Burying the Ex

Last updated

Burying the Ex
Burying the Ex.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Joe Dante
Written byAlan Trezza
Produced by
  • Carl Effenson
  • Kyle Tekiela
  • Frankie Lindquist
  • Mary Cybriwsky
  • Alan Trezza
  • David Johnson
Starring
CinematographyJonathan Hall
Edited byMarshall Harvey
Music by Joseph LoDuca
Production
companies
Voltage Pictures
Elevated Productions
Act 4 Entertainment
Scooty Woop Entertainment
ArtImage Entertainment
Distributed by Image Entertainment
Release dates
  • September 4, 2014 (2014-09-04)(Venice)
  • June 19, 2015 (2015-06-19)(United States)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$604,517 [1]

Burying the Ex is a 2014 American zombie comedy film directed by Joe Dante and written by Alan Trezza, starring Anton Yelchin, Ashley Greene, Alexandra Daddario and Oliver Cooper. It screened out of competition at the 71st Venice International Film Festival, [2] [3] and was released on June 19, 2015, by Image Entertainment.

Contents

Plot

Nice guy and horror fanatic Max (Anton Yelchin) is dating the beautiful but manipulative Evelyn (Ashley Greene). Evelyn is an extreme environmentalist working for a blog company that promotes "going green", while Max works a dead-end job at the local horror memorabilia shop. Max often finds himself trapped trying to do whatever he can to keep Evelyn happy, including changing his diet and selling his old car. In addition to this, Max dreams of opening up a horror memorabilia shop of his own, much to Evelyn's dismay. One day at the shop, Max unloads the latest shipments and finds a Satan Genie, an object that claims it can grant anyone's wants or desires. Believing it to just be another silly item for the shop, Max places it on the shelf in the storage room and dismisses it.

Later that night, he and Evelyn have sex in the shop and make a promise to each other that they'll be together forever. Shortly thereafter, Max has Evelyn move in with him. Max and Evelyn initially decide to celebrate this new step in their relationship by grabbing a bite to eat. Wanting Evelyn to try something he enjoys for a change, Max suggests they go to a horror-themed ice cream shop run by Olivia (Alexandra Daddario). Evelyn is immediately unkind to Olivia, believing her and Max were flirting with each other. As Max pleads his case to her, Evelyn tearfully admits that she doesn't want to lose him and that he is the only thing in her life that has made her happy since her mother's death.

All seems to be great until Max comes back home to discover that Evelyn has redecorated their apartment to what she finds aesthetically pleasing and has put away all of Max's collectibles and posters, eradicating their resale value. This leads to an argument where Max states that he and Evelyn should be making decisions together instead of her taking the reins on every little thing. Feeling that Evelyn's overbearing nature will lead him to be unhappy for the duration of their relationship, Max plans to break up with her but is too scared to do so. Max turns to his slacker half-brother Travis (Oliver Cooper) for advice. Travis suggests that Max break up with Evelyn in a public place so he can make a quick getaway and have everyone present see her for the control freak she truly is. However, the plan backfires when Evelyn accidentally gets hit by a bus on her way to the park. She dies in the middle of the road while in the arms of a tearful Max.

A couple weeks go by and Max has shut himself off emotionally, feeling responsible for Evelyn's death. Travis swings by his place and, after seeing the funk he is in, encourages him to get back out and move on. Max eventually runs into Olivia again and starts to hit it off with her. As the night progresses, Max and Olivia learn that they both share the same fascination for horror. But when Max and Olivia visit the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Evelyn is shown to have risen up from the dead and has dug herself out of the ground. After Olivia walks Max back home, he is quickly greeted by an undead Evelyn at the door. Evelyn is overjoyed and believes hers and Max's love is being given a second chance and thinks they're still dating. Frightened, Max realizes that the Satan Genie from the shop made their wish of being "together forever" come true and that it has brought Evelyn back from the dead. Still wanting to pursue Olivia, Max actively attempts to hide Evelyn from her. He is also left to ponder how exactly he is going to officially dump Evelyn. Max presumes that the answer to his problems lie with the Satan Genie, only to have it shatter on the ground when he loses his footing. For his backup plan, Max then researches the occult/spell books the shop has available in the hopes of finding something that will send Evelyn back to her grave. He tries these techniques, but to no avail; as they have no effect on Evelyn whatsoever.

