A young woman inherits an old hotel in Louisiana where, following a series of supernatural "accidents", she learns that the building was built over one of the entrances to Hell.
A reporter and a psychic race to close the Gates of Hell after the suicide of a clergyman caused them to open, allowing the dead to rise from their graves.
Director:
Lucio Fulci
Stars:
Christopher George,
Catriona MacColl,
Carlo De Mejo
Strangers searching for a young woman's missing father arrive at a tropical island where a doctor desperately searches for the cause and cure of a recent epidemic of the undead.
Director:
Lucio Fulci
Stars:
Tisa Farrow,
Ian McCulloch,
Richard Johnson
A burned-out New York police detective teams up with a college psychoanalyst to track down a vicious serial killer randomly stalking and killing various young women around the city.
A reporter and a promiscuous young woman try to solve a series of child killings in a remote southern Italian town rife with superstition and a distrust of outsiders.
Director:
Lucio Fulci
Stars:
Florinda Bolkan,
Barbara Bouchet,
Tomas Milian
An American college student in Rome and his sister in New York investigate a series of killings in both locations where their resident addresses are the domain of two covens of witches.
An archaeologist opens an Egyptian tomb and accidentally releases an evil spirit. His young daughter becomes possessed by the freed entity and, upon arrival back in New York, the gory murders begin.
Director:
Lucio Fulci
Stars:
Christopher Connelly,
Laura Lenzi,
Brigitta Boccoli
The cellar of an old hotel is built on top of the door to the beyond. Bloody zombies roam there. A young woman who is heir of the hotel wants to restaurate it. She is confronted with strange events. A painter has a lethal fall, the plumber vanishes and her friend breaks his neck. When she escapes to the hospital of a friendly doctor she doesn't know what a nightmare is waiting there...Written by
Matthias Luehr <mluehr@htwm.de>
Behind this doorway lie the terrifying and unspeakable secrets of hell. No one who sees it lives to describe it. And you shall live in darkness for all eternity. See more »
Bob Murawski of Grindhouse Releasing - who restored the film in 1998 - is a film editor and used a shot from this film in the spider-bite dream sequence in Spider-Man (2002). See more »
Goofs
John fires nine shots from his Colt .357 Python revolver before it is empty. This pistol only holds six rounds. See more »
The end titles of the U.S. version, "7 Doors of Death" are full of incorrect billings.
David Warbeck's character John McCabe is billed as "Doc." Antonie Saint-John (here called Tony Saint-John) is billed as Joe the Plumber. He actually played Schweick. Veronica Lazar is billed as playing the little girl, Jill. She was Martha, the housekeeper. Jill was played by Maria Pia Marsala. Someone named "Philip Ostrow" is billed as playing Arthur, Martha's son. He was played by Giampaolo Saccarola. Martha is billed as being played by someone named Margaret Lund. She was played by Veronica Lazar. Mary-Ann (billed here as "Joe's Wife") is billed as being played by someone named Helen Pierce. She was played by Laura De Marchi. Schweick (billed here as "Sweik") is billed as being played by someone named Robert Leahy. He was played by Antoine Saint-John. Dr. Harris is billed as being played by someone named Jim Barrett. He was played by Al Cliver.
If you count Catriona MacColl and Cinzia Monreale's real names not being used, every single cast listing in the "7 Doors of Death" version is wrong in some way or another. See more »
Alternate Versions
Japanese Video Tape from Daiei Video in glass box is fully uncut and letterboxed [English Language with Japanese Subtitles] See more »
L'Aldila/The Beyond(1981) is the film that brought interest in the cinema of Lucio Fulci. I became a big fan of his work after watching this movie. Have seen a good portion of his films since. The opening prologue is shot in a gorgeous sepia color. The murder/torture of Schweick represents the censorship and repression of the artist. Anchor Bay did a excellent job in the restoration of the film for DVD.
The chain whipping scene in it is a repeat of the one in Don't Torture a Duckling(1972). The chain whipping in The Beyond is much more gory. There are a couple of reasons why the chain whipping scene in Don't Torture a Duckling is more powerful and potent then in The Beyond. The scenes take place in natural settings. Goes for violent realism. The death of Maciara is depressing to watch.
L'Aldila(1981) was part of a trilogy called the 7 gates trilogy. This started with The Gates of Hell(1980), continued with this film, and was to end with The Beyond 2. Unfortunately, this trilogy would never be completed. This is a shame because I would have loved to see that film to know if it was good as the first two movies of the trilogy. The original intentions of The Beyond are different from the final results. This was because of budget and time restrictions. I wonder how much better the pic might have been with a modest budget and a little more time.
The make up effects is one of the film's best features. Despite the low budget, Giannetto De Rossi's effects are spectacular. The effects are done with flair and pizazz. Giannetto De Rossi did his best when working with Fulci. The effects for the death of Joe the Plumber are very good. The best effects in the film is the scene involving the young girl near the end.
The cinematography is spliced with atmosphere and style. Sergio Salvalti contributes to the film's gothic flavour. The cinematography contains a dreamish flow that makes the film beautiful. The score is one of my favourites for a horror film. The score fits perfectly with the scenes in the film. As good as anything done for Argento by Goblin.
