The Beyond [Import]

oh where to start, i guess with the good, the movie delivers what most people expect, lots of goey gore. each death is not short and the director loves to focus on the slow mutilation of the victims, spiders slowwwwwly eat a person, acid erodes a face, someones crucified and at least one eyeball is gouged out. all is done in plain site for the viewer so get to see all the goodness. This is basically all i got from this movie though, even though there is so much death and gore it still somehow felt slow, we're waiting for what we all know is coming to happen and it takes the whole movie to do it and then when it does its not quite the climax i was waiting for. you know i really had this movie hyped up in my mind because of all the attention it gets in the horror world but for me its one that falls short of its reputation, unfortunatly. However because of the good attention to gore i wont be so quick to dismiss mr. fulci quite yet as i have ordered 'zombie' off ebay and am once again in eager anticipation.

The story is about some girl that inherits a motel that is near one of the portals of hell. The story doesn't keep you interested. Very incoherent, leaving you not kowing what the hell these people are talking. What will keep you interested in the film is the many ways people get killed in freak accidents. There's some guy that gets whipped and gets acid thrown at him; apainter that falls off a ladder; a plumber that gets his eye popped out by a mysterious hand from nowhere; a dog that bites a blind lady (she was a ghost or something) in the neck, creating a waterfall of blood; a guy that gets his face eaten by fake looking yet cool spiders; acid pooring on some guy's face and changing colors. Then there's the final zombie takeover where a couple heads get blown off. This is Fulci's most epic accomplishment because of the creepy atmosphere and graphic violence. Any true horror fan probably has seen this or atleast knows about this film.Don't try to hard to understand the story because there really is no substance to the film. You might get bored if you try and sit through the whoel story, paying attention to every muttered word. Just mindless creative violence that makes good eye candy is what you get. Really makes you appeciate low budget films on a new level.

"The Beyond" is a fascinating horror fantasy thriller to watch. It's got a lot of atmosphere but the premise makes very little sense. Still, the late director Lucio Fulci (City of the Living Dead, The House by the Cemetary, Zombie) gives it a lot of style to make up for a very thin story. In one way, "The Beyond" is about great fantastic, horrific set-pieces. Which most of them are great expect for the face eating-tarantulas sequence, which it is gory but unintentional hilarious moment. There is a few moments of unintentional funny scenes as well and it seems that some of the actors have a tough time keeping a straight face! It is extremely well shot, some imaginative moments and make-up effects are excellent.

The two-disc set from Arrow Video is very good. The movie is region free expect for the bonus disc on DVD, which it is region 2. Blu-ray has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) 1080P transfer and an digitally remastered DTS 5.1 HD Sound (Also included in the original English Mono sound and Italian Dub track). Blu-ray also includes two interviews actresses featurettes with Cinzia Morreale (She is credited as Sarah Keller in the movie) and Catriona MacColl and two commentary tracks. Commentary one is by actress:MacColl and the late actor:David Warbeck, which it is a total hoot. Commentary track two is new, which it is by film journalist Calum Waddell and Antonella Lulci. It is an informative commentary track, a must for the fans as well. Antonella is the director's daughter. Disc 2 has additional special features, it is on DVD but it is region 0, it will work on a region free DVD Player, on certain computers and even possibly on XBOX. I played my region 0 DVD, i never had trouble playing region 0 on my XBOX. The disc 2 special features are great, it includes more featurettes from the cast & crew including an fascinating featurette with U.S. Distributor is one of the highlights. Also the alternative color pre-credit sequences and the original theatrical trailer. The collector's bookelt is also great and the blu-rau cover has four different reversible sleeve cover. I am quite surprise with the quality that Arrow Video puts out. I am looking forward to get more Blu-rays from them in the future. I do have "Deep Red" from Arrow Video as well.

"The Beyond" is a pretty good movie, it is very flawed at times. But Fulci has style, his style is much different than Dario Argento. "The Beyond" is a great looking picture. The third act is the best thing about the film with some of the most memorable horrific images with an eerie conclusion. Techniscope. Grade:B+ for the movie. Grade:A- for the picture quality and sound.