Arrow Video - The Beyond - The Archive Discussion

[zombeaner]

Originally Posted by Reaper@Cult Labs

Jeez are you in for a treat Sarah.

Absolutely, this is definitely my favorite Fulci, and top 3 zombie films for me.

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Incredible gore film!

Not as atmospheric as CITY IMO,but that opening Louisiana sequence rocks.
As does the finale,but I won't say any more to spoil it for Sarah....

[m_burlock]

@Almar: Was the release date for The Beyond changed from Jan.17th to Feb.14th because of weather and or snow related shipping delays? Just curious.

[P-Mac]

Originally Posted by Reaper@Cult Labs

Jeez are you in for a treat Sarah.

I've only seen City of the Living Dead and House by the Cemetery so I'm excited !

[TwilightZoneTom@Cult Labs]

Much as I like 'City of the Living Dead' I very much feel like it's a warm up for 'The Beyond'. Fulci mastered with 'The Beyond' what he was getting to grips with in 'City...'.

[Vampix]

I feel the other way, The Beyond was a disappointment for me after viewing City of the Living Dead.As Reaper says the opening & closing scenes of The Beyond were brilliantly done but the rest kind of leaves me cold.If I want atmosphere & gore by the bucketful I always return to Fulci's COTLD & ZFE.

[mercury]

See you have the art as your avatar Reaps. Where is this posted, is this the official cover?

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by mercury

See you have the art as your avatar Reaps. Where is this posted, is this the official cover?

It's on page 15 of this thread Mercury.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[L'enfant Errant]

I like 'em both, personally...

COTLD was a feature I'm of two minds on; the whole flick doesn't make any f***ing sense, and I think I've tried. Zombies are on the loose, got to stop the source by All Saints Day, John Morghen has some form of autism, we're in a town that can't exist, I got all that, but from there it all starts to get a little fuzzy. What was that thing Morghen saw in the house early on? Why do the ghouls take vengeance sometimes and just blindly murder others? Was he TRYING to kill her getting her out of there? Why doesn't Father Thomas' evil power work consistently - man, is he just screwing with people? Wait, is that the end - what the hell did I miss?! (etc)

And yet that's exactly why I think the film works; it was Fulci experimenting with non-linear storytelling above all else, and it really doesn't get any more disjointed or unpredictable than this. The fact that the rules of the undead change the closer they get to All Saints Day makes this a particularly bizarre entry that never feels like it's cheating the audience. It's closer to a vengeful spirit than the walking dead, and that means they aren't limited to chomping on flesh or even the rules of time and space... keeps it fresh in the face of what could have otherwise been a pretty run of the mill gut-muncher flick.

By comparison, The Beyond feels more like a film constructed to break down, like gory dominoes forming a complex pattern you can only see once they've all fallen. It starts in the grips of some of Fulci's nastiest stuff, in effect warning audiences that this is where it's headed, and then settles into seemingly familiar Haunted House territory. Very good Haunted House territory, but something accessible none the less.

As it continues to unravel, revealing a bit more about the story and unleashing just a bit more Hell each scene, it starts spreading the horror and confusion out one carefully planned step at a time until... well, either you know or you'll find out. It reminds me of Lovecraft's story "All The Colors of Space", slowly and steadily letting its' corruption flow like a disease until every frame is literally saturated with it. The forms it may take vary, but the film consistently and steady descends into the torment it's promised viewers.

(Or maybe they're the same and I'm just crazy, I dunno. )

Love ZFE, but always felt it was on a whole different planet from the rest of his "zombie" films. House by the Cemetery actually feels far closer in atmosphere and non-linear/nightmare-logic execution, IMO.

[mercury]

Originally Posted by Stephen@Cult Labs

It's on page 15 of this thread Mercury.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't see it Stephen. Maybe I have been staring at my screen for too long