Back to trending
The Premature Burial

The Premature Burial

Horror · Drama · Mystery · 1962

An artist grows distant from his new wife as an irrational fear of premature burial consumes him.

Movie details

The Premature Burial

“Within the Coffin I Lie...ALIVE!”

1962 Horror · Drama · Mystery 1h 21m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

An artist grows distant from his new wife as an irrational fear of premature burial consumes him.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Premature Burial?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Lady in a Cage

Lady in a Cage

Drama · 1964

A woman trapped in a home elevator is terrorized by a group of vicious hoodlums.

Night of Dark Shadows

Night of Dark Shadows

Drama · 1971

Recently married, Quentin and Tracy Collins have just moved into Collinwood, a New England estate that has long been in the Collins family and which Quentin has just inherited. They soon find themselves plagued by spirits of past residents.

We Go On

We Go On

Horror · 2016

Paralyzed by his fear of dying, Miles Grissom takes out an advert offering $30,000 in reward money to the first person who can show him evidence of an angel, a demon, or prove that ghosts exist - anything to prove to him that we go on after our deaths. He narrows the responses down to three viable candidates - a scientist, a medium, and a worldly entrepreneur. Along with his protective mother, he embarks on an adventure through Los Angeles that will spiral into an unthinkable nightmare.

The Pit and the Pendulum

The Pit and the Pendulum

Horror · 1961

In the sixteenth century, Francis Barnard travels to Spain to clarify the strange circumstances of his sister's death after she had married the son of a cruel Spanish Inquisitor.

The Mothman Prophecies

The Mothman Prophecies

Drama · 2002

Reporter John Klein is plunged into a world of impossible terror when fate draws him to the sleepy West Virginia town of Point Pleasant, whose residents are being visited by a great winged shape that sows hideous nightmares and fevered visions.

The Caveman's Valentine

The Caveman's Valentine

Drama · 2001

Romulus, a misunderstood musician turned recluse hiding from personal demons in a New York City cave, finds the frozen body of a young drifter in a tree. The authorities, including his police officer daughter, claim the death is accidental. Romulus is convinced the man was murdered by a prominent art photographer but how can he prove he's right when everyone thinks he's insane?

Burnt Offerings

Burnt Offerings

Horror · 1976

A family moves into a large old mansion in the countryside which seems to have a mysterious and sinister power over its new residents.

The Tomb of Ligeia

The Tomb of Ligeia

Horror · 1964

Verden Fell is shattered after the death of his lovely wife. But, after an unexpected encounter with Lady Rowena Trevanion, Fell soon finds himself married again. Nevertheless, his late wife's spirit seems to hang over the dilapidated abbey that Fell shares with his new bride. Lady Rowena senses that something is amiss and, when she investigates, makes a horrifying discovery -- learning that Fell's dead wife is closer than she ever imagined possible.

The Cellar

The Cellar

Horror · 2022

When Keira Woods' daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house in the country, she soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling their home that she will have to face or risk losing her family's souls forever.

The Critic

The Critic

Thriller · 2024

Jimmy Erskine is the most feared theatre critic of the age. He lives as flamboyantly as he writes and takes pleasure in savagely taking down any actor who fails to meet his standards. When the owner of the Daily Chronicle dies, and his son takes over, Jimmy quickly finds himself at odds with his new boss and his position under threat. In an attempt to preserve the power and influence he holds so sacred, Jimmy strikes a Faustian pact with a struggling actress, entangling them and the boss in a thrilling but deadly web of desire, blackmail, and betrayal.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Roger Corman

Written by

Charles Beaumont · Ray Russell

Ray Milland

Ray Milland

Guy Carrell

Hazel Court

Hazel Court

Emily Gault

Richard Ney

Richard Ney

Miles Archer

Heather Angel

Heather Angel

Kate Carrell

Alan Napier

Alan Napier

Dr. Gideon Gault

John Dierkes

John Dierkes

Sweeny

Dick Miller

Dick Miller

Mole

Court is in session

Put The Premature Burial on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.