Beyond, The (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Stephen Bjork
Review Date: Apr 24, 2025
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Lucio Fulci

Release Date(s)

1981 (July 29, 2025)

Studio(s)

Fulvia Film/Medusa Distribuzione (Grindhouse Releasing)

Film/Program Grade: A-
Video Grade: A-
Audio Grade: B+
Extras Grade: A+
Overall Grade: A+

grindhousereleasing.com/

Review

Like many of Lucio Fulci’s horror films, The Beyond (aka ...E tu vivrai nel terrore! L’aldilà and 7 Doors of Death) opens with a prologue that may initially feel like a non sequitur when compared to the rest of the film. Fulci’s horrors weren’t necessarily coherent on a narrative level; they can’t be judged in terms of rationality and logic since the only real logic that they display is the inherently irrational one of dream states. Yet there’s more going on during the prologue of The Beyond than may meet the eye (and that’s a loaded phrase when talking about Fulci!). Set in 1927, the mystical artist Schweick (Antoine Saint-John) is working on a painting in his room at The Seven Doors Hotel in New Orleans. It’s a dark and stormy night (naturally), and while he’s working, a mob of townsfolk show up to drag him into the basement, lash him with chains, and much worse. Meanwhile, Emily (Cinzia Monreale) discovers an ancient tome called the Book of Eibon, and reads aloud from one of its prophecies regarding the gates of Hell being opened. Cut to credits.

Once the credits are over, The Beyond picks up in the present day, where Liza Merril (Catriona MacColl) has traveled to New Orleans to claim the hotel as part of her inheritance. That apparent blessing turns out to be a curse when ominous events start occurring in and around the hotel. As the bodies start piling up, Liza teams up with a local doctor, John McCabe (David Warbeck), in order to try to solve the mystery. Eyes will be gouged, faces will melt, throats will be shredded, spiders will bite, heads will explode, and Fulci will make a cameo. Eventually, the Book of Eibon reappears, as do Emily and Schweick, though not in their original forms. It turns out that Schweick is no mere painter, Emily has made a deal with the devil, the name of the hotel is no accident, and Liza has a date with destiny, hand in hand with Dr. McCabe.

The story and screenplay for The Beyond was by frequent Lucio Fulci collaborator Dardano Sacchetti, with contributions from Giorgio Mariuzzo and Fulci himself. Fulci’s horror films were all about mood, not narrative detail, so the stories often provided little more than a loose framework with which to tie his imaginative set pieces together. That’s also true of The Beyond to a certain degree, yet it still manages to dig deeper than the rest, both literally and metaphorically. While Fulci’s previous film City of the Living Dead drew inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft, and his next effort The House by the Cemetery would end up turning its screw towards Henry James, The Beyond dabbles with Gustave Doré, Dante Alighieri, and Willilam Blake instead. There are a few lapses in logic and narrative coherency along the way (it’s still a Lucio Fulci film, after all), but the prologue forms a perfect bookend with the finale, harmonizing everything that happens between those two points regardless of any logical inconsistency. It took Fulci’s immortal eye to find the perfect way to frame this fearful symmetry.

While Fulci has become indelibly associated with the horror genre, he was actually quite comfortable working with comedy, fantasy, adventure, and much more. He made spaghetti westerns, poliziotteschi, historical dramas, gialli, and even slapstick comedies. Yet there’s no denying the fact that he had a genuine knack for presenting unique visions of the uncanny. With Fulci’s visionary horror films, you can hear the sound of one hand clapping. In Roger Ebert’s 1998 review of the theatrical re-release of the uncut version of The Beyond, he described Fulci as being “sort of an Italian Hershell Gordon Lewis,” which is an absurd comparison (and that’s not a knock against, Lewis, either). The only real similarity between the two is that they both utilized gore effects in their films, but for that matter, so did Martin Scorsese. No, a better comparison would be to a filmmaker of a very different sort: Jean Cocteau. Fulci and Cocteau both had a gift for using cinematography and simple practical effects in order to convey imagery that transcends the bounds of time and space, evoking the spirit of Lovecraft’s non-Euclidian geometry (if not its actual form). And with the ending of The Beyond, Fulci took up the mantle of Cocteau’s Orpheus by presenting one of the most striking visions of the Underworld ever put on film.

