Sartaj Singh
Helmed by Manu Boyer, ‘Buried Alive and Survived’ centers on Alicia as she is forced to face the violent behavior of her ex-husband Victor after his release from prison. She had a hand in putting Victor in jail but did so to protect herself and their son, Malcolm. Enraged at the perceived betrayal and being separated from his family, Victor kidnaps Alicia. He assaults her before binding her and burying her alive in a makeshift coffin. However, she manages to fight her way out of the early grave and confronts her obsessive ex-husband to save Malcolm from him. The thriller is part of Lifetime’s Fall Slate of ‘Ripped From the Headlines’ movies and features multiple sequences that seemingly hit closer to reality.
Buried Alive and Survived is Likely Inspired by a Real Case of Attempted Murder
Largely a fictional movie written by Nigel Campbell, it appears that ‘Buried Alive and Survived’ takes inspiration from true stories. The true crime event that matches the film’s major plot points most closely is that of a Lacey, Washington, man who attempted to murder his estranged wife by burying her alive. In October 2022, Chae Kyong An, a 53-year-old retired serviceman, visited his wife, Young Sook An, to discuss their upcoming divorce. An reportedly did not want her to get his pension after the settlement and became increasingly agitated as their discussion devolved into an argument. Soon, his 42-year-old wife asked him to leave and went into her room to change.
However, An followed her and punched her several times in the head before shoving her to the ground. He then began to bind her limbs with duct tape before briefly leaving the room. Young took the opportunity to call 911 on her Apple watch. She was gagged and couldn’t communicate with the operator but made muffled sounds of distress. The operator heard the attempts to speak, which were followed by sounds of banging and struggle before going silent. Young was dragged down the stairs and in front of the garage. There, An noticed that she was wearing a smart watch and smashed it with a hammer before delivering a bludgeoning blow to her arms.
The police recognized the urgency of the call and arrived at the house using its cell phone tower location. By then, there was no one there, but clear signs of disturbance could be observed. An took Young into a wooded area in his van, where he pulled out a knife. She begged him to let her go, pleading for him to think of their children. “I don’t need anything. Today, I’m going to kill,” he reportedly told her. An stabbed her before burying her alive in a shallow grave and covering it with branches while she was still bound and gagged. The woman was buried for a few hours before miraculously freeing her bindings and fighting her way out of the ground. She saw An in the van nearby and ran in the opposite direction.
Alicia’s Story Draws Several Parallels With the True Crime Case
According to reports, after freeing herself, Young Sook walked out of the woods for 30 minutes before finding the closest house and banging on the door. When the cops arrived, she sprinted towards them, begging to be saved from her husband and informing them that he was still in the woods. An was arrested, and his lawyer tried to make a case for mental health issues related to his service. However, the argument did not hold up in court, and in April 2024, Chae Kyong An was sentenced to 13 years in prison for second-degree attempted murder, followed by three years of community custody.
An stated that he should have never gone to her house, wishing that he had walked away. The incident left Young with several scars, both physical and psychological. “After that day, I and my children’s life was crushed,” she said in her statement. “I have to live my life with emotional trauma and health issues for the rest of my life.” The plot of Lifetime’s ‘Buried Alive and Survived’ largely matches the events of the case partway, with the husband attacking and kidnapping his wife before ducktaping and burying her.
The film fictionalizes the chain of events with Victor gaining more of a motive to do what he unjustly did as he spent time in prison and blamed it on Alicia. Alicia’s escape is followed by her facing down Victor to save Malcolm, which is added as a dramatized finale to the story. Thus, though the makers haven’t confirmed it, ‘Buried Alive and Survived’ seems to be largely inspired by the true Chae Kyong An case. However, it substantially dramatizes and alters the events and characters to create an original story.
Read More: Lifetime’s Buried Alive and Survived: Filming Locations and Cast Details
