The Beyond

The Beyond

Directed by Lucio Fulci

87 minutes

The Beyond (Lucio Fulci, 1981), that was also released as Seven Doors of Death, is unofficially part of the Gates of Hell trilogy alongside City of the Living Dead (1980) and The House by the Cemetery (1981). I haven’t seen City of Living Dead, but, The House by the Cemetery has similarities in themes and a good reason why the cellar door is locked and you shouldn’t go down to that dodgy looking basement. Unfortunately Fulci’s films were heavily censored due to graphic content, but any Fulci enthusiast could tell you his films are unique and shouldn’t only be recognised for the gore. Of course, Fulci was labeled the “Godfather of Gore” for a reason, and no doubt there are some gruesome scenes in The Beyond. For example, a character falls from a ladder, only to wake up to tarantulas ripping his face apart. Although the visuals are pretty bad what is unique to this scene is Fulci leaves the viewer with nowhere to go but to watch the agonising scene. It is long and refuses to satisfy the viewer through fun, quick murder scenes. There are no traditional timing cues, so you have know idea when an event is going to take place. Don't except to hear, “I’ll be right back”. Equally,  Fulci’s characters aren’t your typical sexually active teenagers or virginal final girls. 

There’s not much to The Beyond, which is a good thing because it evokes some nice imagery. Main protagonist Liza (Catriona MacColl) invests in the same house that during 1927an artist named Schweick had been killed by a Lynch mob believing him to be a warlock. Schweick is killed in a Christ-like way only to return back as a zombie. Liza starts to repair the building, hiring Joe the Plumber (Giovanni De Nava) to fix the dodgy basement. However, Joe activates a wall to the hell portal allowing the dead to cross into the world of the living.

Besides the odd lip-synching issues you get (unfortunately) with Italian horror films or characters tactically used in the script to explain what is going on, this is great film. Not only does it have Fulci’s gore trademark, The Beyond has layers. Even though the heavenly overtones are quite obvious, its imagery, especially in the final sequence when the main characters become trapped in a surreal labyrinth, this is beautiful. Fulci is suggesting the final characters are possibly, in purgatory and depending on how you view this, could be a happy or dark end. Symbolism is also clear and beautiful displayed through the eye. In one occasion the victim’s head is pushed so far through a nail, it causes her eye to pop out. This could also suggest that the audience have been metaphorically assaultive. Emphasis to the eye also occurs when character’s come into contact with the dead and turn blind. Emily, played by Cinzia Monreale is not only blind but represents a ghost figure. What becomes interesting in her dialogue is the way Emily interprets being blind has made her perception better, but at the same time, it is not without its consequences when the spirits turn against her.

 The Beyond is a picturesque, scary film, which sound like they couldn’t exist together. Sometimes the narrative doesn’t making sense, but it resists the urges to take you to the familiar territories in the horror genre. Fulci takes you to a familiar place like you are dreaming and the random cognitive within them.