Travis stumbles upon Max with a drunken Evelyn, and is reluctant to help him. He soon has a change of heart and tells Max that the only true way he can get rid of Evelyn is to decapitate her with a machete. Max tries to accomplish this but backs out at the last minute. The day before Halloween, Olivia drops by the shop to visit Max. It's later interrupted by a phone call from Evelyn. Olivia, who still doesn't know that Evelyn's a zombie, thinks Max hasn't gotten over her yet, but offers him an invitation to a screening of Night of the Living Dead at the cemetery. Travis steps up to the plate and offers to kill Evelyn so Max can meet Olivia at the movie. Travis shows up at the apartment under the guise of searching for an old DVD Max never returned and intentionally prolongs his stay, annoying Evelyn. She then develops a sudden craving for brains and ends up eating Travis. Meanwhile, Max and Olivia are enjoying each other's company and end up having sex in the back of Olivia's car.

Upon Max's return, he discovers Travis's corpse in the living room. Knowing that Evelyn is now determined to kill anyone who gets in her way, Max tricks her into drawing a hot bubble bath for themselves in order to barricade the bathroom door and trap her inside. He rushes out of the apartment to get the police but leaves his cell phone behind by mistake. Evelyn wastes no time breaking free and escapes. She then kidnaps Olivia after reading the texts between her and Max. Having had no luck with the police, Max hears through one of the police scanners about someone knocking over a malt shop and realizes Olivia's in trouble. Back at the apartment, Max sees Olivia tied up and Evelyn threatens to kill her. A battle ensues between Max, Evelyn, and Olivia, ending with Travis (now revealed to be a zombie himself) fatally stabbing Evelyn through the chest with the machete. With Evelyn finally gone, Max and Olivia take her body back to the cemetery and bury her.

One year later, Max and Olivia's relationship is still going strong. Max has long since quit his job, became business partners with Olivia, having joined his horror memorabilia store and her ice cream shop as an enterprise of their own and is now truly happy. Max then surprises Olivia with an engagement ring, which she gladly accepts. And Travis, still in his zombie form, is shown sign-spinning outside the shop.

Cast

Production

Burying the Ex was originally produced as a 15-minute short in 2008, written and directed by Alan Trezza. It starred Danielle Harris as Olivia and Mircea Monroe as Evelyn, with the male lead (then named Zak) played by John Francis Daley. [5] Trezza later expanded the short into a feature film script. According to an interview with director Joe Dante in 2014:

I met Alan several years ago, got the script for the feature, which was not substantially different from the one we shot. I thought it was funny and different. Cut forward five years. Unexpectedly, after another project fell through, money appeared so we could make the movie, but we had to shoot cheaply and quickly. We shot in 20 days and it was a lot of fun, a hectic shoot, but there was a lot to do. We were clever about our locations and shooting all within the same area of town... The four leads are really fun and creative and brought a lot to the table. [6]

Principal photography began November 17, 2013 and ended December 19, 2013. [7] Mary Woronov played the owner of a store called Bloody Mary's. However, she was cut out of the film. [6] Dante said the film was "very EC Comics, but it's not a comic book movie, I think the characters are a little bit more real... I was left alone in terms of creativity." He added that the film was made for his fans. [6]

Release

In January 2015, Image Entertainment acquired the release rights of the film, [8] and set the release of the film in the United States, to summer 2015 via video on demand. [9] The film was released on June 19, 2015, [10] with the official trailer being released on May 26. [11]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 30%, based on 40 reviews, with an average rating of 4.38/10. The critics' consensus reads: "Burying the Ex boasts flickers of director Joe Dante's former flair, but neither the concept nor its execution live up to the standard set by his best efforts." [12] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 37 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>House of 1000 Corpses</i> 2003 American comedy horror film by Rob Zombie

House of 1000 Corpses is a 2003 American comedy horror film written, co-scored, and directed by Rob Zombie in his directorial debut, and the first film in the Firefly film series. It stars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon, Karen Black, Rainn Wilson, Chris Hardwick, Tom Towles, Erin Daniels, Jennifer Jostyn, Walton Goggins, and Dennis Fimple in his final role. The plot centers on a group of teenagers who are kidnapped and tortured by a psychopathic family during Halloween after traveling across the country to write a book.

