For the first time, I am taking part in Final Girl’s Film Club by reviewing The Beyond, which is heralded by many to be Lucio Fulci’s best film. In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out Final Girl for yourself- it’s constantly updated with horror reviews, commentary, and info.
Let me preface this review with the following observation about myself- I’ve always been one to try to pick apart movies, music, books, everything. A lot of times on this blog, I find myself very literally breaking movies down, commenting on their continuity (or lack thereof), terrible acting, or technical merits for the sake of comedic value. That said, it would be unfair for me to review The Beyond on an entirely literal basis as director Lucio Fulci never intend it to be viewed that way. As put by Fulci:
“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. 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.”
Fulci, much like his Italian contemporary Dario Argento, was out to create horror movies that evoked a sensory experience through imagery, not plot. Prior to watching this film, the only other Fulci piece I had seen was Zombie, which I liked. Who can resist shark vs. zombie? So, here it goes. There will be spoilers aplenty.
For the sake of it, here’s a quick recap of the plot: Liza, a young woman from New York (Catriona MacColl) inherits a beat up Louisiana hotel from an unknown relative. Being down on her luck in New York, she decides to reopen the hotel in an attempt to restart her life. What she doesn’t know is that the hotel is home to one of the seven gates of hell and in 1927, an artist named Schweick staying there who found the gate was violently murdered. Upon arriving at the hotel, Liza instantly begins noticing strange things- a painter falls off of a scaffolding after seeing this staring back at him from inside the house:
I guess you can’t blame him, huh? Anyway, during the renovation process, Joe the Plumber (if they only knew what that moniker would mean in 2009) accidentally reopens the gate, allowing the dead to walk on earth. Sidenote: Joe the Plumber rules in this movie. I love how he strolls into Liza’s house and immediately lights a cigarette- doesn’t ask, just assumes it’s cool. Only in the 80′s. When asked how long it will take for him to fix the basement flooding, he responds, “it’ll take…….as long as it takes.” Such an asshole- you have to love him. After Joe knocks down some bricks and reopens the gate, (must resist pun here….can’t) everything goes to hell. Joe gets killed along with a married couple, a strange blind girl named Emily who warns Liza to leave the hotel appears, and Schweick reappears as a zombie. The film centers around Liza and her doctor friend John (David Warbeck) as they attempt to discover the root of the evil, and stay alive.
Overall, the plot and characters are only slightly developed as Fulci uses them as a vehicle for his imagery. There are tons of inconsistencies and unanswered questions throughout (which I will bitch about later), but Fulci succeeds in creating some truly stunning/terrifying visuals. The artistic mood is instantly set as the movie opens with a 1927 flashback shot in a beautiful sepia tone. As an angry mob breaks into the hotel armed with chains and torches looking to kill Schweick, it’s hard not to be engaged watching. Interspersed with the mob scene is one of a girl (who is later revealed as Emily) reading out loud about the seven gates of hell. Loud crashes of thunder and flashes of lightening engulf her as she reads. Right off the bat, The Beyond is pure atmosphere.
The scene where Schweick is tortured and crucified is classic Fulci (and in many ways, Argento). The hand-crafted gore effects are both awesome and fake at the same time. They invoke memories of a time in horror when special effects masters like Tom Savini had to be creative with different materials (rather than computers) to create convincing effects. Some of the effects in this movie stand the test of time, others don’t. The chainmarks on Schweick are convincing but after the mob throws quicklime on his face, it’s pretty obviously plastic.
Though after this opening sequence, the plot is often frustratingly incoherent (my notes with 4 minutes left in the movie read: “PLEASE EXPLAIN SOMETHING TO ME BEFORE THIS MOVIE IS OVER!!! ANYTHING!!!), there is an undeniable creepiness that permeates throughout. Fulci often cuts from scene to scene in an illogical manner which creates a dreamlike atmosphere. One minute we’re watching Joe the Plumber get his face ripped off by a demonic hand from hell….
And the next, we’re struck with this haunting image of Emily and her dog (which happens to be my favorite of the film):
Did I mention that I like screenshots? Seriously though, I could post about 100 more awesome images from this movie to illustrate my point, but I’ll spare you. One thing that was impossible to ignore was Fulci’s love of eyes. Sure, the eye-splinter scene in Zombie is what Fulci is known for, but there are droves of eye-gouging and eye closeup shots in this one.
Another important aspect of this film (and all horror films, for that matter) is the score. I’ve said it before on this blog- a score makes or breaks a movie. For me, The Beyond’s score does both. The film’s soundtrack features lots of interesting (read: kinda corny) synthesizer and chant tracks but it also has a terrifying piano melody that is used constantly. I can’t fault Fulci for the synth tracks and a lot of people find them fitting. They, like the special effects, are a product of the time period. Though, I think the Goblins’ soundtrack in Suspiria is stronger.
Ok, I’ve waited long enough. I have to rip into a little bit of the plot. To start, the characters’ actions and dialogue are often so unbelievable that I found myself laughing outloud. When the painter falls 20 feet from scaffolding, blood pours from his mouth, and he wakes up shouting “THE EYES! THE EYES!”, what does our heroine do? Surely, she rushes him to the closest hospital. No, she has a doctor make a housecall. And Doctor John’s first words upon seeing the painter? “This man needs to get to a hospital.” NO SHIT!!
Shake it off, big guy
Also, why is Liza so damn friendly toward Emily for no reason? She’s fucking terrifying. Oh yeah, and her voice has an echo. Whose voice box comes equipped with its own special effects? That would be enough to send me packing.
Why doesn’t anyone question ANYTHING in this movie? My favorite example is the lack of explanation of the killings. After Joe gets killed, his wife just waltzes into the autopsy room- no security, door’s open. Sure, come check out our bodies! She somehow dresses his body in a suit- was this standard procedure in the 80’s? Husband killed by demonic hand from hell, no one questions how he died, wife dresses dead body in suit while next to other corpses in morgue? We later hear Joe’s death referred to as an “accident.” Pretty interesting accident, I’d say, you know, considering he has no eyes left. But, shit happens, right?
Overall, The Beyond was…well…good. Initially I didn’t like it but once I understood the intention of the film, I was able to reevaluate it and grasp the value. I have similar thoughts about Argento’s Inferno, which is even more of an incoherent mess. I found the ending strangely satisfying as the two main characters end up in a hell just like Schweick painted, their eyes turning into cataracts. It’s an eerie, claustrophobic image. I need to watch this again, this time without my cynical eye on the dialogue and continuity.
