Beyond Darkness (1990) ★★½
The fifth instalment in the La Casa series of films (following The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Ghosthouse and Witchcraft, this has a slightly ludicrous central premise in which a catholic priest, his wife and two children move into a house built on the area where 20 suspected witches were burnt to death.
Putting aside the notion of a catholic priest having a family (I'm under the impression that priests are supposed to be chaste and unmarried), this is a film where the approach is one of 'throw everything to the wall and see what sticks'. This explains why there is an Amityville Horror-style possessed house, a child exhibiting signs of demonic possession necessitating an exorcism (cue Tubular Bells) and an executed serial killer taunting another priest with the souls of her child victims, almost a precursor to Gregory Hoblit's 1998 thriller Fallen.
Although this does come with the 'from the director of Troll 2' baggage, Claudio Fragasso has easily made the most coherent and accomplished film if his career. Without any prior knowledge, I'd be hard pushed to tell you this was made by the same person who appeared to be completely inept, incapable of incorporating sound and image without it becoming laughably absurd.
Beyond Darkness looks good, has an interesting and fleeting soundtrack, and has scenes which are genuinely atmospheric. The star is David Brandon, whose alcoholic defrocked Father George is the most interesting and engaging character in the film; he's almost like the equivalent of Rod Steiger's Father Delaney, but not played in a way which is aggravating the hammy, embarrassment to the actor's reputation and talent. The film might be a bit of a mess, but it's an enjoyable mess.
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