Voices From Beyond — Voices From Beyond( UHD, Blu Ray, CD)
Released in the early 1990’s, Voices From Beyond was the penultimate film from Italian director Lucio Fulci. It was his 52nd feature film, and it found him returning to the more macabre, dream-focused and surreal feel of his early 80s pictures. with some very memorable set pieces, and moments of ffectively shocking gore. The film is a blend of how/who-done-it mystery, beyond-the-grave horror, and bickering/back-stabbing soapy 90’s drama. Here from those swell folks at Severin is a three-disc reissue of the film. Taking in a UHD, Blu-ray, and CD. It features a new 4k scan, over an hour of extras, and the film's soundtrack.
Voices From Beyond ( Voci Dal Profondo) is from the year 1991. It was, of course, directed/co-written by Fulci. The other two writers here were Daniele Stroppa( Delirium, Zombie 5: Killing Birds) and Piero Regnoli( White Fang, Like Rabid Dog, Nightmare City).
The film focuses on the death of a rather unlikeable/obnoxious businessman, Giorgio Mainardi(Duilio Del Prete)- who suddenly starts coughing up a lot of blood before dying in a hospital bed. Though it seems that his spirit is alive, as we go from the mortuary slab, onto the autopsy table, down in the grave- he’s talking away
In life, he surrounded himself with a selection of largely unpleasant family members. There’s his step-mother, Hilda( Frances Nacman), and always does what his mother tells him, twenty-something son Mario(Pascal Persiano). His vacant/ disinterested wife Lucia (Bettina Giovannini), his rather vapid lover Rita(Antonella Tinazzo). His cationic father, wheelchair-bound (Paolo Paoloni), and constantly not doing what’s asked of/ avoiding work, maid Rita(Sacha Darwin).
Fairly soon, coming in on the train is Giorgio’s blond-haired twentysomething daughter Rosey( Karina Huff), and she takes up finding out who and how her father was killed, and this element is nicely held right until the end of the proceedings.
As mentioned earlier, there is a distinct dream-like/ hazy surreal quality to many of the film's scenes.These move from Rosey chatting with her father spirit by a sunny riverside. A character walking through a stained glass window, lit crypt, where the living dead break out. Eggs with human eyes that start bleeding. Seeing Giorgio’ s head & body steadily decay in his crypt. There’s a removal of organs from a body, and most intensely/ extreme- the rapid and brutal stabbing of a young boy.
Voices From Beyond runs at just over the one and a half hour mark. The cast is fine/passable for this type of thing. It’s certainly a film that keeps you entertained/engaged throughout, with both the mystery and the great selection of set-ups keeping you held.
Moving onto this new release- on the UHD we get just the film and it’s trailer. On the region A Blu Ray disc- we find the film and it’s selection of extras. The film takes in a 4k scan- this looks good, with decent 90’s clarity throughout.
On the extras side we get a decent enough selection of extras. About Death (14.04) this is an audio only interview with Lucio Fulci, from the early 90’s. And it largely focuses on Voices From Beyond. He moves from talking about how the film is about love and death. We find out the picture was based on a 1988 short story by Fulci. He talks about death in general and graveyards. He touches on his cameo as a Surgeon in the picture, talks about the filming locations been creepy and weird. As well as accusations/ controversy regarding animal cruelty in his filmography. The interview was most certainly a fascinating listen. Next is Beyond The Living (15.42) interview with actor Pascal Persiano. A House For The Dead (11.30) Interview With Set Designer Antonello Geleng Like A Father( 13.50) Interview With Prop Master Vincenzo Luzzi.
There’s Lucio's Last Wave( 22.04) which finds Stephen Thrower, Author Of Beyond Terror: The Films Of Lucio Fulci- discussing the film, and Fulci last few films. He moves from talking about how the pictures original title was Cries From The Deep, and that it was shot in-between June/ July 1990. He talks about how the film came about, and how it was the stylised/ well made of Fulci’s later films. He give his general thoughts on the film, discusses the characters, and how the actors ages were a little off- making it difficult to identify the characters. We get details of some of the films location, etc. Again, another well researched/ interesting extra from Mr Thrower. Lastly we have a orignal trailer.
The final disc in the set is the CD, and this features Stelvio Ciprini( Bay Of Blood, Nightmare City, Pieces,ect) score. The CD takes in twelve tracks and thirty seven minutes of playtime. It’s an entertaining & relatively varied affair- we go from the rapidly darting synth keys, rolling electro timpani drums, and swirling tone sears of “Seq 1” which resolves with child chanting nursey rhyme. Onto circling & building bass line, guitar stutts, and bright vibe like keyboards of “Seq 3”. Later on we have the pummelling synth bass, bounding beats, and baying tone swirl of “Seq 7” which later shifts onto tolling clean guitars, shaker textures, pip-popping percussion, and bright piecing keys. And the mellow muzak drift “Seq 10” with it’s synthetic horn piping’s, lulling key drif, and steady snapping beats. All in all I most worthy 90’s score from Mr Ciprin.
It’s wonderful to see Voices From Beyond receiving this three disc release from Severin, as it most certainly one of Fulci's best later films, blending dreamy surrealness & gory horror of his early 80’s work, with a decent mystery and entertaining soapy drama. The 4k scan is excellent, as are the extras- with the soundtrack disc really been the cherry on the top.