Customer Reviews

The Beyond

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Love this flick(sorry J.J.I.)and is ONE of my favorites in HORROR! Easily
in my top 30 and Clintster is talking from 1919-2008 TOP 30!!! This is the story of a old New Orleans hotel built upon one of the 7 gateways to hell, and no we are not counting the one in Brooklyn Heights ala THE SENTINAL!

This movie has fantastic music and keeps at a steady pace with beautiful
cinematography and GORE galore. Though this is shot on the cheap, this has moments of surreal beauty in its TERROR and if I may still some vocabulary from my dear friend NO LONGER DEVIL has a sepia-tinted opening. Watch for the incredible shot of light shining through a hole blasted through a little girls head(yes Fulci does not play by the rules of HORROR either and like HENRY-WHO CAN KILL A CHILD & JAWS kiddies are not safe :) I feel this was a homage to Sir Argento's INFERNO and if it was then Messier Fulci has great taste. By far my favorite Fulci film and Amazoner's that's saying a lot(again sorry J.J.I.)

p.s. Stay far away from the heavily snipped copy of The Beyond titled The 7 Doors of Death

I already reviewed The Beyond so if you wanna see my thoughts on the film itself just go through my reviews until you find it. This review is mainly for the DVD.

Many people hail Lucio Fulci's The Beyond his masterpiece though I would have to disagree with that and go with Don't Torture a Duckling, but The Beyond was a solid flick in the career of Lucio Fulci, which is best remembered for the crazy amount of gore, which believe me this film has plenty of. While I did enjoy The Beyond as I've gone back and watched some of Lucio Fulci's movies from the 70s I've sort of lost patience with his splatter flicks. While I still enjoy The Beyond and some of his other movies from the splatter era, but when compared to such movies as Don't Torture a Duckling, The Psychic and even Zombie his later work fails a bit in my opinion. But with that said The Beyond is still a solid movie by Fulci.

The new DVD released by Grindhouse Releasing is the same released a few years ago by Anchor Bay. Anchor Bay released two versions on DVD. They released a standard DVD with very little in the way of extras and they released a limited edition tin chock full of extra features. Grindhouse Releasing has re-released the limited edition tin (without the tin case) and normally I would give a negative review due to it being the same exact disc. But the reason I'm giving this DVD release such praise for one reason; the Limited Edition is now long out of print (same for the standard DVD).

Getting yourself a copy of The Beyond isn't easy to do that goes for both the Tin and standard DVD and if you are lucky enough to come across either you'll have to shell out a lot of money. While it would be nice if The Beyond had some new extras it's really not a very big deal since the DVD is very hard to come by now. For those of you out there that have the Limited Edition Tin there is no reason to buy the new DVD as long as the DVD you own is in good condition. All you are getting here is new cover art and that's it; for those with the regular DVD if you liked the movie a lot than I would recommend buying the new disc.

Some features include Images of The Beyond, which is a collection of stills from the movie as well as stills from the making of the movie, the score plays over the photos. There are also brief interviews with David Warbeck, Catriona MacColl and Lucio Fulci. Than we have Voices of the Beyond, which features interviews with several members of the cast and crew.

Voices of the Beyond is highly enjoyable, but truth is you won't learn anything new on Lucio Fulci. This seems to have been done at a horror convention and sections of this also appear on the Media-Blasters DVD for Zombi 2 (though they the interviews are different, but in both they pretty much say the same thing about Fulci). I suppose those who know nothing of Lucio Fulci will enjoy this more, but even we fans who already know about him will still find this enjoyable even if again nothing new is learned. There is also an audio commentary by David Warbeck and Catriona MacColl, which was on both Anchor Bay DVDs, but anyways, the commentary track is one of the very best out there. You learn a lot about the film and it's actually quite funny at times.

The DVD list an onset interview with Lucio Fulci, but the interview is actually from the set of Demonia. We also get the lost German pre-credit sequence, which can also be viewed in English. All the extras on the DVD are excellent and a must have for fans. The only new feature is a brief introduction before the movie with star Catriona MacColl.

