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 I
can remember the moment as if it were yesterday when I first heard
of "The Beyond," or in this case the "Seven Doors of
Death. While scanning through a back issue of Fango (Issue #62,
p.33), I stumbled upon a review for a Lucio Fulci film entitled
"Seven Doors of Death". The review read like a
gore-hound's wet dream: "...the buckets of blood and gore keep
you wide awake until the ambiguous and creepy conclusion."
Already a huge fan of two other Fulci masterpieces, "Zombie"
and "The Gates of Hell" (aka
"City of the Living Dead"), I was foaming at the mouth and
itching to get my filthy little fingers on this piece of mayhem. You
have to remember that these were my pre-internet days and any
knowledge I had of the massive bootlegging market that existed in
the States was limited to my history lessons of the booze runners of
the 1930's.
After
reading that short little blurb in Fango, I decided to head on out
to my local video store which at the time had a pretty sizeable
horror collection. As I entered the store my expectations were
pretty low, because what were the chances that an obscure little
film released in the mid-eighties would have found its home on the
shelves of this establishment? When I entered the horror section, I
began scanning the box covers and to my surprise and amazement I
found a copy of the "Seven Doors of Death." My heart began
beating faster with anticipation, because surely the horror gods had
been smiling down on me that day...or were they laughing???
I
quickly ran home, ecstatic to see what was certain to be the newest
addition to my growing horror collection. As I popped in the VHS
tape, what had been joy quickly turned to an overwhelming feeling of
sickness. This couldn't be a film by Lucio Fulci, the man, the myth,
and the genius behind films like "Zombie" and "City
of the Living Dead". This film lacked the trademark Lucio gore,
and the soundtrack almost made my ears bleed, but alas it was true,
this was a Fulci film...or was it???
Several
years later as I entered the magical world of the internet, the
truth would finally be revealed. I happened upon an ad in Fangoria
for
Blackest
Heart Media and decided it was time to take a major step back
into the world of real horror. When I called Shawn Smith and asked
for a few suggestions, the first words out of his mouth were
"The Beyond". He went on to say that the film had been
originally released here in the States as the "Seven Doors of
Death" and I quickly interrupted, stating that I had already
seen that load of shit. After a few more minutes of being coaxed and
promised that this was in fact Fulci's true vision for the film, I
decided to take another chance on it and boy am I glad I did. From
that day forward, "The Beyond" quickly found its way into
my top-ten horror films of all time.
With
the recent release, on video and DVD, of "The Beyond" by
Anchor Bay (although true credit for this magnificent addition to
any self-respecting horror fan's collection should go to Bob
Murawski and Sage Stallone of GRINDHOUSE Releasing), I think a whole
new generation will be introduced to what Fulci playfully calls ”A
plotless film, (with) no logic to it, just a succession of
images". I, myself, wouldn't sell "The Beyond" that
short, because in my opinion its story (see below) gets stronger
with each viewing, but I would definitely agree that the imagery
does drive the atmosphere necessary for creating a surreal vision of
both this world and beyond. Every time I watch this film, the
more magical it gets. I see more and understand to a greater extent
the vision Fulci brought to the genre, and thus my admiration for
his contribution grows almost daily.
Just
as a composer must keep in mind the sound of each individual
instrument while composing his symphony, so did Lucio, although on
different levels (story, gore, casting, score, etc.), when he was
creating his masterpiece "The Beyond". Having
already discussed the story and Fulci’s vision above, let's now
focus on some of the other ingredients that have helped to propel
"The Beyond" into my top-ten horror films of all time.
First, let's look at the leads–the charming David Warbeck and
beautiful Catriona MacColl. Both actors had worked successfully with
the Maestro on separate occasions prior to "The Beyond".
David Warbeck's experience with Fulci began with the Poe-inspired
"The Black Cat” in 1980. Also a Fulci veteran, Catriona
MacColl had starred as Mary Woodhouse in "The City of the
Living Dead" and later as Lucy Boyle in "House by the
Cemetery". Although the script lacks any in-depth
characterization, both Warbeck and MacColl were able to breathe life
into John and Liza, making them believable and real.
Second,
what would a Fulci film be without over the top gore? The sequences
in "The Beyond" that blow me away and rival those in
"Zombie" and "City of the Living Dead" include:
crucifixion of the wizard, Joe the Plumber's demise, and the
exploding-head scene in the hospital. All three of these, along with
many others, were top notch scenes and important to the storytelling
in this narrative. Many people may be turned off by the gore in this
film. My advice to them is to go back and watch "Scream"
and leave the real horror for us hardcore fans. Others may be
critical of the special effects, calling them amateurish, which they
are not, but I for one both cheer and applaud these efforts, not
only for their effectiveness, but also for the lack of budget with
which they were accomplished. Fulci’s ability to utilize gore in
driving the story and creating atmosphere is almost unparalleled in
today's movie-making. Is this true of all Fulci's filmmaking??? No,
there were many films later in his career where he felt it necessary
to exploit gore mainly because the scripts he was shooting were
lacking substance, but in the time span from "Don't Torture a
Duckling" to "New York Ripper," he was truly the
"King of Horror" and gore was partly the foundation for
his success.
Finally,
the score for "The Beyond" is magnificent. Just as imagery
and gore are important to any Fulci film, the score is the final
piece that melds them together and helps heighten the effectiveness
of the storytelling. Fabio Frizzi's (“The City of the Living
Dead,” “Zombie,” and “Manhattan Baby”) score does a
wonderful job in creating tension, building suspense, and enhancing
the overall atmosphere of the film. It is the final component in
Lucio's symphony of fear. The score for "The Beyond" is
easily one of my all-time favorites and a prize in my collection.
I
hope that this page, as well as the site, will help educate people
about
Fulci, a man who has done more for
horror than most people are willing to give him credit for. Again,
anything you can contribute to this site will be greatly
appreciated. Go out, find "The Beyond" and enjoy!!!!!!!
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