The astonishing part is that the finale of The Beyond was little more than a happy accident. Sacchetti had originally conceived of a very different ending set in an otherworldly amusement park—shades of Carnival of Souls more than Doré, Dante, or Blake. That conceit proved impractical, forcing Sacchetti and Fulci to improvise at the last minute—although cinematographer Sergio Salvati deserves the lion’s share of the credit for what ended up happening. They filmed inside an otherwise empty soundstage after bringing in truckloads of sandy soil to cover the floor, and Salvati noticed that the heat of his overhead lighting rig was causing vapors to rise out of the moisture in the dirt. So he wetted it down further, cranked up the lights, and left the stage closed up overnight. That resulted in an eerie mist blanketing the entire set, and combined with the filters that he used on the camera, it created an effect unlike anything that could have been achieved using standard fog machines or smoke. This unique journey through the pit of Hell is all the more powerful for its utter simplicity—no amount of elaborate visual effects has ever been able to do better.

In the horror genre, it’s not unusual for the protagonist(s) to live to see the dawn, only to be plunged back into their nightmares at the end. Yet in The Beyond, everyone from Liza to all of the supporting characters have been plunging inexorably toward their worst nightmare from the first moment to the very last. They may meet their respective fates in different ways, but they’re all still heading toward the exact same place. There’s an air of inevitability in The Beyond that precludes any Christian notions of hope or redemption. This isn’t Dante’s Purgatorio, depicting an arduous redemptive ascent out of the depths. The walls end up closing behind Liza and Dr. McCabe, and once closed, they vanish permanently into the mist. No, it’s really Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, where “if the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.” It’s only once Liza and McCabe’s eyes whiten and become occluded that they can truly see the Infinite that precludes all hope and reason. Their now immortal eyes can finally frame the fearful symmetry that Emily predicted during the prologue, and they’re left alone to face the sea of darkness, and all therein that may be explored.

Cinematographer Sergio Salvati shot The Beyond on 35mm film in 2-perf Techniscope using spherical lenses. The resulting flat negative was then blown up optically for anamorphic release prints that were framed at 2.39:1. For this version, the original camera negative was scanned in 4K by L’Immagine Ritrovata, with digital cleanup and grading performed at Fotokem (both Dolby Vision and HDR10 grades have been included here). The prologue for The Beyond appears in the sepia tones that Salvati and Fulci intended, but once it’s over and the credits start to roll, everything springs to vivid life. The colors are well saturated but never oversaturated (although they do push the edge of the envelope in a few cases), which is also fair to Salvati’s intent—he said that he wanted the exteriors to be warm and inviting, with the interiors much cooler and more ominous.

For the most part, damage is limited to some very light speckling, although there’s more dirt and debris on the dupe footage from any optical work such as the titles sequence and the series of dissolves at 53:45. (The final optical and closing credit scrawl look even rougher). The encoding by Johnny Buell manages all of the 2-perf Techniscope grain perfectly, and the hellish fog during the finale has never looked better than it does here. If there’s one complaint about this 4K presentation of The Beyond, it’s that there may be some chroma noise visible at times, at least in the HDR10 layer—it’s most noticeable against white backgrounds like the walls of the morgue, with faint blue splotches mixing in with the grain. It may not be visible with other combinations of players and displays, but it was there when running HDR10 through an Oppo UDP-205 to a JVC RS-2000 projector. Your own mileage may vary.

Audio for the theatrical cut is offered in English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, plus the original theatrical mono mix in both English and Italian 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, with optional English subtitles. (Audio for the Composer’s Cut is in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio only.) The 5.1 and 2.0 remixes appear to be the same ones that were originally created by sound designer Paul Ottosson for the Anchor Bay DVD (although it’s not clear if they’ve received any additional sweetening since then). Fabio Frizzi’s score is given greater breathing room in stereo, and while there could be some repurposed sound effects (like extra thunder during the prologue), it all blends together reasonably well. It’s more immersive, naturally, and there’s much more depth to the low end. As with any remix, this one will be a matter of taste, but the original theatrical mono is still available as well, sounding better than ever.