As for the picture and sound I believe it's the same as the Anchor Bay release. I previously owned the Anchor Bay VHS so I cannot compare the Grindhouse DVD to the Anchor Bay DVD, but I do believe it's the same exact transfer. Overall this is an excellent DVD and once again Grindhouse Releasing proves why they are the very best for horror films. The Beyond DVD is a must own for all fans, but like I said if you have the Tin and it's in good condition there's no reason to buy this. Despite the Grindhouse Releasing being the same I'll cut them some slack since the DVD from Anchor Bay was very tough to come by these days.

hey this is the best version to pick up its uncut and remastered. I watched it on a surround sound hd tv and it looked awesome. its all region so it will work on your dvd player! that was the only thing i was if-y about. A ton of extra with this disks also.

If you have seen the movie before and dont have it get the grindhouse release(this dvd) comes with a fold out poster too, much better all together dvd( aka menus, extra, picture quality, artwork) than any other

I can't really say much bad about this movie because it is unique. It's one of the crazier zombie flicks I've ever seen, there's a LOT going on. The movie is very gory and exploitative, moreso than any other Fulci movie I've ever seen, but since I like my horror with a good dose of fun this movie is a bit too serious for me. Still, bad acting and makeup aside, there's really nothing else like it. The infamous tarantula scene is a horrifyingly interminable combination of Jose Mojica Marins and H.G. Lewis. Yes it looks fake at times, but Fulci's direction is relentless and terrifying. Not my favorite Fulci, I like his lighter horror work better (The Black Cat, Seven Notes in Black), but for over-the-top gore hounds, weird-movie lovers and fans of Italian trash, this will probably hit the spot.

Since it is being used very deceptively in the description I am including Roger Ebert's full quote about the movie (minor spoiler ahead)... "Fulci was known for his gory special effects (the Boston critic Gerald Peary, who has seen several of his films, cites one in which a woman vomits up her intestines), and ``The Beyond'' does not disappoint. I have already mentioned the scene where the tarantulas eat eyeballs and lips. As the tarantulas tear away each morsel, we can clearly see the strands of latex and glue holding it to the model of a corpse's head. Strictly speaking, it is a scene of tarantulas eating makeup. (One half star)"

WARNING Due to its SHOCKING and VIOLENT subject matter, no one under 17 should view this film.

Roger Ebert, THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
"THE BEYOND does not disappoint."



Perhaps nothing is quite as exciting as viewing classic Fulci films for the first time & this will be an experience you're virgin eyes won't soon forget.


The Beyond is perhaps Fulci's most surreal, yet visceral experience & is regarded by many as his masterpiece. Although Fulci has been gone from the realms of horror cinema for many years now, his work lives on through various re-prints & re-issues. Thankfully, Grindhouse Releasing saw to it that this film was re-issued in 2008 & with the same goodies that Anchor Bay's Limited Edition Tin Box bequeathed to us many moons ago. Sadly, that tin box has been out of print for many years now but this release will definitely appease fans who would surely miss The Beyond.


Not unlike many great horror films, The Beyond has gained an impressive cult following over the years so it's fair to say Fulci's classic has come a long way from being the heavily censored film Seven Doors Of Death released to America in 1983. Thankfully, we can now see the original uncut version through either the out-of-print Anchor Bay releases or Grind house Releasing. Rumor has it there are also cheaper DVDs floating around in America under the Seven Door Of Death title that feature the uncut version but I cannot substantiate this info nor did I wish to waste money.


Initially, Fulci had intended to make a film about a woman who inherits a haunted house but was convinced to shoot a film with zombies as the living dead were still all the rage around that time in Europe. Lucio agreed to re-write the film altogether including zombies & even modify the original intended ending. Irregardless of the revisions, fans from around the world have cited this final product to be one of Fulci's greatest works.


