Chaz Thorne reckons moviegoers will welcome something other than Iron Man, Hellboy or Batman at theaters this weekend when his dark comedy Just Buried bows in eight cities through Seville Pictures.

The Halifax native and debut feature director says he and Seville Pictures hope to take advantage of the ‘blockbuster fatigue’ that sets in around this time in the summer.

‘If you’re a frequent moviegoer there’s only so many blockbusters you can see,’ says Thorne, who co-wrote Clement Virgo’s 2007 film Poor Boy’s Game.

Just Buried stars Montreal’s Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder) as the reluctant heir of a funeral home who starts bumping off townsfolk to keep business flowing. The film also features Rose Byrne (Damages) and Graham Greene.

Thorne praises Seville for positioning the comedy as a commercial film, and seeking out screens in multiplexes including downtown Toronto’s Scotiabank theatre, which is even heavier than usual at this time of year with Hollywood fare.

‘It sends a message of what kind of film this is. It’s not an art house movie and not just about critics or festival programs… I’m interested in getting a wider audience,’ Thorne explains. Just Buried will bow on nine screens in cities including Vancouver, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary and Montreal. It’s set to expand to Winnipeg next week.

The film was well received at festivals including VIFF, this month’s Just For Laughs in Montreal, and last year’s Atlantic Film Festival, where Thorne was named best director.

Negotiations are underway with Los Angeles-based Liberation Entertainment for a U.S. release in the fall. The DVD will drop in January.

Meanwhile, horror comedy Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, from Ottawa director Jon Knautz, will open on AMC screens in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, and at the Tinseltown in Vancouver. The film stars horror icon Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street) as a professor who undergoes a grotesque transformation, leaving his student to save the day.

The busy weekend will also see Mongrel Media opening drama The Last Mistress, from French director Catherine Breillat, in Toronto and Vancouver, while Maximum Films bows the documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired at Toronto’s Royal theater.

Among U.S. fare, Columbia Pictures is releasing the comedy Step Brothers, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, while FBI agents Mulder and Scully are back in 20th Century Fox’s Vancouver-shot The X-Files: I Want to Believe — based on the popular ’90s TV series and following a 1998 movie adaptation.