The 5.1 track for the composer’s cut features Frizzi’s newly-recorded version of his score for the film, and unsurprisingly, it’s much more forward in the mix and doesn’t really integrate as well into the soundstage (it actually stands out even more than the added sound effects do). Yet that’s the whole point of this cut, so it sounds exactly like it should. Once again, it’s going to be a matter of taste.

Grindhouse Releasing’s Deluxe Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD release of The Beyond is a six-disc set that includes the theatrical feature and the composer’s cut on both UHD and Blu-ray; two more Blu-rays with extras; a DVD with the 7 Doors of Death cut; and a CD with the soundtrack for the composer’s cut. The discs are housed inside embossed packaging designed to look like the Book of Eibon as seen in the film (the discs fit tightly within the sleeves, making them prone to scratches, so exercise caution). There’s also a 100-page booklet with essays by Martin Beine and Jesper Mørch. Everything comes housed inside a hard slipcase featuring new artwork by original artist Emanuele Taglietti.

Grindhouse offered an Eye of Eibon Edition directly from their webstore, limited to 3,500 units, that included a plastic eyeball with the Eibon glyph imprinted on it. (This was an homage to the eyeballs that were available at some midnight screenings of The Beyond during its re-release in 1998.) That’s long sold out now, as is the Joe’s Bundle version that also included an action figure of Joe the Plumber, which was limited to just 10 units. Grindhouse did end up offering a few more sets once the eyeballs and the plumbers ran out, but those are also long gone now.

However, they’ve recently announced their standard Deluxe Edition, which will be available from Grindhouse and from other retailers on July 29th. It’s the exact same discs, booklet, and packaging, minus any extra swag. So regardless of which version you end up with, the following extras are included (and have a seat, children; this may go on for a while):

DISC ONE: THEATRICAL & COMPOSER’S CUTS (UHD)

Catriona MacColl Introduction for The Beyond (UHD – :57)
Fabio Frizzi Introduction for the Composer’s Cut (UHD – 1:35)
Audio Commentary by David Warbeck and Catriona MacColl
Audio Commentary by Sergio Salvati
Audio Commentary by Giannetto De Rossi
Fabio Frizzi’s Cut (HD – 31:47)
Beyond The Beyond – Simone Scafidi (HD – 65:04)

DISC TWO: THEATRICAL & COMPOSER’S CUTS (BD)

Catriona MacColl Introduction for The Beyond (HD – :57)
Fabio Frizzi Introduction for the Composer’s Cut (HD – 1:35)
Audio Commentary by David Warbeck and Catriona MacColl
Audio Commentary by Sergio Salvati
Audio Commentary by Giannetto De Rossi
Fabio Frizzi’s Cut (HD – 31:47)
Beyond The Beyond – Simone Scafidi (HD – 65:04)

Since the composer’s cut of The Beyond is really something of a novelty, it’s best to consider it as an extras rather than as a true alternate version of the film. Actually, calling it a “composer’s cut” is a little misleading anyway, since it appears to be identical to the theatrical cut save for the prologue being presented in full color rather than in sepia tones. The only real difference is that Fabio Frizzi has replaced his original score with newly composed and performed music that reworks many of his old themes, but also strikes out in completely new directions. It’s an interesting concept, but no substitute for the real thing. It’s still worth sampling, though.

Note that due to the different openings, the theatrical cut and the composer’s cut need to be selected individually from the main menu, and each of them offers optional new introductions from Catriona MacColl and Fabio Frizzi. They’re not available elsewhere in the menus, so the only way to watch them is when playing the film.

Grindhouse has carried forward the archival commentary with Warbeck and MacColl that they included with their Blu-ray release of The Beyond. It was originally included on Anchor Bay’s DVD release in 2000, but like many of the extras on that disc, it was actually produced a few years earlier (Warbeck died in 1997). The two have a relaxed, easygoing chemistry with each other, and while their memories weren’t always the clearest, they’re entertaining enough that it’s easy to forgive any errors that they make. (Although they do mention a notorious error in the film itself: the sign next to the door of the morgue saying “Do Not Entry.” Viva la Italian set decorators.)

