Buried Alive

Clint Goodman, a husband, becomes a target of his wife Joanna and her lover who hatch a plan to end his life and cash in on his life insurance. The film follows their brittle alliance as deceit, guilt, and fear erode the façade they keep up for friends and family. They turn to a toxin sourced from fish, confident it will vanish quietly, but the scheme unravels in unpredictable ways. Paranoia spreads as every alibi is tested and every lie threatens to collapse. The plan forces each character to balance loyalty against self interest, while the social circle closes in with whispered suspicions. As suspicions mount, the tension tightens and the night spins toward dangerous consequences.

Directed by Frank Darabont, Buried Alive arrived in 1990 as a television thriller written by David A Davies and Mark Patrick Carducci. It was produced with a modest two million dollar budget.

Critics noted the tight pacing and strong performances by Tim Matheson and Jennifer Jason Leigh, while the story probes themes of greed, trust and the danger of secrets kept close to home. The mood blends suspense with an uneasy psychological undercurrent, and the setting heightens the claustrophobic feel. The performances carry a tension that keeps viewers guessing about loyalties and potential betrayals, while the script avoids sensationalism, preferring procedural rhythm and character psychology.

Although not a widely cited title, Buried Alive offers a snapshot of early 1990s television thrillers and hints at Darabont's later mastery of character driven suspense. It remains of interest to fans exploring the director's formative work. For students of TV cinema it offers a compact blueprint of how a private domestic space can become a stage for moral conflict. It rewards viewers who notice small details. It also shows Darabont honing a spare, practical visual style that would inform his later films.