The Beyond(1981) is an 'Absolute Film' where image and sound are the most important part of a film. On the making of this, Fulci once said, ("My idea was to make an absolute film, with all the horrors of the world. Its a plotless film, there's no logic to it, just a succession of images"). This is something that people who hate the film don't and will never understand. Many people do not like this because of its nonlinear structure. He also said, "In Italy we make films based on pure themes, without a plot and The Beyond like Inferno refuses conventions...people who blame the The Beyond for its lack of story don't understand that it's a film of images, which must be received without any reflection". Receiving a movie like this without any reflection is a hard thing for many film goers to do.
The works of Antonin Artoud and H.P Lovecraft play a major influence on The Beyond(1981). Fulci was inspired by this controversial French artist. The ideas of Artoud are present in most of Fulci's work. Schweick the painter bears a little resemblence to Antonin Artoud. Artoud was the founder of "The Theater of Cruelty" which talked to "Restore to the theater a passionate and convulsive conception of life, and it is in this sense of violent rigor and extreme condensation of scenic elements that the cruelty on which it is based on must be understood". This idea can be applied to The Cinema and this film.
The comment "Violence is Italian Art" by Fulci is relative to the movie and the history of Italian art. Its one of the few films where atmosphere and gore mix well together. Has good moments of spirital horror. The atmosphere is eerie and terrifying. The gory set pieces are satisfying. The surreal atmosphere and bloody imagery is what makes the film a classic.
The Beyond would influence many later American and Italian horror flicks. One, The Evil Dead(1983). Two, Hellraiser(1987). Three, Hellbound:Hellraiser 2(1988). Four, The Church(1990). Finally, Dellamorte Dellamore(1996).
The Beyond(1981) will never be a mainstream favourite because its not for everyone. The themes are well written by Dardano Sacchetti. Catriona MacColl and David Warbeck are very good in the roles of the heroine and hero. Veronica Lazar from Inferno(1980) is sinister as Martha. The director did a great job with the little resources that he had to work with. The ending will haunt your dreams for days to come.
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L'Aldila/The Beyond(1981) is the film that brought interest in the cinema of Lucio Fulci. I became a big fan of his work after watching this movie. Have seen a good portion of his films since. The opening prologue is shot in a gorgeous sepia color. The murder/torture of Schweick represents the censorship and repression of the artist. Anchor Bay did a excellent job in the restoration of the film for DVD.
The chain whipping scene in it is a repeat of the one in Don't Torture a Duckling(1972). The chain whipping in The Beyond is much more gory. There are a couple of reasons why the chain whipping scene in Don't Torture a Duckling is more powerful and potent then in The Beyond. The scenes take place in natural settings. Goes for violent realism. The death of Maciara is depressing to watch.
L'Aldila(1981) was part of a trilogy called the 7 gates trilogy. This started with The Gates of Hell(1980), continued with this film, and was to end with The Beyond 2. Unfortunately, this trilogy would never be completed. This is a shame because I would have loved to see that film to know if it was good as the first two movies of the trilogy. The original intentions of The Beyond are different from the final results. This was because of budget and time restrictions. I wonder how much better the pic might have been with a modest budget and a little more time.
The make up effects is one of the film's best features. Despite the low budget, Giannetto De Rossi's effects are spectacular. The effects are done with flair and pizazz. Giannetto De Rossi did his best when working with Fulci. The effects for the death of Joe the Plumber are very good. The best effects in the film is the scene involving the young girl near the end.
The cinematography is spliced with atmosphere and style. Sergio Salvalti contributes to the film's gothic flavour. The cinematography contains a dreamish flow that makes the film beautiful. The score is one of my favourites for a horror film. The score fits perfectly with the scenes in the film. As good as anything done for Argento by Goblin.
The Beyond(1981) is an 'Absolute Film' where image and sound are the most important part of a film. On the making of this, Fulci once said, ("My idea was to make an absolute film, with all the horrors of the world. Its a plotless film, there's no logic to it, just a succession of images"). This is something that people who hate the film don't and will never understand. Many people do not like this because of its nonlinear structure. He also said, "In Italy we make films based on pure themes, without a plot and The Beyond like Inferno refuses conventions...people who blame the The Beyond for its lack of story don't understand that it's a film of images, which must be received without any reflection". Receiving a movie like this without any reflection is a hard thing for many film goers to do.
The works of Antonin Artoud and H.P Lovecraft play a major influence on The Beyond(1981). Fulci was inspired by this controversial French artist. The ideas of Artoud are present in most of Fulci's work. Schweick the painter bears a little resemblence to Antonin Artoud. Artoud was the founder of "The Theater of Cruelty" which talked to "Restore to the theater a passionate and convulsive conception of life, and it is in this sense of violent rigor and extreme condensation of scenic elements that the cruelty on which it is based on must be understood". This idea can be applied to The Cinema and this film.
The comment "Violence is Italian Art" by Fulci is relative to the movie and the history of Italian art. Its one of the few films where atmosphere and gore mix well together. Has good moments of spirital horror. The atmosphere is eerie and terrifying. The gory set pieces are satisfying. The surreal atmosphere and bloody imagery is what makes the film a classic.
The Beyond would influence many later American and Italian horror flicks. One, The Evil Dead(1983). Two, Hellraiser(1987). Three, Hellbound:Hellraiser 2(1988). Four, The Church(1990). Finally, Dellamorte Dellamore(1996).
The Beyond(1981) will never be a mainstream favourite because its not for everyone. The themes are well written by Dardano Sacchetti. Catriona MacColl and David Warbeck are very good in the roles of the heroine and hero. Veronica Lazar from Inferno(1980) is sinister as Martha. The director did a great job with the little resources that he had to work with. The ending will haunt your dreams for days to come.