<i>Sleepwalkers</i> (1992 film) 1992 American horror film directed by Mick Garris

Sleepwalkers is a 1992 American horror film written by Stephen King and directed by Mick Garris. The film stars Brian Krause, Mädchen Amick and Alice Krige. The film revolves around the last two survivors of a vampiric shapeshifting species that feed on the life force of human female virgins. It was the first time King wrote a screenplay intended for the screen first, rather than adapting one of his novels or stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Brooks</span> American writer (born 1972)

Maximilian Michael Brooks is an American author. He is the son of comedian Mel Brooks and actress Anne Bancroft. Much of Brooks's writing focuses on zombie stories. He was a senior fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Dante</span> American filmmaker (born 1946)

Joseph James Dante Jr. is an American film director, producer, editor and actor. His films—notably Gremlins (1984) alongside its sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)—often mix the 1950s-style B movie genre with 1960s radicalism and cartoon comedy.

<i>The Howling</i> (film) 1981 American horror film by Joe Dante

The Howling is a 1981 American horror film directed and edited by Joe Dante. Written by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless, based on the novel of the same name by Gary Brandner, the film follows a news anchor who, following a traumatic encounter with a serial killer, visits a resort secretly inhabited by werewolves. The cast includes Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Christopher Stone, Belinda Balaski, Kevin McCarthy, John Carradine, Slim Pickens, and Elisabeth Brooks.

<i>The Undead</i> (film) 1957 film by Roger Corman

The Undead is a 1957 horror film directed by Roger Corman and starring Pamela Duncan, Allison Hayes, Richard Garland and Val Dufour. It also features Corman regulars Richard Devon, Dick Miller, Mel Welles and Bruno VeSota. The authors' original working title was The Trance of Diana Love. The film follows the story of a prostitute, Diana Love (Duncan), who is put into a hypnotic trance by psychic Quintus (Dufour), thus causing her to regress to a previous life. Hayes later starred in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958). The film was released on February 14, 1957 by American International Pictures as a double feature with Voodoo Woman.

<i>Hell of the Living Dead</i> Film by Bruno Mattei

Hell of the Living Dead is a 1980 horror film directed by Bruno Mattei. The film is set in a laboratory in Papua New Guinea that releases a dangerous chemical, turning the technicians and locals into zombies. A French news reporter and her crew land on the island to investigate.

<i>Vampires vs. Zombies</i> 2004 American film

Vampires vs. Zombies is a 2004 American independent horror film loosely based upon J. Sheridan Le Fanu's classic 1872 novel Carmilla. Unlike Le Fanu's story, however, most of the action in the film takes place inside a car. The title and cover artwork were obviously inspired by the then-current horror film Freddy vs. Jason, but the movie itself bears less resemblance to this counterpart compared to other, more blatant Asylum mockbusters. The movie was originally titled Vampires vs. Zombies, but it has since then been changed to Carmilla, the Lesbian Vampire. Vince D'Amato is the director and screenwriter of this film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Zacchara</span> Soap opera character

Johnny Zacchara is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital and the contract role was portrayed by Brandon Barash from September 18, 2007, until May 3, 2013. He returned on December 5, 2014. He is the son of Claudia Zacchara and Gino Soleito. Until its reveal in 2012, he was believed to be the son of mobster Anthony Zacchara, who turned out to be his biological grandfather.

<i>Flashbacks of a Fool</i> 2008 British film

Flashbacks of a Fool is a 2008 British drama film about a Hollywood actor who, following the death of his childhood best friend, reflects upon his life and what might have been, had he stayed in England. The film was directed by Baillie Walsh, and stars Daniel Craig, Harry Eden, Claire Forlani, Felicity Jones, Emilia Fox, Eve, Jodhi May, Helen McCrory and Miriam Karlin.

<i>One Dark Night</i> 1983 film

One Dark Night is a 1982 American supernatural horror film directed by Tom McLoughlin, and starring Meg Tilly, E. G. Daily, and Adam West. It follows three teenagers sent to a mausoleum for the night as part of a high school initiation rite. A telekinetic occultist returns from the dead and haunts them, forcing the three to survive the night inside the crypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Falconeri</span> Fictional character

Olivia Falconeri is a fictional character from General Hospital, an American soap opera on the ABC network. Created by head writer Robert Guza, Jr. and introduced by executive producer Jill Farren Phelps, the role been portrayed by Lisa LoCicero since September 2008.

