Tagline: “Behind this doorway lie the terrifying and unspeakable secrets of hell. No one who sees it lives to describe it. And you shall live in darkness for all eternity.”

Following the now legendary “City of the Living Dead” ‘80, Fulci returned with another masterpiece of zombies and gore with the second entry in what’s been called his gothic trilogy. Originally titled “E Tu Vivrai nel Terrore: L'aldilà – And You Will Live in Terror: The Beyond” it all starts with a sepia tone pre credit sequence in 1927 Louisiana, where locals bust into the 7 Doors Hotel where a supposed warlock is painting a portrait called ‘The Beyond’ and violently beat him with a chain, nail him crucifixion style to the wall and scald him with acid. Jump to 1981 where lovely Katherine [Catriona] MacColl inherits the creepy run down Hotel---build over a doorway to hell---in hopes of restoring it for a tidy profit. Following the warnings of Emily [Sarah Keller] a creepy blind girl, matters go awry setting in motion a series of mysterious and gruesome deaths as MacColl is joined by David Warbeck to find out why by turning to the book of Eibon for answers to the underworld below the hotel.

If your like me and reveal in gratuitous gore, this is a gore-fest with eye balls extracted, one hell of a throat ripping, acid burning flesh, face hungry tarantula’s, rotting zombies, that brutal chain whipping that rivals the one in his earlier and best giallo “Don’t Torture a Duckling” ’72 and even the top of a little girls head blown off. And yes we are talking all in rewind gory detail. This is home my horror loving friends with splat-master Gianetto de Rossi [not to be confused with Gino De Rossi who did f/x in “City of…” and “House by…”] being the man in charge of the show stopping f/x. Add Fabio Frizzi’s fantastic haunting score with Sergio Salvati’s beautiful cinematography and you are munching on a prime cut of Fulci. For true horror fans, life without “The Beyond” is not only a mortal sin---it’s no life at all. It’s truly a highlight in Italian cinema.

I first saw this on video as “The Seven Doors of Death” a terrible pan & scan wretch with Lucio Fulci credited as Louis Fuller. To add insult to injury it was rescored and shredded by the much-hated censors who removed about 10 minutes. Not just cutting every gore scene but also a large part of the intro was victim of the crime.

Anchor Bay step up and released it on VHS, and then again on DVD fully UNCUT and in its proper 2.35:1 widescreen format enhanced for 16 x 9 TV’s looking fantastic with a 5.1 remix, a 2.0 surround version of the same mix; the original mono soundtrack and the original Italian audio track, with optional English subtitles. I grabbed the now out of print Limited Edition DVD Collectors Tin. With a little 48 page book with photos and plenty of info about the film as well as 6 5x7 poster replicas. [I wish nothing but good luck in finding one.] But fear not if you can’t Grindhouse Releaseing has recently re-released it with most if not all the same Xtras.

And speaking of Xtras:
Necrophagia Video. A on set interview with Lucio Fulci, International Trailer, German Trailer, U. S. re-release trailer, Commentary with Stars David Warbeck & Catrionia MacColl, The German Color Pre Credit Sequence, Still Galleries and a few more surprises.

My “The Beyond” Goodies:
Original Italian 2 Sheet 39” x 55”

US Re-release 1 Sheet

I got a chance to see it on Midnight Movie circuit in ’98 with a shocked crowd and plenty eewws and oh gross groans. I even managed to get a hold of one of the limited number of ‘The Beyond’ eyeballs.

And finally where would I be with a Rotten Cotton T-shirt.?