There were so many posters to choose from!

I don’t get out much these days, so I will begin my reviewing with some old, horror favorites. I will start with a film directed by Godfather of Gore, Lucio Fulci, The Beyond, aka, The Seven Doors of Death.

The Beyond is the second and greatest entry in Fulci’s Gates of Hell Trilogy. The plot follows Liza as she seeks to reopen an old Louisiana hotel she inherited, not knowing that it sits on a gate to hell. Evidently, there is no “Gates of Hell” clause in Louisiana’s disclosures in real property laws. Shoot. There is some confusion in this film, as the plot is not entirely linear, and there is a lot of surreal imagery.

The imagery is one of the crowning achievements of The Beyond. Fulci is known for his buckets o’ gore, and he does not fail to disappoint here, with the signature eye-gouging scene, but I really feel the horrifically gross special effects take a backseat to the cinematography. This film is beautifully shot. And for the people who don’t like deliberate pacing and atmosphere, there’s also a blind ghost, killer tarantulas, face melting, and a zombie attack. So there.