After a doctor kills his lover and then himself, his assistant chooses to move into the doctor's country home with his family in tow.  Supposedly the assistant is trying to figure out what brought the doctor to his horrible demise.  He should've have realized with a name like "Freudstein", any answer would be derivative of every horror film that preceded it!  Fulci has been acclaimed for the unusual visual design to his horror films, and there are plenty of impressive cinematic thrills here.  Unfortunately, unlike many of his earlier films, "HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY" is all about style over substance.  Sure, we know there's something in the basement that's causing one death after another, but why doesn't anyone else get it?   The best thing about the film revolves around the spirit of a young girl trying to help the young boy throughout the film.  There is also a another great sequence in which the main character listens to a tape he's found of the previous owner describing the noises from the basement.  Just as in "The Evil Dead" films, voices from the past have an uncanny way of creating chills.  Unfortunately, there aren't enough thrills like the scenes mentioned, even in a short(87 minutes)running time, to prevent the film from dragging.

ANCHOR BAY has tried to present the film with a decent presentation.  They've even presented the film with the correct aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with 16:9 enhancement.  Still, the image is much softer than it deserves to be.  Colors are also very dull throughout the film. Contrast also suffers and blacks lack real delineation from gray in the frequently dark scenes that exist throughout the film. 

The Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 mix is mostly mono with minor directional effects.  The film is dubbed and it's off enough to be noticeable.

ANCHOR BAY has included a deleted scene as well as trailers, a tv spot, and a still gallery.