...E tu vivrai nel terrore! L'aldilà

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.

If you think Dario Argento doesn't give a damn about coherent plots, check out Lucio Fulci! 'The Beyond' does have a (Lovecraftian) plot as such - a woman inherits a hotel in Louisiana that contains one of the doorways to Hell - but that is basically an excuse for Fulci to string together a series of fantastic and frequently gory images. These include zombie attacks, eye gougings, a better dog attack scene than 'Suspiria', the crucifixion of a Satanist, and a sequence involving tarantulas which has to be one of the high points of horror, anywhere, anytime.

'The Beyond' is sensational and a bona fide modern horror classic. Absolutely essential viewing!

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.

The Beyond is one of Fulci's best films. The film takes place in modern day Louisiana as a woman oversees the the renevation of an hotel that she inherits. Strange and gory things start to happen and poof the hotel just happens to be over one of the 7 doors to hell. Very bloody with a slightly incoherent plot the film is a lot of fun and I suspect that no Fulci fan should be without their copy. Visually I think this is Fulci's best film (that I've seen) and the acting is what you'd expect. 7 / 10: FULCI LIVES