Documentary backdrop image for Bizarre Burials (2013)

Documentary backdrop image for Bizarre Burials (2013)

201360 minPGdocumentary

Bizarre Burials

201360 minPGdocumentary

Only 40% of the UK's population identifies as religious, leading to a rise in unconventional funerals and unique ways to commemorate the deceased.

Genres

Director

Synopsis

Only 40% of the UK's population identifies as religious, leading to a rise in unconventional funerals and unique ways to commemorate the deceased.

People

Ed Kelliedirector

Synopsis

A funeral director in the UK discusses the shift in burial practices as only 40% of the population identifies as religious. The documentary presents various unconventional funerals, such as themed services and bespoke coffins. It features unique offerings like tattooing ashes onto loved ones and turning them into vinyl records. These practices reflect a lighter approach to death in contemporary society.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Flashy Funerals - The Most Expensive Funerals You Can Have (2018)

Flashy Funerals - The Most Expensive Funerals You Can Have

Ten matching Rolls-Royce Phantoms are part of a lavish funeral planned by a family in Buckinghamshire, costing over £10,000 for transportation alone.

Flashy Funerals - The Most Expensive Funerals You Can Have

Public Health Funerals (2026)

Public Health Funerals

In Berlin, state-funded funerals are arranged for individuals who die without next of kin, raising questions about the respect afforded to the deceased.

Public Health Funerals

Mass Roman Baby Grave: The Real Roman Britain Revealed? (2025)

Mass Roman Baby Grave: The Real Roman Britain Revealed?

Mass infant graves and unusual burial practices in Roman Britain reveal a complex and often surprising historical narrative about life in ancient times.

Mass Roman Baby Grave: The Real Roman Britain Revealed?

The Strangest Funerals You’ve Ever Seen (2026)

The Strangest Funerals You’ve Ever Seen

Malcolm Brockelhurst's pre-planned funeral features a bright orange airplane coffin and a custom cremation song, highlighting unique burial practices alongside other unconventional tributes.

The Strangest Funerals You’ve Ever Seen

Bali's highland village keeps the deceased above ground (2026)

Bali's highland village keeps the deceased above ground

In Trunyan, the dead are neither burned nor buried but are placed beneath a sacred tree, reflecting the village's unique funerary traditions.

Bali's highland village keeps the deceased above ground

The Undertaking (2022)

The Undertaking

Thomas Lynch, a funeral director in central Michigan, shares the profound impact of funeral rituals on families navigating loss and grief across generations.

The Undertaking

The Forgotten Dead Compilation (2025)

The Forgotten Dead Compilation

A skeleton discovered in a medieval burial ground in Ipswich may provide evidence of an African presence in 13th-century England.

The Forgotten Dead Compilation

Living Your Own Funeral: South Korea's Unbelievable Trend (2026)

Living Your Own Funeral: South Korea's Unbelievable Trend

South Korea's "Well-Dying" movement promotes mental health through unique "fake funeral" services, allowing participants to reflect on life by writing eulogies and spending time in coffins.

Living Your Own Funeral: South Korea's Unbelievable Trend

Excavating the Business of Death (2025)

Excavating the Business of Death

A 13-meter deep shaft discovered in Saqqara, Egypt, reveals an ancient embalmer's cachette used for mummification tools and vessels.

Excavating the Business of Death

Modern Day Mummy: A Man Dying Of Cancer Wants To Be Mummified (2026)

Modern Day Mummy: A Man Dying Of Cancer Wants To Be Mummified

British cab driver Alan Bilis, facing terminal cancer, volunteers his body for a groundbreaking experiment in mummification led by Dr. Stephen Buckley and Dr. Jo Fletcher.

Modern Day Mummy: A Man Dying Of Cancer Wants To Be Mummified

Explore Bizarre Burials

Where else to watch

The Funeral Director (2019)

The Funeral Director

2019•52m•★7.2TMDB

In a small UK town, a funeral director offers support to families dealing with grief and loss during their most difficult times.

The Funeral Director

Billy Connolly's Big Send Off (2014)

Billy Connolly's Big Send Off

2014•45m•★5.6TMDB

Billy Connolly travels to Japan, India, and the United States to explore diverse cultural practices surrounding death and remembrance.

Billy Connolly's Big Send Off

Vampire Skeletons (2011)

Vampire Skeletons

2011•47m•★6.0TMDB

Two skulls with stones placed in their jaws were found in ancient graves during a 2007 archaeological dig in County Meath, Ireland.

Vampire Skeletons

Flashy Funerals (2016)

Flashy Funerals

Some families in the UK plan extravagant funerals that defy traditional norms, ensuring their loved ones are celebrated in unique and memorable ways.

Flashy Funerals

Going Alone (2022)

Going Alone

Five to ten percent of deceased Berliners are buried by authorities each year, often with mortician Bernd Simon handling the services alone.

Browse more like this

Public Health Funerals (2026)

Public Health Funerals

In Berlin, state-funded funerals are arranged for individuals who die without next of kin, raising questions about the respect afforded to the deceased.

Public Health Funerals

No digital watch option in your country

Mass Roman Baby Grave: The Real Roman Britain Revealed? (2025)

Mass Roman Baby Grave: The Real Roman Britain Revealed?

Mass infant graves and unusual burial practices in Roman Britain reveal a complex and often surprising historical narrative about life in ancient times.

Mass Roman Baby Grave: The Real Roman Britain Revealed?

No digital watch option in your country

The Strangest Funerals You’ve Ever Seen (2026)

The Strangest Funerals You’ve Ever Seen

Malcolm Brockelhurst's pre-planned funeral features a bright orange airplane coffin and a custom cremation song, highlighting unique burial practices alongside other unconventional tributes.

The Strangest Funerals You’ve Ever Seen

No digital watch option in your country

The Undertaking (2022)

The Undertaking

Thomas Lynch, a funeral director in central Michigan, shares the profound impact of funeral rituals on families navigating loss and grief across generations.

The Undertaking

No digital watch option in your country

Excavating the Business of Death (2025)

Excavating the Business of Death

A 13-meter deep shaft discovered in Saqqara, Egypt, reveals an ancient embalmer's cachette used for mummification tools and vessels.

Excavating the Business of Death

No digital watch option in your country

Church of the Dead (2011)

Church of the Dead

2011•21m•★10.0TMDB

Over 20 unique death rituals from around the world are presented, including jazz funerals in New Orleans and ancestral worship in Mexico.

Church of the Dead

Dealing with Death (2020)

Dealing with Death

2020•1h13m•★8.0TMDB

Anita, a funeral manager in Bijlmer, Amsterdam-Zuidoost, engages with diverse cultural groups to explore their unique death rituals and confront her own views on mortality.

Dealing with Death

Underground Top of the Charts (2025)

Underground Top of the Charts

2025•1h10m•★8.0TMDB

Funeral music in Croatia reaches emotional peaks during farewells, reflecting the country's diverse musical traditions and cultural significance.

Underground Top of the Charts

Refrain (1972)

Refrain

1972•11m•★6.5TMDB

An 11-minute portrayal captures the rituals and customs surrounding everyday funerals in Poland during the 1970s.

Necrobusiness (2008)

Necrobusiness

2008•1h35m•★4.2TMDB

Ambulance drivers in Lodz, Poland, are paid to obtain addresses of grieving relatives, leading to unethical practices in the burial fund system.

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →