Beyond The Darkness — Beyond The Darkness(Blu Ray/ CD)
Beyond The Darkness was released in 1979, and it was directed by the notorious & prolific Joe D'Amato. Who over his lifetime had 195 directorial credits to his name spanning a host of genre films taking in zombie, cannibal, nun exploitation, gothic, brutal slasher, horror sex film blends, and all-out hardcore. Buio Omega stands as one of his more coherent, distinctive & darkly moody films- though it still has a good quota of gore, female flesh, and shock.
The film's plot tells of a young taxidermist Frank Wyler who loses his wife to illness. So he decides to dig her up, and take her back to his isolated mansion stuff & persevere her, then place her in their marital bed. Along the way he comes across other women, who he instantly kills- & then with the help of his creepy housekeeper he disposes of the bodies. There's also a disturbing love triangle going on between Frank, his dead wife, and the housekeeper.
The film blends together a very tangible feeling of ghoulish mood & queasy transgression, with some impressive gory set-ups. For example, we have a very grueling human taxidermy- including removal of organs & eyes, a naked woman being hacked up & dissolved in a bath, throat rips, eyeball rippings, etc. This is topped off with some above par exploitation acting, a fairly pacey plot, and a memorable score from the mighty Goblin.
I first saw Buio Omega some years back as a bootleg, and while in the ensuing years it’s lost some of its initial impact-it still manages to have a quite a disturbing punch to it, as well as a tangible air of unpleasant sleaziness. Serevin have done a nice looking HD transfer on the film- meaning the reds & browns really pop, though on the downside it does mean some of the effects do to look a tad rubbery- but I guess that’s the downside of remastering.
Extra wise on the Blu Ray you get. Joe D’Amato: The Horror Experience, a just over hour-long interview/ doc about the director- this is in Italian with subtitles, and on the whole, it’s an informative watch. Next, you get two fifteen minute interviews with two of the actors- Franca Stoppi( who played the housekeeper), and Cinzia Monreale( who played the dead wife)- each of these are both revealing & have some interesting titbits. We get live footage of the recent version of Gobin playing the films title theme live. And lastly, we get a tour of the locations today, and this comes in around the twenty-minute mark, and is fairly thorough.
The other big extra is, of course, the CD, this takes in twenty-four tracks, and this is identical to the 2008 Cinevox CD reissue of the soundtrack. Sound-wise the soundtrack is fairly typical of Goblin, though no less enjoyable. The tracks switching between more upbeat cues that blend together tight funk bound bass throbs, pulsing & urgent synth lines, and atmospheric guitar that strut & wail. To more darkly moody & slower blends of gloomy piano notation, & loser ‘n’ wondering bass lines. Onto more shorter cues that focus on a dread making & eerier synth scaping, more experimental flourishes, and sudden percussive runs. All in all, it’s a worthy Gobin soundtrack, with some memorable & moody themes, and of course, it makes for a great addition to this release.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the sleazy & depraved charms of Buio Omega- finding it one of the more consistent & memorable films of Mr. D'Amato large filmography. And this recent reissue from Severin is nicely presented with a good HD transfer, worthy extras, and of course the soundtrack. Oh & also Severin are offering up Necro Bundle of the film- which features the film, a t-shirt, a pin, reproduction poster, & Air fresher(!)..so if you’re a big fan of the film this is well worth picking up.