Beyond the Seventh Door

I actually worked on this shoot and I am sure it is no surprise to all of you that Lazar is the same in real life. I know what you are thinking, how can that be? How can someone with such little command of the English language be cast in a movie? I still do not know. His charm, much like someones nails across a blackboard, plays on you day after day until Stockholm Syndrome kicks in and he actually becomes a likable yet still incomprehensible guy. This charm and the fact Bonnie was not so hard on the eyes had me give this movie a 4 out of 10 (OK that and the fact I worked on it). But you all have missed the true brilliance of what went into making this picture, and that started with BD Benedikt its director and Hamid the DOP (and ex-film maker for the Shaw of Iran). Without the personal insight of these gentlemen into what the viewing audience wants, Lazar would not have been half the actor he was in this movie. I suggest strongly that if these two gentlemen were ever given money to make another film and you can find a copy, watch it! They were only getting warmed up by the end of this film. And for the record, it was shot in the basement of the Colonial Tavern across from the Eaton Centre on Yonge St. (Not BD's basement, which was an option). It has since been turned into green space.

It brought many a tear to my eye to see such a magical performance. Boris, portrayed by Hollywood heartthrob Lazar Rockwood, is perhaps the finest crafted, written and performed character in film history. You completely forget about Lazar's natural good looks, charm and intelligence and only see what he wants you to see, Boris, a second rate thief with a possible drug addiction and severe mental illness. Sometimes you think he's epileptic, sometimes autistic and other times it seems like he was just pulled out of the gutter, given a pack a smokes and told to stand in front of a camera. Lazar's performance was so flawless that during the sex scene in the grungy sewer/basement, I actually felt ill to my stomach, as I'm sure Lazar and the Director intended. I still get a little woozy just thinking about it, truly unbelievable stuff.

1987 - Paul Newman won best actor for Color of Money and best picture went to Platoon. Lazar and Beyond the 7th Door didn't even receive a nomination.

If nothing else the makeup crew should have received a nod for creating a believable "Boris" out of hansom leading man Rockwood.

Keep the faith Lazar, don't get discouraged, performances like this will eventually be recognized for what they are - pure brilliance.

In all seriousness, this film and particularly Lazar Rockwood are so exceptionally bad that it's hard to not watch this movie...multiple times. Canadian cinema and Hollywood have missed the boat on not using Lazar more often, he is the "car wreck" of acting. I just can't look away.

I rated this film a 10/10 and meant it, a film this "bad" yet wonderful, is as rare as any "good" 10/10 film there is.

It's a shame that this film is rarely seen outside of Canada. A true cinematic treasure that will stand the test of time.

Bravo!

In BEYOND THE SEVENTH DOOR, ex-con Boris (Lazar Rockwood) joins his girlfriend, Wendy (Bonnie Beck) for "one more job", involving the burglary of her boss' mansion.

So, the pair enter the fortress-like estate, unaware that it is specifically set up to thwart their criminal venture. The rest is a nightmare trip through a labyrinth, where the title comes into play.

Unfortunately, there are several things that hamstring this production. The infinitesimally tiny budget is an obvious problem. In spite of this, the "sets" (aka: a big basement) manage to be adequate. Indeed, more money could have made a substantial difference.

Then, there are the "actors". While Ms. Beck appears to, at least, be human, Mr. Rockwood couldn't have a better last name, since he seems to be some sort of mullet-donning, animated boulder / tree hybrid. Calling his movements and delivery "stiff" is like calling Antarctica "chilly".

Still, this movie does have merit in that it predates films with similar elements / themes, like CUBE, SAW, THE COLLECTOR, CRUSH THE SKULL, THE TRAP, etc., by many years. One can only imagine what BT7D could have been, if only it had a real cast, money, and a director...

This Canadian thriller has to be seen to be believed. It's an ultra-cheap production, made by Marvan Films (a production company never heard of again), and featuring in its main actor the unmistakable Lazar Rockwood, a distinctive-looking Serbian actor better known for playing bad guy henchmen in the rest of his movie parts.

Rockwood's non-acting style takes some beating, it has to be said, and he ever makes the token female, Bonnie Beck, look good by comparison. The weirdest thing about this movie is the plot: Rockwood plays a burglar who becomes trapped in an underground complex of booby-trapped chambers and must use his brain to escape.

It feels very much like an early version of a CUBE-style storyline, or perhaps a fictionalised CRYSTAL MAZE. And it's fair to say that this is an inept film throughout, with direction that's even worse than the acting. It comes as little surprise that Beck is forced to divest her clothing as the running time progresses, leaving her parading around in her skimpy underwear. Otherwise, I'm not really sure what I just watched!