The_Beyond

The majority of film fans do not know who Lucio Fulci is. While he is still a rather well-kept secret among cinema-goers, recent DVD releases of his best films have earned him an evergrowing legion of fans and provide re-evaluations of his work, dismissed as low-budget splatter films during their original releases. Even though I have picked THE BEYOND as one of my favorite films, it was hard for me to pick a representative Fulci film to appear on my list, as I enjoy almost his entire filmography. But THE BEYOND is still fresh in many minds from its 1997 American theatrical re-release and is regarded by many Fulci fans to be his masterpiece. It is hard to argue that fact after viewing the film.
Prologue: in 1927 Louisiana, a gloomy hotel is the home of Schweik (Antoine Saint John), a painter who foresees the opening of the seven gates of Hell, one of which is located in the basement of the hotel. Labeled a warlock, Schweik is chain-whipped, crucified, and doused with quick-lime in an especially gruesome sequence. Flash-forward to 1980. Liza (Fulci's regular beauty Catriona MacColl) has just inherited the hotel from an unknown relative. Mysterious events occur, such as a housepainter falling from a scaffold and the basement flooding with no water pipes leaking. Joe, the local plumber, accidentally opens the doorway to Hell and unleashes a terrifying array of zombies, spirits, and other horrors. It is left to Liza and her new friend John McCabe (Italian horror regular David Warbeck) to discover the secret of the hotel's history and the background of the mysterious blind girl Emily, who warns Liza to leave the hotel quickly.

My plot summary can not do justice to the film itself, as I could not give away major plot points without spoiling the film for you. Given the rather meager plot, THE BEYOND is a wholly visual experience. The senses are bombarded with images, sounds, and moods that make the overall viewing a haunting one. Fulci paints vivid portraits of deathly decadence that could never be duplicated in an American film: Liza meets Emily and her seeing-eye dog in a deserted bridge crossing a vast river, Emily is cornered in her ghostly 1927 living room by the living dead, and in one of the most horrifying visions in Italian, or for that matter, international horror cinema, an apocalyptic conclusion gives the viewer a depressing, but chillingly beautiful look at a literal Hell on earth. The finale is certainly one that will remain embedded in any human mind for days afterward.

Fulci is best-known for the gore effects in his Gothic 80s horror films. ZOMBIE was the 1979 trend-setter that put his name on the map and included a scene of an eye being impaled on a wooden splinter. Fulci began his "Gothic era" with CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, set in Dunwich, revolving around the seven gates of Hell (predating THE BEYOND), and starring Catriona MacColl. This film's highlights include a young girl crying tears of blood and vomiting up her intestinal tract and a local boy having a drill put through his head. THE BEYOND followed and features an architect being eaten alive by tarantulas and a young girl having the top of her head blown off. Fulci's last Gothic masterpiece, HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY, is his scariest film and manages to give HALLOWEEN a run for its money. While this film did not revolve around gore, but atmosphere and suspense, this did not stop Fulci from including a scene of a real estate agent stabbed to death with a poker. Surely not pleasant viewing, but Fulci stages these sequences not only as exploitational selling factors, but as personal nightmares burned onto celluloid. The personal aspect of Fulci's films is what makes them (and most Italian horror flms) so interesting. An American director would not think of exposing his personal fears, nightmares, and anxieties in his film. The primary goal of an American horror film is to make money. An Italian horror film is, for the most part, a personal experience for the director and more often than not, reflects the personalities of the men behind the camera. THE BEYOND is Fulci's personal view of Hell and any viewer watching it would be hard-pressed to think of a more subtly horrifying Hell than this.

THE BEYOND is not groundbreaking in its logic or performances. In fact, many Fulci films (especially his Gothic era ones) revolve around the lush imagery and not what makes sense. But this adds an oddly disorienting feel to the film(s) and makes them all the more successful. Composer Fabio Frizzi composed the best scores for Fulci's films (ZOMBIE, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE BEYOND, MANHATTAN BABY) and his score for this film may possibly be his best. A combination of synthesizers and Gregorian chants, the themes for THE BEYOND are beautiful and exhilirating as well as effectively scary. Actress Catriona MacColl was never excellent in any of her Fulci films, but was at least likable and charming enough to carry all of her scenes. David Warbeck had the same problem/gift. The real star of the film, besides Fulci himself, is Sarah Keller (aka Cinzia Monreale) as Emily, the ghostly blind girl.

The very sight of her blank-white eyes staring into the screen are enough to send chills down the spine, but Keller turns Emily not into a menacing spectre, but a sympathetic figure that the audience wishes to know more of. Her ultimate fate is made all the more tragic by Keller's flawless performance and Fulci's ability to build up her character splendidly. Keller/Monreale did return in several Fulci films (THE NEW GLADIATORS, SWEET HOUSE OF HORRORS) and starred in other Italian horrors (BEYOND THE DARKNESS, FRANKENSTEIN 2000), but none can compare with her appearance in THE BEYOND.

Thankfully, Fulci's film was revived for a successful 1997 theatrical re-release (produced by Sage Stallone, Sly's little [cooler] brother, and Quentin Tarantino) that introduced the film to a new crowd of fans. Sadly, my favorite mainstream critic, Roger Ebert, gave the film 1/2 a star. Strange, since he gives MIGHTY PEKING MAN 3 stars for being a bad movie! Ebert was, I think, a victim of his surrounding audience (like his no-star review for I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE): rowdy gorehounds who were there for the gore, laughed at the crummy dialogue, and did not appreciate the visual beauty of the film. I think if Ebert were left alone in a room to watch the film and rate it on its technical merits alone, he would have given it at least 3 stars. You readers know my whole-hearted opinion already: I am in total awe of the film and wish there were more made like it today.
THE BEYOND was released on DVD and VHS by Anchor Bay Entertainment in late 2000. Fortunately, these are not elusive and are as regular in video purchase stores as HALLOWEEN or CHILD'S PLAY. You won't find this to rent at your local Blockbuster (because it's unrated), but try NetFlix if you're wary of buying a film sight unseen. -By Casey

Other Recommended Lucio Fulci Films:
Don't Torture the Duckling (1972) - A small Italian village is plagued with a series of child murders.
The Smuggler/Contraband (1979) - Fulci's only crime thriller manages to pack lots of gore.
Zombie (1979) - An ancient voodoo curse raises the dead from their graves on a Caribbean island.
City of the Living Dead (1980) - A gateway to Hell opens in the sinister town of Dunwich, MA.
House by the Cemetery (1981) - An evil presence lurks in the basement of a family's new home.
New York Ripper (1982) - The Big Apple is terrorized by a sadistic slasher who leaves no clues.
The New Gladiators (1983) - "The Running Man" made 4 years earlier and much better!