Review of The Beyond

Forming a loose trilogy with Fulci's "The Gates of Hell"(1980)and "House by the Cemetery"(1981),this gruesome bloodbath is one of the best horror movies ever made.Set in Louisiana,the film opens with a 1927 prologue featuring a Satanic painter being crucified and melted alive with quicklime in the basement of an old hotel.54 years later,Liza(Catriona MacColl)inherits the hotel and sets about restoring it.Little does she know that a 4000-year old book containing the prophecies of Eibon marks her new home as one of seven gateways to Hell.The atmosphere is so thick you could cut it with a chainsaw,the music by Fabio Frizzi is excellent,the set pieces are great,and the gore effects by Gianetto de Rossi and Germano Natali are really effective.The gore is extreme for example a poor plumber has his eyeball poked out by a zombie,an architect has his face eaten by hungry tarantulas who chew out his tongue,a blind Emily has her throat ripped out by her guide dog(this scene reminds me a similar sequence in Dario Argento's "Suspiria").Anyway if you haven't seen this cult masterpiece don't call yourself a horror buff.10 out of 10-what else?