Grindhouse has also included two more archival commentaries, both of them in Italian with English subtitles. Sergio Salvati is joined by Paolo Alviero, who provides an overview of the production and its themes while asking Salvati technical questions about how various effects were achieved. They discuss why (and how) the prologue was processed in sepia tones, and also address the German version being distributed in full color. Yet they don’t just focus on the cinematography, as they also cover things like the script, the makeup effects, and Salvati’s relationship with Fulci.

The commentary with makeup artist Giannetto De Rossi is moderated by Eugenio Ercolani. They analyze The Beyond on a narrative and thematic level while breaking down the makeup effects whenever appropriate. They also offer plenty of praise for Fulci and his other collaborators like Salvati.

Fabio Frizzi’s Cut is an interview with the composer, who offers some background regarding why this alternate version was created. It was always intended as a way to perform the music live against the film, but since there’s only about 30 minutes of score in the original cut of the film, that required some adjustments in order to make a more consistent musical experience. Beyond The Beyond – Simone Scafidi is an extended interview with the film scholar and writer/director of Fulci for Fake, who opens by providing the historical context surrounding The Beyond and where it fell in Fulci’s career. From there, he analyzes the evolution of the script, the production of the film, its release (including the truncated American version and the eventual 1998 re-release of the original version), and its legacy. He also addresses some of the legends that have arisen over the years, trying to sort out fact from fiction. It’s a remarkably exhaustive look at The Beyond, with Scafidi essentially serving as a one-man “making of” documentary.

There are also at least three Easter eggs on the first two discs:

Location Comparison (HD – 1:27)
Beyond Fest 2016 (HD – 15:00)
The Hidden Track! (HD – 10:39)

To find the first one, press the left arrow from Play Theatrical Version on the main menu, which will highlight the small image of Warbeck and MacColl. It’s a brief comparison of the locations in the film to how they look today. For the second one, select the Special Features pop-up menu, drill down to Fabio Frizzi’s Cut, then press the left arrow, which will highlight a hidden icon. It’s a video shot at Beyond Fest in 2016, where Frizzi performed his composer’s cut live. (It also has a welcome appearance by a fan-favorite special guest who has nothing whatsoever to do with The Beyond, so do check it out.) To find the third Easter egg, select Setup from the main menu and then press the up arrow. That will highlight the glyph in the middle of the “o” in The Beyond. The Hidden Track! is the bonus track that was at the end of the soundtrack CD included with Grindhouse’s Blu-ray release of The Beyond. It’s a collection of zombie moans and groans, with a whole lotta Liza for good measure.

DISC THREE: EXTRAS (BD)

Interviews:
- Catriona MacColl and David Warbeck (Upscaled SD – 66:44)
- Emily’s Eyes (HD – 16:54)
- When Al Met Lucio (HD – 15:54)
- Arachnophobia (HD – 28:28)
- Of Blood and Ink (HD – 42:58)
- Murder, They Wrote (HD – 12:58)
- Beyond the Stunts (HD – 11:41)
- Being the Sound Guy (HD – 26:45)
- Voices from The Beyond (HD – 21:47)
- Eye of the Witness (HD – 21:39)
- Eros and Violence (HD – 34:28)
Trailers:
- International Trailer (HD – 3:26)
- German Trailer (HD – 3:33)
- U.S. Trailer (7 Doors of Death) (HD – 2:53)
- U.S. Re-Release Trailer (SD – 1:25)
- 7 Doors of Death TV Spots (SD – 1:06, 2 in all)
- U.S. Re-Release Radio Spot (HD – :54)
Grindhouse Releasing Prevues:
- Hollywood 90028 (HD – 1:39)
- Love Is Deep Inside (HD – 1:34)
- Ice House (HD – 2:39)
- Impulse (HD – 1:19)
- Cat in the Brain (HD – 1:57)
- Bogard (HD – 2:41)
- Scum of the Earth (HD – 2:11)
- Corruption (HD – 1:51)
- The Big Gundown (HD – 2:14)
- Make Them Die Slowly (HD – 4:14)
Disc Credits

