The Beyond

The Beyond (… E Tu Vivral Nel Terrore! L'aldlia) (1981)

Runtime: 87 minutes

Directed by: Lucio Fulci

Starring: Catriona MacColl, David Warbeck, Cinzia Monreale, Antoine Saint-John, Veronica Lazar

From: Fulvia Film

Pro tip: Never pick up a blind woman and her dog if she is in the middle of the road on a long bridge.

Last night I watched this on Shudder and years ago I had actually seen about the first twenty or so minutes; that was when it was on TCM Underground. I actually turned it off after the movie turned into an illogical mess; some people online weren't happy with this decision. Finally, last night was the time to give this a proper shot; turns out, the entire movie after the first act was quite baffling! Allegedly this was done on purpose for the purposes of creating a surreal atmosphere; I am not 100% sure that is the case.

Personal preferences dictate that I don't love this as much as many others do; be that as it may, the movie is still fine. It's a tale where a young woman inherits a Louisiana hotel that is built over one of the seven entrances to Hell-don't you hate it when that happens?-and as expected from the director, the highlights are a groovy score-from Fabrio Frizzi-and plentiful gore that was well-realized. My complaints with logic aside, at least the plot moved at a quick pace so I was never bored; plus, a few times I did laugh. There was a character named Joe the Plumber... not the guy who somehow went viral in '08 when he asked Obama a question about small businesses while Barack was on the campaign trail. There was also a sign that said “Do not entry”; why wasn't that ever corrected by someone that knew English?

This has unforgettable scenes, sure; while I don't understand all the linking material between the scenes or even such basics as how much time passed during the movie, overall I'll say that this was good, even if I prefer something like Zombie or Don't Torture a Duckling.