In 1927, Seven Doors' Hotel is the site of a brutal murder involving a lynch mob determined to kill an artist believed to be a warlock, which in turn opens one of the seven portals to Hell. Many decades later, a beautiful young woman (Catriona MacColl) inherits this hotel with the intention of re-opening it for business unaware of spooky goings-on in the area. Through her renovation, the hell-portal is activated & she finds herself dealing with ghosts, zombies, & other seemingly indestructible entities. With the assistance of a doctor (David Warbeck), the two must be figure out a way to escape the evil & madness which lingers on.


I can understand why so many have lavished praise on this work & it actually looks better each time I see it. I wish I'd never let go of my Limited Edition Tin Box set that Anchor Bay released back in 2000 but I guess one lives & learns. I am glad, however, that the film is still readily available for purchase online & that Grindhouse granted us yet another chance to view the film in it's entirety. Unpleasant dreams, my friends.

This film is probably my fav of the fulci films although city of the living dead runs a close 2nd. Great storyline and wonderful special effects by the famed gianatto de rossi. If your a zombie fan this is a must have.

i had to own this film by fulci. i allready have zombie and gates of hell.both of these movies i consider better however the beyond holds its own.a hotel that is the gateway to hell complete with zombies man eating tarantulas a zombie dog and other attractions are well done. if you like director fulcis work get this one to complete your collection.

If you're new to Lucio Fulci films, look no further, watch The Beyond (aka Seven Doors of Death). The Beyond is a very original atmospheric zombie/haunted house Italian horror film set in New Orleans. The effects are gruesome and insane and the storyline is cool.
What a lot of people overlook is the often amazing cinematogrophy of the film. There are long Kubrickian shots, intense Sergio Leone style shots and the lighting/colors look like a Dario Argento film (intense blue, red shots).
If you are a fan of old school gory horror flicks you HAVE to get this movie.
If you enjoy The Beyond I strongly also reccomend checking out Zombie (aka Zombi 2) and City of The Living Dead (aka The Gates of Hell).
And if you're new to Italian horror you definately want to watch some old Dario Argento films such as Suspiria, Deep Red, Inferno, Bird With the Crystal Plumage, and Demons (Argento didnt direct demons, only wrote and produced it, but its definately worth checking out)

I've always wanted to see this film,love Lucio Fulci's films and thanks to the reviews before mine that said this Grindhouse version IS the one to buy,unlike the others-which may be cheaper,but are edited and not the orginal version. This is worth the $22.99/95.

In Louisiana of 1927, a painter named Syvik whom owned a local hotel has cursed the place making it one of the doors to hell until a mad mob had to crucify him then killed him with acid. Many years later to 1981 to be precise, a lovely rich woman named Liza (Catriona MacColl) invests in The 7 Doors hotel. A blind girl named Emily however warns her that she must leave the hotel but Liza refuses to believe the stories Emily tells her, bizarre and horrific accidents occur as the hotel is haunted for it is built on one of the gates to hell where the dead will walk, spirits will awake and evil will invade the world.

Co-starring David Warbeck and Sarah Keller, this is Lucio Fulci's all-time great masterpiece. Influenced by the works of H.P Lovecraft, this Italian supernatural horror thriller has became one of the best horror movies of it's time and still holds up. Sure the plot is silly and at times the film can be ridiculous, but it is a very shocking and gory as hell movie with stunning images, scares and of course gore galore like eyes being plucked out, throat ripping and even the infamous spider attack sequence. The gore and make-up effects by Giannetto De Rossi are just realistic and jaw-dropping and the music score by Fabio Frizzi is very haunting, this is one of the most atmospheric and scariest movies of the genre and one of my favorite horror movies in this must see movie.

This DVD contains excellent picture and sound with the Uncut version including original Italian soundtrack with subtitles! the extras are great like easter Eggs, Intro, Still Galleries, Interviews including a rare one by Fulci before his death, Trailers, cheesy music video, Audio Commentary, and German colored intro and opening credits with English/German languages. This is a must have for every horror fanatic out there!