Buckstone County Prison

1978 "In 1957, the people of North Carolina feared two things -- the mountain chain gang and a man named SEABO."
Buckstone County Prison
5.4| 1h56m| R| en| More Info
Released: 01 July 1978 Released
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Synopsis

The Hell Hole of North Carolina. In 1957, the people of North Carolina feared two things - the mountain chain gang and a man named Seabo. North Carolina's Buckstone County Prison and Chain Gang were infamous as the most feared correctional institution in the country. Run by the sadistically brutal Warden Coley and his henchman, Jimbo, prisoners rarely caused a problem and those that did, didn't live long enough to talk about it.

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Flixer1957 Contrary to common belief, some of Earl Owensby's pictures were released outside the Deep South. I actually enjoyed this on a double-bill with HOMETOWN USA when it hit the Hudson Valley drive-ins in 1979. In fact, I went back and saw it several times.I saw it again recently--a good trick in itself, considering how rare the movie is--and now I wonder what I saw in it Back Then. Guess a 22-year-old gorehound will watch anything...I distinctly remember that Owensby as the title character was lame, and that Don Red Barry was a great if apoplectic villain. I remember some striking North Carolina scenery, some good gore and shotgun killings and a massacre at the end.Somehow, I forgot that the hero was a doofus and that most of the acting was horrible. Aside from Barry, Ed Parker as a sadistic chief guard is arguably the best actor here. David Allan Coe cackles his way through his part like a hyperactive hyena. I understand he did time in real life--for lousy ham acting and bad singing, by any chance? I also forgot the technical gaffes already mentioned by another writer. Worst of all I forgot the deadly 117 minute running time--way too long for a drive-in prison picture. The plot is standard--one of those hero-is-framed, suffers-in-prison, gets-out numbers which could have been covered in 90 minutes at the outside. In fact, while I'm usually against hacking films, I'd be curious to see if the 86-minute German release print is any better.One thing keeps this bloated overlong flick from being the HEAVEN'S GATE of prison pictures--in between stretches of tedium, parts of it are PRETTY DARN FUNNY!!! One character goes to a brothel to HAVE BREAKFAST! I know the company there was more polite than the rude rubes at the local eatery but all I could say was Yeah, RIGHT!!! Another impossible situation: watch one geek swallow six bullets without choking. Watch other actors try not to choke on the insanely stupid dialog. Then there some lines that were stupid and funny on purpose--"The warden wants his car to shine like an old whore's nose!" being a prime example. And the finale is a real hoot, involving a gaggle of hit-men whose wardrobe looks like it came from a Goodwill box, or maybe a hobo jungle.If this bad review has actually made you curious, I can tell you that a copy may surface on eBay if you troll for it long enough. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Gwen-15 I first saw this movie on Showtime when Showtime was in it's infancy, fighting desperately with HBO for first place, because it was just the two of them.Back then the movie was called "Buckstone County Prison", which is also on the cover of the VHS I found on an obscure video .com site. I enjoyed this movie a lot. It has blackmail! It has racial tensions! It has false imprisonment and revenge! It has villains and heroes! It has boom mikes in the shots, prop accidents and flubbed lines! What more could anyone ask?! When I need a good laugh, I just pop in this video and enjoy. Best line of the movie "Ha Ha Seabo! That knife don't work too good at this range!" "Yeah, but I ain't agonna STAY at this range!"
Mister-6 This one had me looking through my thesaurus to find new words for bad. None were descriptive enough.I caught "Seabo" a while back on one of my old satellite movie stations. You can tell it was a low-budget deal - it had Earl Owensby in it. Don "Red" Barry and David Allen Coe were in it, too, though. They must have owed somebody. A lot.The main things I remember in this movie (besides the plot which I'd rather forget) is Owensby talking through his teeth a lot, making some guy swallow all his bullets, later on spending time in a backwoods house of ill repute (innocently, of course), and Barry calling out "Seabo," and shooting at everybody and everything in sight near the end.I think Coe sings a ballad about Seabo at the end, too. But, thank God, I don't remember all of it. All I do remember is it went on and on and on and on....Well, gotta give them credit: if nothing else, "Seabo" can give fledgling film makers hope: if this can be made, there's hope for their crummy little projects, too.Watch "Seabo"! Take heart!Half a star. I wonder if Coe has his "Seabo" song on CD?
kerwin-4 Very hard to find southern prison movie. Very violent and racist. Great soundtrack by David Allen Coe, who also co stars. Earl Owensby's greatest piece of work to date. Some stunning ladies too!!! The black guy who plays Zack deserves an award.