Monday, October 14, 2013

The Beyond



Read this before you decide which version to buy.
European Cinema was the first to release THE BEYOND on DVD. Then Anchor Bay put out their version. To compete with the studios that have more money, Diamond Entertainment released THE BEYOND under its old American title, THE SEVEN DOORS OF DEATH. They did NOT use the old, butchered print of DOORS. Diamond used the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio print that European Cinema used, which is the same one Anchor Bay used. I have all 3 of these DVD's and the title and extras are the ONLY difference. There is NO missing footage in any of these releases. Some people post their comments based on old VHS movies they saw years ago. If you want the economy priced version of THE BEYOND, then get SEVEN DOORS OF DEATH. If you want the version with the audio commentary, you'll have to buy Anchor Bay's version of THE BEYOND. I'll say it once again: This version of SEVEN DOORS OF DEATH is exactly the same, scene for scene, as Anchor's release of THE BEYOND, only the titles and extras are...

"The critics don't get it, and the critics never will."
(Note: the subject line is taken from the DVD booklet, and is all too true.)

The Beyond (Lucio Fulci, 1981)

Many hardcore fans of Italian horror cinema consider The Beyond to be Lucio Fulci's best film; more than one will likely opine, if you ask, that The Beyond is the finest Italian horror film ever made. While that's probably stretching the case more than a little (I still prefer Fulci's raw, almost unbearably campy Zombie), there's a whole lot to be said for The Beyond as loads of fun. Without doubt, it is one of Fulci's brightest moments. (Note that all description below is from the uncut version on the Anchor Bay limited edition DVD, and as I've never seen the cut version released to theaters, some of what is described below may not sound familiar to those who have already seen the movie, which had a theatrical re-releases in 1998 as Seven Doors of Death.)

The Beyond takes place in the Louisiana bayou country. It opens with a scene in 1927 detailing the brutal...

Review for the DVD
I already reviewed The Beyond so if you wanna see my thoughts on the film itself just go through my reviews until you find it. This review is mainly for the DVD.

Many people hail Lucio Fulci's The Beyond his masterpiece though I would have to disagree with that and go with Don't Torture a Duckling, but The Beyond was a solid flick in the career of Lucio Fulci, which is best remembered for the crazy amount of gore, which believe me this film has plenty of. While I did enjoy The Beyond as I've gone back and watched some of Lucio Fulci's movies from the 70s I've sort of lost patience with his splatter flicks. While I still enjoy The Beyond and some of his other movies from the splatter era, but when compared to such movies as Don't Torture a Duckling, The Psychic and even Zombie his later work fails a bit in my opinion. But with that said The Beyond is still a solid movie by Fulci.

The new DVD released by Grindhouse Releasing is the same released a few years ago by...

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