Beyond Evil (1980)

An architect and his wife move into a colonial mansion, where the demonic presence of the original owner's wife takes residence.

Director:

Herb Freed

Writers:

Paul Ross, Herb Freed

Stars:

John Saxon, Lynda Day George, Michael Dante

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Saxon	...	Larry Andrews
Lynda Day George	...	Barbara Andrews
Michael Dante	...	Del Giorgio
Mario Milano	...	Dr. Frank Albanos
Janice Lynde	...	Alma Martin
David Opatoshu	...	Dr. Solomon
Anne Marisse	...	Leia Solomon
Zitto Kazann	...	Esteban
Beverly Dixon	...	Nurse
Alan Caillou	...	Police Inspector
Edward Ansara	...	Raymond Broido
Jennifer Italiano	...	Jennifer
Peggy Stewart	...	Lady Patient
Mickey Caruso	...	Construction Worker (as Mickey Carouso)
Chuck Hicks	...	Hospital Attendant

Storyline

An architect and his wife move into a colonial mansion, where the demonic presence of the original owner's wife takes residence.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | ghost | magic | reference to satan | tropical setting | 

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Taglines:

A terrifying story of love and possession...

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Herb Freed got along so well with Lynda Day George he cast her husband, Christopher George, in his next film- 'Graduation Day'(1981).

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Alternate Versions

When originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure a 'X' rating. All cuts were waived in 1993 when the film was granted a '15' certificate for home video.

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Connections

Referenced in Graduation Day Blues: An Interview with David Baughn (2014)

User Reviews

Not what you would expect considering this is a Troma film.

This film does not seem like the Troma I am used to. Usually Troma films are filled with gore, nudity and all sorts of sleaze, while this one tries to have a serious story going and it also differs from most of their offerings in that it is boring. This could have been the sequel to the film "A Name for Evil" with Robert Culp as it plays a bit like that film only a bit more flashier. Still, it drags on and on with one inconsequential plot point after the other with the occasional tepid kill thrown in to remind you that you are still watching a horror film no matter how little horror is on the screen at any given time. This one also has a lot of the same plot elements of the film "Mausoleum" within it, only that film came after this one and it seemed to know it was a horror film as it had a whole heck of a lot going for it compared to this one which has one thing and one thing only going for it and that is John Saxon as the lead character.

The story has an architect and his wife relocating to an island where the architect is helping to oversee the construction of some buildings. There is a buddy who is supposed to be getting an apartment ready for them, but he is instead getting them an awesome new house at an unbelievably low price. Turns out the place has a history and there is a lot of history with the characters, to much if you ask me. There is to many shady deals going down here which would be cool if it were the least bit relevant to the plot! Well the place is haunted by a woman who died in the place and practiced dark magic and so she shall try and take over the architect's wife in very slow and unspectacular fashion. There is a faith healer that warns our hero, but of course he does not believe in all that magic stuff. The filmmakers apparently did, painting faith healers as real, obviously this is before their little tricks were revealed to be nothing more than chicken livers.

So you have a possession plot going on, so you probably want to know is it interesting? Well no, I said the film was boring and I meant it. The problem is they went to serious and the threw up a very weak horror film. The plot could be a possession plot on a soap opera it is so bland. It also feels very much like a television film, especially when the scene cuts out on a high musical note that sounded as if the film were about to go to commercial. So there is very little in the way of gore, nudity or general mayhem and the film is mainly people milling around and talking about stuff that is not relevant to the possession plot. This is a film that just screams gore and nudity and delivers not much in the way of either. So you hope the story is good, but it is just to crammed with stuff that just is not important.

There is a good point to the film and that is John Saxon as the architect. If not for him I would have given the film a one, but he is an actor who stars in these b movie nightmares and can make them a bit more tolerable. I love the pointless scene in the hospital about the missing records where he punches a dude in the stomach. He does a good job and the lady portraying his wife has a nice chest, it is a shame they never showed it to us in all its glory as it would have been worth at least another point from me.

So this film in the end is boring. Very much like another Troma film, "Zombie Island Massacre" in that it is set on an island and there is nothing that you expect within. I was expecting more, some good gore, perhaps lots of boobies. All I got were plot points that at times seemed to come from another movie entirely and a very slow moving possession film. You get deaths that are also suited for other films as they usually just had people falling or other things that just did not seem part of a horror film. Just disappointed all around with this one, I was not expecting this one to be really good, but I also was not expecting it to be boring either. Heck, it was beyond boring.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 May 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Casa maldita

Filming Locations:

Seven Seas Restaurant, Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

IFI/Scope III, Milano Films International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1