

The most beautiful woman that Francesco has ever seen appears at the funeral of her husband. He immediately falls in love with her. When Francesco makes love to this exquisite woman on the grave of her husband, there are these luminous white tadpoles flying around them and watching! Don't ask me...I never did figure that out. During their lovemaking, her husband digs himself out of the grave and attacks! He then gets a proper right cross (so to speak) from Francesco. The widow's heart stops beating from either "making love" or "doing it". The coroner was not sure. Francesco decides to keep her but he thinks she is a 'returner' and so he shoots her in the head.

Don't worry. I'm not giving too much away as this is only the beginning of the movie. Then you have four motorcycles hitting a bus carrying boy scouts. The song at the multiple grave sites is beyond belief! Claudio is buried with his motorcycle. The motorcycle comes in handy later. The attack of the boy scout 'returners' plus one nun is horribly hilarious. I won't even mention the headless Valentina (the mayor's daughter) who wants to marry Gnaghi. I think she fell in love with Gnaghi when he threw up on her!

What would happen if Francesco started killing live people instead of dead people?

"Who knows if the rest of the world even exists?" Couldn't prove that by me.....

Runtime: 1:45

This film is available on VHS, cable or satellite.

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