Tobin Bell, found new life in his long and illustrious acting career portraying the uber-weird and creepy Jigsaw in the popular slasher SAW franchise. His latest jaunt into the fractured world of the perverted mind of Jiggy is SAW III, which stole all the box-office thunder this past weekend.

Now, Bell will be looking at the lighter side of horror in next year’s supernatural comedy film “Buried Alive.” The pic, currently being shot, hosts a lineup of very professional behind-the-camera folk in the genre business including, director Robert Kurtzman (Wishmaster, From Dusk Till Dawn), writers T. Jay O’Brien (who is also a working actor) and Art Monterastelli (currently writing Stallone’s new Rambo flick). “There’s a lot of experience in this genre on this set,” Bell said.

“In Buried Alive, I play a guy who is a groundskeeper, a Vietnam-veteran groundskeeper, at a lodge,” Bell said in an interview. “And these college students come to this lodge. The lodge is owned by the father of one of the college students. This guy lives in a trailer in the property. He’s a Vietnam veteran, kind of an odd fellow, kind of like a housepainter. He’s not the sort who’s that welcoming to this group of college students who come to this lodge,” Bell said. “He’s used to being there by himself, taking care of it, and he’d just as soon keep it that way.”

“Partly, it’s a very funny film in a certain way,” Bell said. “‘Buried Alive’ is a little scary, but also a comedy at the same time.”

Sharing camera time with Bell will be Steve Sandvoss, (Latter Days) Terence Jay (Hooligans), Erin Lokitz (The Graveyard) and newcomer Leah Rachel.

There have been a grand total of seven flicks titled “Buried Alive” since the first one way back in 1908. Also, don’t confuse this one with the Edgar Allan Poe classic tale, they have very little in common with one another. Look for “Buried Alive” in theaters in time for the Halloween 2007 season.