The Beyond (1981)

 

It is fairly safe to assume most people will know the name of Lucio Fulci thanks to his most well-known zombie opus 'Zombie Flesh Eaters'. Rightfully so, as that is in fact an excellent film in its own right. 

However, for me at least, it is not his best. No, that honour would go to this one. Stick with me for a while and I'll explain why. 

The story opens with the pretty brutal execution of a painter in a hotel in Louisiana. The man is nailed to the wall and then drenched in lye, thus effectively melting his flesh. Fast forward to now (well, the early 80s) and Liza (Catriona MacColl) has inherited this house and wants it to become a hotel once again. It does need quite a lot of work, but things aren't off to a great start as a painter falls horribly down a scaffolding and the cellar is flooded. The plumber called to try and fix this is brutally killed and then everything gets even more strange. It turns out the painter knew about hell and the Book of Eibon and the hotel is, in point of fact, built upon one of the seven doors to hell. A blind girl tries to warn Liza, but she is also from another dimension and only Liza seems to be able to know she is there. It all comes to a climax in the local hospital, where Liza and a friendly doctor try to escape from the resurrected dead that now roam the halls. 

As always with Fulci, there are certain things you will need to get used to. This film doesn't really have a coherent narrative, let alone explanations. Things happen, and you simply go from setpiece to setpiece, often without any logic or reason. But in truth, this doesn't matter all that much. Another thing that might work against this film for some, is the distracting dubbing, which isn't always on point. But that is what you get when you mix English and Italian actors and the latter just do their dialogue in Italian. You can often tell that the lipsync is only a recommendation. 

But what makes this one of the greats, is that this is truly, in every sense of the word, one of the best atmospheric horrorfilms out there. This is genuinely a film that will make you feel uneasy at times, which is a feeling a great many horrorfilms seem to lack, especially since the 2000s. The imagery is captivating, entrancing and at the same time absolutely repulsive and disturbing. The special effects by legendary master Gianetto de Rossi are gruesome in all their gory details. Even if you know it's mostly rubber, putty, gallons of coloured ooze and what have you, it does look painfully real at times. You get quite a selection: acid melting away flesh, eye-gougings, a throat ripped out by a dog, massive spiders ripping someone's face to shreds... Yep, it's pretty extensive. There are only two times it feels a little off. One is with the spiders, where they mix real ones with obviously fake giant spiders because the latter move a little unconvincingly (yet the ripping of flesh will make you squirm) and the massive gunshot to the head of a little girl who has become a zombie. This comes a little unexpected and is a tad funny. 

Yet, it all gives you a sense of unease and it is truly a fascinating watch. Yes, it is also slow, like most Fulci films, but here it is a great way to ramp up the suspense. The depiction of hell is also one of the most bleak and disturbing there is, and it is brilliant in its simplicity. 

Or what about the music? Yes, it has that typical 70s psychedelic quality, but the main theme (which you'll be hearing a lot) is just as haunting as the imagery you will be seeing. 

In short: I can not praise this film enough as a gem of horror. This is in no way something for everyone. It is too brutal, too odd and perhaps a little too 'special' to appeal to a massive audience, but it doesn't have to be for all. In a way, this is as disturbing as David Lynch when he is on a roll, only mixed with gory horror in the best Italian tradition. 

I would recommend it with vigour, but you have been warned.