The Beyond (1981)

aka E tu vivrai nel terrore - L'aldilà

Next to ZOMBI 2 and CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE BEYOND may be one of the most recognizable and beloved films of Lucio Fulci's career. Odds are pretty good you were introduced to Fulci's work through one of those 3 films. Though I truly love this film, I do not hold it near and dear as some other fans. There are some serious chinks in the armor of this baby, but it's still a classic in my book.

I have seen THE BEYOND several times (I'll probably see it many more times), and I watched again today for the first time, umm, well, sober. I've made it no secret that I'm a pothead, but since January of '07, I've cut back considerably. From smoking almost everyday to a few times a month. I'm not trying to quit all together, but I felt it was becoming an addiction, and that's when you have to step back, and assess the situation. Plus, my memory is a lot better now! That being said, seeing THE BEYOND sober was like watching it through different eyes.

The story is not a complex one, though it still manages to confuse people. A young business woman named Liza (Katherine MacColl, a Fulci favorite, though her acting skills are questionable) inherits an old hotel in Louisiana. She plans on remodeling it with help of some strange service people who "came" with the building. Strange occurrences start to happen, a room service bell rings on it's own, a painter falls from a scaffold, a plumber gets his eyes ripped out while repairing the flooded basement, Liza's friend falls from a ladder and gets his face eaten by tarantulas, the wife of the plumber gets her face melted off with acid, and a freaky blind chick (Cinzia Monreale as Sarah Keller) keeps warning Liza to pack up and leave.

Emily tells Liza of the legend of the hotel (we see it in the opening scene), that the one of the seven gates of hell lies underneath the hotel, where a warlock named Schweick tried once to to open it, but was stopped just in time. Meanwhile, Liza has the help of level headed John, a local doctor. He thinks she's either nuttier than a shithouse rat or pulling something over on him, especially when she tells him about Emily. Seems that the house that she talked to Emily at has been boarded up for years, and no one lives there. Dun-duh-duh!

Eventually the gate is opened, then all hell breaks loose, literally. Then it's zombie time! Liza and John end up in a hospital (worst possible place to be during a zombie attack), which leads to a conclusion that leaves it up to the viewer to interpret. Oh, Fulci, you sly dog you!

Okay, so THE BEYOND is a gorehounds dream, no doubt, but compared to Fulci's previous films, ZOMBI 2 and CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, I think Fulci dropped the ball. The gore is a mixed bag as some of it is incredibly fake, while some of it's very good. The little girl that gets her head blown off is fucking awesome, the acid melting scenes, not so much. The tarantula scene is gruesome, but laughable. I mean why did the tarantulas have to make that sound? Do tarantulas make sound? Maybe its because they were like, tarantulas…from hell! The eye poke, and old rusty nail through the back of the head and out the eye was coo,l and so is the throat ripping scene. I guess the acid and the tarantulas are what I had the most problem with. Plus there was a feeling that the film was rushed, and if Fulci had been able to spend more time on the film, it may have been better.

Another problem I have with the film, is some things leave you scratching your head. Is Emily a ghost? If so, why does she bleed and feel pain? Is she a zombie? What the fuck? It's the kind of thing that actually makes Fulci such a cult figure, because geeky horror fanboys can pontificate on such meanings. I mean, THE BEYOND could probably start debates on such topics as the opening of other dimensions, life after death, ghosts, or the paranormal in general. I think any movie that makes people think, and discuss is pretty cool.

Then there are the positives-- that out weigh the negatives. Fulci's direction is still strong, not as much as some previous films, but the man is still a force to be reckoned with. Fabio Frizzi performs one of his best scores, and actually, it is what makes the movie for me. Music does play a big part in my overall enjoyment of these kind of films. Music is my lifeblood, and my religion. If a movie has a great score, it can help me enjoy a mediocre film. Frizzi tears it up, and he's one of my favorite composers next to Ennio Morricone, Claudio Simonetti and Simon Boswell.

If I ranked all the Fulci movies that I've seen, THE BEYOND would definitely make my top 10. I love the film, but Fulci has made some better films. Though, for a gorehound like myself, you can't go wrong with this one.

THE BEYOND trailer