L'Au-delà

The idea of a gateway to hell being opened has potential but this movie doesn't pull it off. The story lacks details, the characters trait's are not developed enough, and the dialog is utterly ridiculous ("Attack Dickie! Attack!"). The only reason someone might want to see this movie is because of the gore, which the movie has a lot of, but some scenes are unrealistic. I advise people that aren't fans of Fulci's work to steer clear.

This is probably my favorite horror movie of all time, and that stacks up against the pure genius of stuff like Phantasm, Evil Dead, Phenomenon and Dead Alive or any Romero. We have "Shocktoberfest" at my place every year over several nights, and I remember it being the 2008 election season when we watched The Beyond (like we do just about every year). We were totally blown away by John McCain and Joe the Plumber being in the same movie from 1981!!! Well, it's actually "John McCabe" but being that close to the election we could only hear "McCain," and our heads probably weren't on completely straight. Fulci is a master and transcends space-time to bring us the ultimate in fear and gore.

I guess I must have been in a bad mood when I first watched this as I really didn't like it. Now I've watched it again (simply because I'd forgotten I'd even watched it, I really enjoyed it - like I've done so with many (so-bad-they're-good) Italian horror films of the eighties. It's about a hotel in Louisiana which is basically a 'hell-mouth' and, seeing as Buffy probably wasn't born when this was made, it's up to a woman who wants to refurbish it and a doctor who can only shoot a zombie in the head every three shots (I counted!).

It's a bit weird where there are some secondary characters who just wander around talking badly. Yes, it's dubbed in many places - I noticed that severely when I first watched it and it's still as overly-dramatic now. In typical Italian horror movie style, it's almost deliberately all over the place and the sharp edits which give the film a truly disconcerting atmosphere. Plus there are some scenes which are almost funny while being bizarre - like when a woman seems to freak out because a beaker of water overturns in slow motion (and she then comes off worse, believe it or not).

And there's the gore - which was damn gool if you're into 'claret' and generally want to see a hundred and one different ways of inflicting pain on eyeballs. Back in the eighties (before every 'head-shot' was computer generated) film-makers had to come up with new and interesting ways of doing gore on the cheap. And, to be fair, that's one area where The Beyond succeeded. The gore wasn't just gore, but also pretty inventive, providing me with more than a few moments of on-screen horror that I've never seen before.

I'm glad I've given this film another go as - this time - I found it really entertaining and it's an example that you clearly need to be in the right mood for the right film.

This film has great atmosphere. There are some great moments and elements here.

I like it's approach to horror. To me it inspires the imagination.

It holds up as a gory film, even today. Which is an accomplishment.

However this film is not for everyone. You have to be able to appreciate older movies. And have a little open mindedness. But it does hold up well.

With movies like this, with giallo in particular, it won't be appreciated by some close-minded modern viewers.

Because this film works on inspiring the imagination.

With movies like this, it taps into that sense of wonder connected with fear and mystery.

A capacity for wonder is sorely lacking in our day.

Why this film works well is that it taps into wonder, fear and mystery. It implies more than it shows.

In usual Fulci style, it zooms up and focuses on the gore instead of cutting away from it, or whatever. Which I really appreciate.

But if you truly understand this movie, the impact comes not from gore but from what is implied in the story. And the atmosphere.

The film has a great ending which really makes the film for me.

Now it is a little bit of a slow burn. But even in that there is death and gore happening so it certainly shouldn't be considered boring.

But it takes time to build into the crescendo of the final act.

Some might consider it dated but in actually it has that charm of time. It has this late 70s horror vibe that can be really enjoyable for a genre fan.

(Yes, I know it was made in '81)

Ultimately, an objectively great film.

But I would only recommend it to open minded, perceptive viewers who can appreciate it like it deserves.

A woman attempting to fix up an old southern house she inherited accidentally stumbles upon one of the seven doors to hell and unleashes a torrent of nightmarish terror into the world.

Lucio Fulci films can be an acquired taste. While his talent for creating unforgettable and gory images is obvious, his scripts don't always make the most sense and this is no exception. It gets by on mostly style and gore effects alone and the script is nothing more than a skeleton.