The Beyond – 1981, Italy, 87m. Director: Lucio Fulci.
Forever Evil – 1987, US, 107m. Director: Roger Evans.
Nightmare Sisters – 1988, US, 83m. Director: David DeCoteau.
THE BEYOND (1981) (AKA: 7 Doors of Death) Once again the dreaded gates to Hell have been opened and expelled the living dead in this companion piece to Lucio Fulci’s equally blood-strewn City of the Living Dead (1980). The revamping of a New Orleans hotel that, decades earlier, was the scene of a brutal murder spells doom for its new owner (Catriona MacColl) and anyone who comes into contact with the cursed building—including a hapless plumber who has his eyes gouged out by a demonic hand that emerges from behind a melting wall. The hotel’s blind gatekeeper tries to warn MacColl of the place’s hellish history but is dismissed and has her throat torn open by her own seeing eye dog. Eventually, in the movie’s super-splattery climax, a horde of zombies descends upon a hospital, where our protagonists are trapped. Narratively, The Beyond makes little sense and is often disjointed—although it works rather well in terms of the plot and immerses the viewer in a nightmarish, otherworldly atmosphere. But Fulci knows audiences come to a movie like The Beyond expecting a certain level of special effects, and the director doesn’t disappoint, offering, on more than one occasion, his trademark popped-eyeball gag. It’s not a perfect movie in any way, but as a genuine work of horror filmmaking, The Beyond excels. B+
FOREVER EVIL (1987) Forever Evil is an interesting concept trapped in a listless production. Friends gathered at a woodsy lake house are butchered by supernatural boogeymen, one of which looks like a zombie leftover from Romero’s Day of the Dead. The only survivor of the massacre is enlisted by a woman with similar experiences to help figure out who or what is responsible for the murders. Why it takes nearly an hour to get down to brass tacks—the events are emanating from a creature of pre-history called Yog Kothag, which the filmmakers keep off screen—is just one of many frustrating elements of the screenplay, which despite touching on some Lovecraftian topics can’t distinguish itself from being just another Evil Dead rip-off. A missed opportunity which, if edited down from its lengthy 107-minutes, could have made for a passable time-waster—but as is, it’s just a waste of time. D+
NIGHTMARE SISTERS (1988) Three mousy sorority sisters are turned into sexed-up succubi after performing a séance with a cursed crystal ball. The women are portrayed by ‘80s scream queens Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, and Michelle Bauer, so the movie’s predominately silly premise works, thanks to the actress’ comedic chemistry. Once the ladies are changed into nymphos, the plot consists of the busty trio seducing (usually topless) their male cohorts into bed and sucking out their souls by feeding off their tallywackers. No, seriously. The evil—looking and sounding like a Deadite leftover from Evil Dead II—is eventually expelled from the women by a bargain basement exorcist and, to the delight of the remaining virginal frat brothers, they still retain their magical bustlines. If anything, Nightmare Sisters offers a harmless, albeit moronic, viewing experience for the ‘80s nostalgia connoisseur. C+