The Beast Horror Pick of the Week

The Beyond

Italian director Lucio Fulci, my fav of the Italian guys, directs one of the most disturbing and visually shocking movies of all time. This film falls into what is commonly called "Eurohorror." Put simply, Eurohorror are a group of films that devoloped out of the European community from the late 60's to early 80's. By far, the characteristic that stands out with most Eurohorror is the visual imagery, otherwise known as "the gore."

Now, here is the deal with gore. Most people hate it, and that is fine. I am acually not a huge gore lover myself (and I don't mean the former Vice-President.) But, rather you love it or hate it, you have to understand one thing. There is gore that is done well, and gore that is not done well. Fulci disgusts us in the perfect way with The Beyond. The gore actually helps tell the story. Plus, Fulci was a genius with the score in his films. The sounds in The Beyond are overwhelming.

But beware! There is an edited version of The Beyond out there known as The 7 Doors of Death. This has cut much of the Fulci imagery out of the film, avoid it at all costs! (I actually saw the edited version first and could not believe the difference.) If you are not a horror movie lover, be careful with this one. It will leave potential unwanted images in your heard.