Beyond Evil (1980)

An architect and his wife move into a house with a bloody past and a 100-year-old ghost, who possesses the wife.

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 house with a bloody past and a 100-year-old ghost, who possesses the wife.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

Beyond death. Beyond pain. Beyond Evil.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 May 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Casa maldita

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

IFI/Scope III, Milano Films International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Did You Know?

Connections

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

User Reviews

Nifty low-budget chiller with some atrocious special effects

This is a fabulous low-budget chiller that features a great collection of energetic and enthusiastic actors--there are literally no bad performances anywhere--and showcases steady, focused direction of the kind that movies with ten times the budget are often lacking.

On the downside, the film features some rather laughable visible effects. In most cases, the filmmakers seemed to be aware that their budget limited what they could do--and they got by quite effectively with creative lighting, fog machines, jump-cuts, and other inexpensive movie gimmicks--but then they also decided to do some animation effects. These were passable when all they were used for were to illustrate whenever the ghost was up to something evil, but when they started showing laser beams shooting from the eyes of the possessed Barbara, the animation went from cheap-looking to ridiculous.

Despite the occasional special effects missteps, "Beyond Evil" is mostly a competently executed haunted house/possession flick. It sags a bit in the middle--where the voodoo queen flexes her supernatural muscle and things get a bit repetitive as Larry tries to convince the increasingly strange Barbara to seek medical help--but for the most part it remains an engrossing little movie that's worth a look.