19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Euro-Horror Classic!!!, October 11, 2003
Joe D'Amato has directed like over 100 films, everything from hard core porn to hard core gore and sometimes even both in the same movie. In numerous interviews he has stated that this film is one of his very favourites and it is easily a classic of European horror.
The story isn't very complicated, the main character has a beautiful fiancee who dies tragicly and he also practices taxidermy as a hobby, need I say more. Everything one could possibly want from a film of this genre is here, it's heavy on style , there are some great gore scenes and of course nudity. What sets this film apart though is the scene in which the girls body is being enbalmed. This is filmed with some genuinely great effects and a good eye for realism leading many to wrongfully beleive that real cadavers were used during filming.
The DVD is outstanding, the picture and sound quality are great. I especially liked an interview which comes as a special feature on the disc with actress Cinzia Monreale who also played Emily in 'the Beyond' and spends most of her time on screen in this film playing a corpse, including a long scene of being naked and disected on a table. It's cool cos she is still amazingly beautiful and energecticly funny during the interview (despite some very unimaginative questions from the interviewer) as she reveals that she actually dislikes horror films and also says that she has no problem with being naked on camera :)
Overall this is a solid DVD presentation of a film any true Euro-horror fan will love.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
D'Amato's gore opus, February 3, 2005
Roughly twelve years ago I found myself morosely ambling through the aisles of a local video store, grumbling about the generally poor selection of the types of films I love to watch. Which films are those, you ask? Just your average, everyday gory unrated and uncut pukers. Well, you won't find many of these, films like "Cannibal Holocaust," the unrated version of "Dead Alive," or a number of other highly memorable gore movies at any mainstream video outlet. And finding them a decade ago? Forget about it. Before DVD you considered yourself lucky to find anything more than the standard "Friday the 13th" and "Halloween" style slasher films on the shelf. Sometimes the good old days weren't that great. Anyway, my eyes fell on a cheesy looking VHS box for a film called "Buried Alive." I had walked by this movie a dozen times before without giving it much thought; the lackluster cover art wasn't exactly a big selling point. This time, however, I decided to give it a shot. I was glad I did! It turned out that "Buried Alive" was none other than an uncut and unedited version of goremeister Joe D'Amato's epic "Beyond the Darkness" aka "Buio Omega."
Frank (Kieran Canter) is a taxidermist living off the wealth of his deceased parents whose world falls to pieces when his beautiful young girlfriend Anna (Cinzia Monreale) expires in the hospital after an extended illness. Frank falls to pieces soon after as well, evidenced by his return to the graveyard after the burial services in order to exhume the body of his beloved. Our hero returns home with Anna and immediately sets to work in a scene that has since gained well-deserved notoriety with gorehounds the world over. Frank carefully removes the pertinent pieces of the late Anna, revealed to us in grisly close up, and successfully turns her into his latest objet d'art. Instead of sitting his gal on a shelf alongside the various animals he works on, however, Frank installs her in a bed on the upper level of his spacious home. Throughout the film our taxidermist will occasionally pay her a visit in order to profess his undying love. Charming. In the meantime, he must deal with his evil housekeeper Iris (Franca Stoppi), a woman suffering under the burden of her own various depravities. As Frank's mental condition continues to deteriorate, Iris will help her employer clean up various gory messes as well as provide him much needed alibis. She also makes a mean porridge/stew dish that would turn even the most cast iron of stomachs.
Frank's problems emerge soon after he absconds with Anna's cadaver. But don't they always? One big difficulty arises in the form of an addled female hitchhiker who insists on forcing the deranged taxidermist to give her a ride. Much to her everlasting regret she falls asleep, and discovers what Frank is up to upon waking. Big mistake. Our man savagely attacks her, and in the process gives the term "manicure" a whole new meaning. Iris and Frank dispose of the hitchhiker with the help of some sharp tools and a bathtub full of acid. You would think at this point that these two might begin to question their motivations. Instead, Frank continues to strike up relations with lovely ladies and Iris helps clean up the aftermath. The disappearance of a female jogger soon brings the local constabulary to the doorstep, a close call indeed considering one of the gal's shoes sits within view of the officers, but a deft move by Iris saves the day for the moment. But others have taken notice of the odd goings on at this charnel house, and it won't be too long before a surprising visitor turns up at the front door, a visitor that finally sends Frank over the precipice. The movie concludes, literally, with a scream.
D'Amato's magnum opus isn't about great acting or expensive production values, neither of which this film possesses in any measurable way. What is important is that "Beyond the Darkness" ranks as one of the sickest films ever put to celluloid, a movie so reprehensible in its myriad depictions of taboo behaviors that I still can't believe I found an uncut copy at the video store. D'Amato and company present us with scene after scene of stomach churning gore, everything from throat tearing to fingernail ripping to other gooey stuff I won't mention here. A fan of horror films, upon hearing me make a reference to what Frank does to the hitchhiker, dryly remarked, "Yes, you can hear the Velcro tearing." Maybe so, but the heartless way in which the scene unfolds, along with its length (it goes on for what feels like forever), goes for the throat in terms of the cringe factor. So does the operation on Anna, a grueling sequence that fueled speculation concerning whether the filmmakers used a real body or not. If you haven't caught on by now, let me say it again: "Beyond the Darkness" is one of the sickest films ever put to film. D'Amato's film goes so far over the top that it's easy to forget that none other than Goblin--of Dario Argento fame--composed the musical score.
Joe D'Amato films usually merit a plethora of extras on their DVD version, and the disc for "Buio Omega" is no exception. A short commentary with crew member Donatella Donati, slides, an easter egg featuring many posters for D'Amato's adult films, trailers for "Whatever Happened to Solange," "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids," "Buio Omega," "House on the Edge of the Park", and a fun interview with a still gorgeous Cinzia Monreale provide plenty of extra punch for the buck. "Beyond the Darkness" is a must see for fans of extreme cinema, and it's great to see it finally out on DVD.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
sick sick sick...great great great, April 15, 2002
I have been looking forever for a copy of this film , and especially on Amazon and had not been able to find it...the reason is because for some strange reason this film is being released under it's original Italian title Buio Omega ( Blue Holocaust) . This is actually nonother than most true horror fans and fans of Joe D'Amato (Aristide Massaccesi) know this film as Buried Alive. The re-titling had caused quite a bit of confusion because the movie itself was available but those checking this review out thinking it's one you've never seen it's BURIED ALIVE (1979)
The story is this and it's quite sick as this being next to Cannibal Ferox (Make Them Die Slowly) the most revolting disgusting piece of filmmaking ever captured on screen , and I have a strong stomache too but was unable to stomache the atrocities in this film ...so thats why it has a special place in my heart.
It involves a taxidermist with a messed up childhood who enjoys the pleasures of a cold blue dead body...enough said
If you want to go on a diet ..I guarantee 1 viewing of this film will make it so you never eat anything again
Highly recommended
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