Buried, the Sundance breakout starring Ryan Reynolds and snapped up by Lionsgate for somewhere in the $3-$4 million range, has been quite the Sundance conversation piece. I haven't seen it, but here's what a friend texted me after his screening: "Holy f**k. Most disturbing film I have EVER seen. I am sick to my stomach. I am in shock that I reacted so strongly to a film. My heart was literally pounding and I could barely breath during some scenes." But did he like it? "Loved it." OK then! In honor of this claustrophobe's worst nightmare, Movieline would now like to revisit eight other great "buried alive" moments from the catacombs of pop culture history. WARNING: Graphic violence and some spoilers follow.
1. Nikki and Paulo from Lost
The most despised characters from one of the most beloved TV dramas of all time were dispensed with as abruptly as they were introduced: with a couple paralysis-inducing spider bites and some shovelfuls of dirt courtesy of two of the most popular characters. On the bright side, it did inspire the Nikki and Paulo Sandbox -- sure to be one of the most popular attractions at Disney's upcoming Lostland!
2. The Vanishing
[SPOILER!!!] This 1988 French/Dutch thriller about the disappearance of a young couple from a rural rest stop in France has one of the most chilling endings of all time, rendered all the more so by the idyllic tranquility of its setting.
3. Days of Our Lives: Vivian Alamain
James E. Reilly, the mad scientist showrunner who introduced Satanic-possession into the Days of Our Lives, kicked his stint as head writer off with this suitably insane plot line which saw Carly Manning buried alive by the insane Vivian Alamain.
4. City of the Living Dead
Lucio Fulci's classic was cited by our next director as his inspiration. Enjoy.
5. Kill Bill: Vol. 2
In one of two appearances on this list, director Quentin Tarantino put his hero The Bride in a box beneath the ground with nothing but a flashlight. After panicking, she calms herself and flashes back to her martial arts training, leading to her dramatic escape.
6. CSI: Crime Scene Investigators: "Grave Danger"
Here's Tarantino's second entry, the two-part, fifth-season finale of the popular procedural, that saw Nick Stokes thrown into a Plexiglass coffin with a gun, some glow sticks and a dictaphone.
7. Blood Simple
In the Coen brothers' debut, bar manager Ray discovers the body of his lover's husband, and tries to dispose of it to protect her. Only problem is that he's still alive. Panicking, Ray drives to an open field, digs a hole, tosses him in, and covers it.
8. Casino
In this truly awful scene from Casino, Joe Pesci is made to watch as his brother is beaten with baseball bats and thrown into an open grave. Then Pesci is beaten and tossed in too, and both men are covered in dirt while they are still breathing. I hadn't watched this scene in years, and it's just as disturbing as ever. Proceed with caution.
9. Buried
Finally, here again is the teaser for Buried.