Customer Reviews

Beyond Evil [Region 2]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Who knew demonic possession could be so boring? In "Beyond Evil" Larry (John Saxon) and Barbara (Lynda Day George) are newlyweds who have come to live on a very small island so Larry can oversee the construction of some luxury condominiums. The improbable plot has Larry's friend and business associate, Del Giorgio (Michael Dante,) buying Larry and Barbara a giant house as a goodwill gesture. Several things just don't make sense, starting with the plotpoint that Del is not only a friend of Larry but a former love of Barbara (this normally doesn't bode well.) Del is also a schemer who isn't especially reliable. There are lots of other characters pretending to cause a plot to happen, but they don't matter. What does matter is that the house that Del bought is haunted, and the ghost promptly possesses Barbara, who chews the scenery without mercy.

There are subplots about banking, psychic surgery, and crypt destruction (among others) but despite all this, director Herb Freed can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. None of the characters are likeable, and when widespread mayhem is visited upon people in the film, it elicits no emotional response from the audience. The whole possession theme was hot in the late 1970s and early 1980s: this film is one of the least entertaining in the genre, and is certainly one of the most plodding.

The film is simply loaded with flaws, from terrible overacting to incredibly dim lighting, but the thing most people will remember about this movie are the unbelievably poor special effects. They are shockingly bad (particular the demon head in the fire and the laser beam eyes) and are utterly laughable. They are so bad that even if this film contained an ounce of scariness, the fear factor would be completely undone by the hilarity of the effects. This is one of the worst John Saxon movies I have ever seen: it's not entertaining on any level, not even for camp value, and I recommend avoiding it like a particularly bad intestinal virus, which would probably be more enjoyable.

The only thing scary about Beyond Evil is the fact that one professional reviewer called it "shamelessly bloodthirsty" at the time of its release. The film was reportedly a big hit at drive-ins in 1980; this does a lot to explain why the drive-in movie business crashed and burned in the early 1980s, I think. The plot summary sounds unoriginal but promising: newlyweds move into a haunted house and have to fight to stay alive. Writer and director Herb Freed throws in a dash of witchcraft on the side, but this cinematic concoction turns out as thin and bland as tap water. Awful special effects don't help, nor does the ridiculous darkness of the print. Freed apparently believed that the secret of making a good horror/suspense movie was to keep the audience in the dark at all times - literally; if the audience can't actually see anything that is going on, perhaps this will frighten them. Let me tell you - staring at a black screen for about two-thirds of a movie is nothing but annoying. Every so often, you can almost make something out, but on these occasions the director seems to be switching between blue and green filters. There is some actual light during a few daytime scenes, but even the sunshine has a dark quality to it here.

Beyond Evil is set on some island somewhere, apparently in the South Pacific. Larry (John Saxon) and his new wife Barbara (Lynda Day George) have just arrived for an extended stay. Larry has come to oversee a big building project, working for this guy Del that Barbara apparently used to date. There is some kind of subplot about under-the-table deals among a couple of businessmen at play here, but just forget about that - the writer certainly did. Anyway, good old Del gets Larry and Barbara set up in a wonderful old house; no one has lived in the house for a century because it is said to be haunted, but of course John Saxon has fought Bruce Lee and thus finds nothing to fear in the ghost department. It goes without saying that the house is, indeed, haunted. Barbara is annoying enough as it is, but when the ghost starts trying to get into her head she becomes painfully unbearable.

I might have given this movie two stars, but the special effects made sure that didn't happen. Let's just say that Beyond Evil boasts some of the cheesiest, most pathetic special effects I've ever seen. If you like watching a black screen, jump at the chance to see awful special effects, and have a neurotic craving for weak plots involving completely unlikable characters, Beyond Evil is calling your name. If not, you'll find this movie utterly annoying and tiresome.

A friend told me about this movie and sugested I watch it ,but in all honesty I didnt enjoy the movie what so ever
didnt find it any good :(

Beyond Evil (Herb Freed, 1980)
Wow-- what a thoroughly awful movie this is. It's got some interesting ideas, but they are completely buried under an awful script, bad acting, and some of the worst special effects imaginable-- this is another of those no-budget Z-grade pics where green beams actually shoot out of the bad guy's eyes. Yes, literally. It should be some sort of rule that green beams shooting out of the bad guy's eyes means you're guaranteed an awful movie. On top of that, you can pile bad new age-y philosophical crap, some really bad stuntwork, and, oh, did I mention the bad acting and awful script already? *

John Saxon teams up with talented beauty Lynda Day George to create a top
class horror thriller full of atmosphere, plot twists and entertainment.
Director Herb Freed was clearly aiming at a drive in/horror fan audience
and he succeeds in delivering a quality film rich in plot and characters.
Strongly recommended as a BUY NOW DVD , ignore the ignorant bias comments.

While your watching the movie,just keep repeating to yourself: I will be bored, I will be bored.