The last five-six years of Lucio Fulci's career is largely ignored by the fan base, which is a pity for many reason. Sure, the movies didn't have the same high profile and often the budget was so low it affected the surreal screenplays. But I... yeah, I can find a lot of intersting stuff during that period. The sometimes desperat hunt for getting back into peoples consciousness, sometimes by selling himself like just another slave - but sometimes, when time was right, delivering rough diamonds. When I tonight sat down to watch Voices from Beyond again I actually forgotten everything about it. For a while I wasn't even sure I'd seen it before, like I've missed in the confusion! There was some vague memories of a DVD not working - maybe it was this one?
I was wrong. I had seen it before and slowly this elegant and somewhat original tale of revenge from the dead unfolded in front of me. This is not bad at all, no Sir. This is actually a damn fine production - and one of this last also. After this one Door to Silence came, another very Tales from the Crypt/EC Comics style morality tale. It's a slightly weaker than this one, but still have a lot magic - the main problem with that one is that it would have felt a lot better like a 30 minute TV-episode. You could say the same thing about Voices from Beyond, but I'll keep my mouth shut. I would say this one stand on it's own two legs with just the right amount of time to tell the gruesome story about the life and death of Giorgio Mainardi.
He was a greedy and evil man. Yeah, a bastard. Someone who used people like no one else could do it. Anyway, now some of his relatives and staff got tired of the bullshit and killed him by... well, a painful way ending in internal bleeding. The problem is that he's not really dad. He's very aware that he's rotting away in a coffin and the only thing he want is revenge - one that person who killed him. The only one with a little bit love for him is his daughter, and now it's her job to find out who killed her father... and in the meantime he, himself, haunts the dreams of the suspects!
It's a simple, but good, little story. It's very gothic, very Italian. Lots of wide angles, rotten corpses, darkness, light and shadows. Yeah, correct: it's a gorgeous little movie with a decent cast. Fulci is one fire here, working his way through and around the actors with a camera breathing of life. It's a rare thing to see during this time, when lesser and lesser budgets forced him to do whatever job landed in front of him. This story is also based on a short story he wrote for a Florence magazine, so it's probably something a lot closer to his heart than usual. Fans might be disappointed on the lack of gore. It have a some gore, a nasty child murder and a very graphic autopsy - plus a lot of slime and goo, but don't expect a splatter fest. This is a story who have a lot more to offer than gore. And I like it.
Remember that the majority of Fulci's filmography is completely goreless. It's easy to forget when people only talks about five or six of his total work of 56 movies as a director.
Voices from Beyond is a classy little production with some excellent visuals and good actors. It's one of those movies that's underrated, for sure. I think it deserves a lot more respect that it's gotten so far. Give it a try again please, I'm neither of you will regret it!
"The last five-six years of Lucio Fulci's career is largely ignored by the fan base, which is a pity for many reason."
Well, if the "fanbase" really cared......they would love the 5-6 years anyway......that´s what fan´s do, love their idols, worst, flawed works, or at least, find some redeeming qualities about them.
"After this one Door to Silence came, another very Tales from the Crypt/EC Comics style morality tale. It's a slightly weaker than this one, but still have a lot magic - the main problem with that one is that it would have felt a lot better like a 30 minute TV-episode. You could say the same thing about Voices from Beyond, but I'll keep my mouth shut."
I haven´t seen any of these two.
"It's a simple, but good, little story. It's very gothic, very Italian. Lots of wide angles, rotten corpses, darkness, light and shadows."
Fulci knew his stuff.
"This story is also based on a short story he wrote for a Florence magazine, so it's probably something a lot closer to his heart than usual."
Fulci was a writer too...?
I didn´t know that.
"Remember that the majority of Fulci's filmography is completely goreless. It's easy to forget when people only talks about five or six of his total work of 56 movies as a director."
I always forget that......but Sette note in nero/The Psychic (1977) is one film he made with little gore.
"Voices from Beyond is a classy little production with some excellent visuals and good actors. It's one of those movies that's underrated, for sure. I think it deserves a lot more respect that it's gotten so far. Give it a try again please, I'm neither of you will regret it!"
I will someday, Fred, great review and thanks.
Posted by: Megatron | June 10, 2013 at 23:58
I watched VOICES FROM BEYOND many years ago after having seen BEYOND/ZOMBIE/HOUSE BY THE CEMETARY/CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD. So my expectations were completely off, but I still enjoyed it for the very reasons you describe. It's a creepy gothic tale whose atmosphere is closer to Riccardo Freda's HORRIBLE DR HICHCOCK or Corman's TOMB OF LIGEA.
You are also correct that DOOR TO SILENCE would make a great 30 minute TV episode. In fact, both of these could have been edited into a very good anthology movie.
I am a huge fan of Fulci's Westerns MASSACRE TIME and FOUR OF THE APOCALYPSE, and those are not gore films either.
And for something completely different, try his BEATRICE CENCI. It's a costume melodrama with a very hard edge.
Posted by: Doc Voltage | June 11, 2013 at 15:53
This one isn´t bad at all. I like Fulcis work, even the later work. He had very little money to work with.
He held it together better than Argento is doing at the moment for instance.
Talking about anthology movies. There are so many movies that would work super in that format. Probably most new movies made in Hollywood these days would be perfect.
Posted by: tobe | June 12, 2013 at 00:04
great man :D
Posted by: bedroom furniture | July 28, 2013 at 19:00
I've just ordered the new Code Red Blu-ray release of this one, having not seen it since the early 1990s. I remember liking it quite a bit: it's got atmosphere in spades and some good photography, as I recall. I think the new HD presentation will add much to the experience of watching the film. Looking forward to seeing it again :)
Posted by: Krycek_Facility | November 06, 2013 at 15:24