Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of The Beyond; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.50 Pace: 1.50 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25
TOTAL: 6.75 out of 10.00
Lucio Fulci steps grandly into the Haunted House sub-genre with the Beyond - And knocks it out of the park. What I admire most about Fulci is his unwillingness to hold back. If you're going to do something, then do it with panache. Though the plotline isn't too complex, it doesn't deter Fulci from inventively getting carried away, especially with the movie's finale.
The writers give us the tale of Liza Merril, who inherited an old Louisianna hotel. Unbeknown to her, the house has a dark past and blacker secrets. A painter renting one of the rooms taps into the hotel's corruptness, exhibiting itself via his artwork. Frightened, the townsfolk storm the artist's room and liquidate him in an unequivocally nasty fashion. They nail his crucified form in the building's basement. And in doing so, they allow the evil to ooze out into the world. Now Liza's having the old place renovated and preparing it to reopen the wickedness finds it has new toys with which to play. Anybody setting foot near the hotel had better beware. The writers give the audience a delicious taste of the macabre. They fill the narrative with credible characters, some of which are bizarre and some mysterious. They sprinkle in liberal amounts of passages from an enigmatic book. And they pepper the whole story with ominous iconography. There's enough in this story to keep you beguiled.
But your bewitchery doesn't end with the narrative. Fulci's direction will keep those peepers of yours frozen on the screen. He is a true master of the cinematographic art. The entire movie is abundant with smooth pans, rapid close-ups, varied camera points of view, quick cuts, and iconic compositions - he's especially dazzling with close-up eyeballs in this flick. Another plus is the special effects. These are gruesome, and although the popping peeper isn't too realistic, the chain-whipping is. It even made me wince, and I don't wince easy.
And, the magic doesn't end with the story and the direction. This cast is splendid. Even David Warbeck isn't too bad - if you've read my other reviews, you'll know I'm not a great fan of his. However, though the role is similar to others he's taken, he's less gung-ho in this flick. He would've been better if he'd completely removed the stick from his arse, but at least it's halfway out. I particularly liked Veronica Lazar as Martha. In The Beyond, she is the Queen Of The Scared Stare. Her face says everything though her mouth hardly utters a word. And the rest of the cast is splendid in their portrayals. Though Catriona MacColl as Liza, and Cinzia Monreale as Emily, can incline towards the hammy side - but it's only once in a while, so it's not too bad.
If you've not watched a Lucio Fulci film yet, do yourself a big favour and check out The Beyond. It's not as good as The House by the Cemetery, but it's close and well worthy of your time. Gorehounds included.
Now, lay down your paintbrush because it's time to review my Absolute Horror list and see where I ranked The Beyond.
Take Care & Stay Well.
Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.50 Pace: 1.50 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25
TOTAL: 6.75 out of 10.00
Lucio Fulci steps grandly into the Haunted House sub-genre with the Beyond - And knocks it out of the park. What I admire most about Fulci is his unwillingness to hold back. If you're going to do something, then do it with panache. Though the plotline isn't too complex, it doesn't deter Fulci from inventively getting carried away, especially with the movie's finale.
The writers give us the tale of Liza Merril, who inherited an old Louisianna hotel. Unbeknown to her, the house has a dark past and blacker secrets. A painter renting one of the rooms taps into the hotel's corruptness, exhibiting itself via his artwork. Frightened, the townsfolk storm the artist's room and liquidate him in an unequivocally nasty fashion. They nail his crucified form in the building's basement. And in doing so, they allow the evil to ooze out into the world. Now Liza's having the old place renovated and preparing it to reopen the wickedness finds it has new toys with which to play. Anybody setting foot near the hotel had better beware. The writers give the audience a delicious taste of the macabre. They fill the narrative with credible characters, some of which are bizarre and some mysterious. They sprinkle in liberal amounts of passages from an enigmatic book. And they pepper the whole story with ominous iconography. There's enough in this story to keep you beguiled.
But your bewitchery doesn't end with the narrative. Fulci's direction will keep those peepers of yours frozen on the screen. He is a true master of the cinematographic art. The entire movie is abundant with smooth pans, rapid close-ups, varied camera points of view, quick cuts, and iconic compositions - he's especially dazzling with close-up eyeballs in this flick. Another plus is the special effects. These are gruesome, and although the popping peeper isn't too realistic, the chain-whipping is. It even made me wince, and I don't wince easy.
And, the magic doesn't end with the story and the direction. This cast is splendid. Even David Warbeck isn't too bad - if you've read my other reviews, you'll know I'm not a great fan of his. However, though the role is similar to others he's taken, he's less gung-ho in this flick. He would've been better if he'd completely removed the stick from his arse, but at least it's halfway out. I particularly liked Veronica Lazar as Martha. In The Beyond, she is the Queen Of The Scared Stare. Her face says everything though her mouth hardly utters a word. And the rest of the cast is splendid in their portrayals. Though Catriona MacColl as Liza, and Cinzia Monreale as Emily, can incline towards the hammy side - but it's only once in a while, so it's not too bad.
If you've not watched a Lucio Fulci film yet, do yourself a big favour and check out The Beyond. It's not as good as The House by the Cemetery, but it's close and well worthy of your time. Gorehounds included.
Now, lay down your paintbrush because it's time to review my Absolute Horror list and see where I ranked The Beyond.
Take Care & Stay Well.