<i>Otto; or, Up with Dead People</i> 2008 German film

Otto; or, Up with Dead People is a 2008 Canadian and German queer cinema horror film. The film was directed by Bruce LaBruce and stars Jey Crisfar, Marcel Schlutt, Nicholas Fox Ricciardi and Gio Black Peter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Daddario</span> American actress (born 1986)

Alexandra Anna Daddario is an American actress. She had her breakthrough portraying Annabeth Chase in the Percy Jackson film series (2010–2013). She has since starred in Hall Pass (2011), Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013), San Andreas (2015), Baywatch (2017), and We Summon the Darkness (2019).

<i>Campfire Tales</i> (1991 film) 1991 American film

Campfire Tales is a 1991 American anthology horror film written and directed by William Cooke and Paul Talbot. The film is about a group of teenagers telling ghost stories around a campfire. One of the storytellers is horror legend Gunnar Hansen. The movie also uses many elements from famous horror stories and directors.

<i>5 to 7</i> 2014 American romantic film

5 to 7 is a 2014 American romantic film written and directed by Victor Levin and starring Anton Yelchin, Bérénice Marlohe, Olivia Thirlby, Lambert Wilson, Frank Langella, Glenn Close and Eric Stoltz. Yelchin plays Brian, a 24-year-old writer who has an affair with a 33-year-old married French woman, Arielle (Marlohe). Arielle and her middle-aged husband, Valéry (Wilson), have an agreement allowing them to have extramarital affairs as long as they are confined to the hours between 5 and 7 p.m.

<i>iZombie </i>(TV series) 2015 American supernatural crime drama television series

iZombie is an American supernatural procedural drama television series developed by Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright for the CW. It is an adaptation of the DC comic book series iZombie created by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred. The series premiered on March 17, 2015, and ran for five seasons, ending on August 1, 2019. It follows the adventures of doctor-turned-zombie Olivia "Liv" Moore, a Seattle Police medical examiner who helps solve murders after eating the victims' brains and temporarily absorbing their memories and personalities.

<i>The Choice</i> (2016 film) 2016 American film

The Choice is a 2016 American romantic drama film directed by Ross Katz and written by Bryan Sipe, based on Nicholas Sparks' 2007 novel of the same name about two neighbors who fall in love at their first meeting. The movie stars Benjamin Walker, Teresa Palmer, Maggie Grace, Alexandra Daddario, Tom Welling and Tom Wilkinson.

<i>Lavalantula</i> American 2015 science fiction horror thriller film

Lavalantula is an American 2015 science fiction comedy horror thriller television film that takes place after a series of volcanic eruptions in Los Angeles unleashes a swarm of gigantic, lava-breathing tarantulas from which the film draws its title. It was directed by Mike Mendez and stars Steve Guttenberg, Nia Peeples and Patrick Renna. Ian Ziering appears as Fin Shepard, tying the film into the Sharknado universe. It premiered on Syfy on July 25, 2015.

<i>We Summon the Darkness</i> 2019 film by Marc Meyers

We Summon the Darkness is a 2019 American horror thriller film directed by Marc Meyers and written by Alan Trezza. The film stars Alexandra Daddario, Keean Johnson, Maddie Hasson, Amy Forsyth, Logan Miller, Austin Swift, and Johnny Knoxville.

References

  1. ↑ "Burying the Ex (2015) - Financial Information". The Numbers . Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  2. ↑ "International competition of feature films". Venice. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Venice Film Festival Lineup Announced". Deadline. July 24, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  4. ↑ Nickolai, Nate (January 31, 2019). "Dick Miller, 'Gremlins' and 'Terminator' Actor, Dies at 90". Variety. Joe Dante, who used Miller in almost every project he helmed.
  5. ↑ Burying the Ex (2008) - IMDb
  6. 1 2 3 Ryan Turek (September 3, 2014). "Exclusive Interview: Joe Dante Talks to Us About Burying the Ex". Shock Till You Drop. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  7. ↑ "IMDbPro". Pro-labs.imdb.com. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ Barton, Steve (February 2, 2015). "Image Entertainment and Joe Dante Burying the Ex on VOD and More!". Dread Central. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  9. ↑ MrDisgusting (February 2, 2015). "Joe Dante's 'Burying the Ex' Resurrected By Image". Bloody-disgusting.com. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  10. ↑ Lesnick, Silas (May 22, 2015). "CS Exclusive: Joe Dante's Burying the Ex Poster and Stills!". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  11. ↑ Doupé, Tyler (May 26, 2015). "We've Dug Up a Trailer for Burying the Ex". wickedhorror.com. Wicked Horror. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Burying the Ex (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Burying the Ex Reviews". Metacritic. September 12, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.