Más allá de lo diabólico

Genre favorites John Saxon and Lynda Day George star as a couple who move to the Philippines where they purchase a grand colonial mansion. Life seems great, but it turns out the house was built by a husband and wife who killed one another. The wife was an occultist, and she still happens to be looking for a living vessel to inhabit.

This kitschy supernatural horror movie takes cues from "The Exorcist" and a spat of other similar films, and predates "Mausoleum," which has a similar tone and premise. The good is that it has some nice cinematography, and there are a few moments throughout that evoke a sense of creepiness; Saxon and George are awoken in the middle of the night to odd voices; he finds her idly meditating over a fire in the fireplace; she sees the ghost of the deceased female occultist trying to possess her. The cinematography is also top-notch, especially for a low-budget feature.

The bad? The screenplay is rote in its procession. Saxon's character goes back and forth from his architect job, while George's character experiences increasingly odd supernatural experiences. A subplot involving a medicine man who lives next-door is woven in, and he is a source of all the knowledge regarding possession and the evil spirit in the couple's mansion. These events play out in a manner that is rather dull and predictable, and there isn't enough connective tissue to bind them together. The performances from Saxon and George do help amplify the proceedings, and both give admirable efforts in a screenplay that gives them limited options.

In the end, "Beyond Evil" is a slightly amusing genre picture (several reviewers have commented on the dated special effects, which are actually not all that terrible in comparison to other films of this ilk), but it does feel largely underwhelming. The horror scenes, when present, are well-executed, but the rote unspooling of the story leaves the film feeling by-the-numbers. There are no real surprises to be had here, but if you are willing to accept that, it is a notch above the standard television horror flick of its era. 5/10.

This is a fabulous low-budget chiller that features a great collection of energetic and enthusiastic actors--there are literally no bad performances anywhere--and showcases steady, focused direction of the kind that movies with ten times the budget are often lacking.

On the downside, the film features some rather laughable visible effects. In most cases, the filmmakers seemed to be aware that their budget limited what they could do--and they got by quite effectively with creative lighting, fog machines, jump-cuts, and other inexpensive movie gimmicks--but then they also decided to do some animation effects. These were passable when all they were used for were to illustrate whenever the ghost was up to something evil, but when they started showing laser beams shooting from the eyes of the possessed Barbara, the animation went from cheap-looking to ridiculous.

Despite the occasional special effects missteps, "Beyond Evil" is mostly a competently executed haunted house/possession flick. It sags a bit in the middle--where the voodoo queen flexes her supernatural muscle and things get a bit repetitive as Larry tries to convince the increasingly strange Barbara to seek medical help--but for the most part it remains an engrossing little movie that's worth a look.

Beyond Evil (1980) is a movie that I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows an architect and his wife who are tricked into living in a haunted mansion in a foreign country where the previous owner killed his wife. The locals hold voodoo rituals there and conjure spirits only making matters worse. The wife starts seeing things at the house but no one believes her...until it's too late.

This movie is directed by Herb Freed (Graduation Day) and stars John Saxon (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Lynda George (Mission Impossible), Michael Dante (Westbound) and Alan Caillou (The Ice Pirates).

The storyline for this picture was actually pretty interesting, unique for the horror genre and had some potential. Unfortunately, The execution wasn't as good as I would have liked. The horror elements, doll and kill scenes were very mediocre. The use of flashing lights to create intensity didn't work. The settings were good and there's a belly scene at the end that was fantastic and well created. The acting was solid, and Lynda George was great (and beautiful). I just wish they took the voodoo elements and kill scenes a step further.

Overall, this is a very average addition to the horror genre that I would score a 5/10 but recommend seeing once.

Larry and Barbara Andrews (John Saxon and Lynda Day George) move into their new mansion only to find it haunted. We know it's haunted due to an opening tipoff scene, and also because the Andrews' are treated to a story / flashback of the previous owners, a sorceress named Alma and her idiot husband.

Now, Alma's back, and she's pi$$ed!

BEYOND EVIL is a preposterous tale of supernatural non-terror. The creepier it tries to be, the funnier it gets! Alma is a riot with her green, laser-blasting eyeballs and leering theatrics!

Be sure to listen for the overwrought musical score and "demonic" chanting!

BEST SCENE: The self-destructing Cadillac!

Drop whatever your doing and watch this right now!...

A few things about this film should attract cult film aficionados. Firstly, it stars John Saxon and Lynda Day George. It was also released on the infamous video label VIPCO (home of Zombie Flesh Eaters and Shogun Assassin in the early 80's). It's also features some of the cheapest special effects I've ever seen which have aged incredibly badly. In other words, it's great fun and has plenty of things going for it.

A couple move to a tropical island and find a mansion that is so cheap that they have to buy it. But it then becomes apparent that Barbara (George) is showing signs of being possessed by the evil spirit of the wife of the previous owner who was practising the occult before she ended up killing and being killed by her husband.

This is kitsch cult cinema at it's purest- bad effects, bad acting, bad plot. BUT, very enjoyable because of it. This film has, erm, character! This movie would be perfect if you stumbled upon it on an obscure cable channel late at night.