The third disc collects the various Trailers, TV Spots, and Radio Spots for The Beyond, including ones for the 7 Doors of Death version, as well as a variety of trailers for other releases from Grindhouse. It also collects a variety of interviews from a few different sources, starting off with Catriona MacColl and David Warbeck, both of whom were recorded at Eurofest ‘95 in London. Moderated by Stephen Thrower, it’s mostly MacColl being interviewed solo, although Warbeck appears toward the end to join her.

The rest of the interviews include Emily’s Eyes with Cinzia Monreale; When Al Met Lucio with actor Al Cliver (aka Pierluigi Conti); Arachnophobia with actor Michele Mirabella; Of Blood and Ink with screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti; Murder, They Wrote with screenwriter Giorgio Maruizzo; Beyond the Stunts with stunt performers/actors Ottavioano Dell’Acqua and Massimo Vanni; Being the Sound Guy with sound engineer Ugo Celani; Voices from The Beyond with dubbing director Pino Colizzi; Eye of the Witness with writer Michele Romagnoli; and Eros and Violence with painter and set dresser Emanuele Taglietti. It’s a mixture of new and old interviews, with the oldest of them dating back to 2017, but they’re all new to this edition—at least as far as Grindhouse Releasing is concerned, anyway. None of the interviews on the first three discs were included in their 2015 Blu-ray release of The Beyond, nor were the Salvati and de Rossi commentary tracks, so even setting aside the inclusion of the composer’s cut and 7 Doors of Death, it’s a massive quantity of value-added content.

And yet that’s still not all. There are also at least two more Easter Eggs on the third disc:

Images from The Beyond (SD – 16:46)
Voices from The Beyond: Memories of Lucio Fulci (SD – 23:28)

To find the first one, press the left arrow from the Interviews selection on the main menu, which will highlight the corpses to the left of Warbeck and MacColl. Images from The Beyond is a series of image galleries that are interspersed with interview footage. It ends with Papa Fulci himself on stage for a screening of The Beyond. For the second one, select either Interviews, Trailers, or Grindhouse Releasing Prevues from the main menu, then press the up arrow from the top selection on the pop-up menus. That will highlight the glyph in the middle of the “o” in The Beyond. Voices from The Beyond: Memories of Lucio Fulci is a collection of interviews with Sergio Salvati, Catriona MacColl, Dardano Sachetti, Giannetto De Rossi, Fabio Frizzi, Cinzia Monreale, Giorgio Mariuzzo, makeup artist Maurizio Trani, actor Veronica Lazar, producer Fabrizio De Angelis, and more. It really is a nice portrait of Fulci as seen through the eyes of his friends and collaborators.

DISC FOUR: ARCHIVAL EXTRAS (BD)

Interviews:
- Looking Back: The Creation of The Beyond (HD – 47:54)
- The New Orleans Connection (HD – 44:33)
- Beyond and Back (HD – 34:05)
- See Emily Play (HD – 21:57)
- Making it Real (HD – 32:29)
- Lucio Fulci Interview Part 1 (SD – 20:05)
- Lucio Fulci Interview Part 2 (SD – 13:04)
- Eurofest ’94 – Lucio Fulci & David Warbeck (SD – 46:04)
- Eurofest ’96 – Catriona MacColl & David Warbeck (SD – 5:24)
- 1996 Festival of Fantastic Films – Catriona MacColl (SD – 12:16)
- 1996 Festival of Fantastic Films – David Warbeck (SD – 21:06)
- Beyond Italy (HD – 19:05)
Still Galleries:
- Production Stills (HD, 79 in all)
- Behind the Scenes (HD, 80 in all)
- Promotional Materials:
  - Italy (HD, 12 in all)
  - Germany (HD, 49 in all)
  - French (HD, 15 in all)
  - U.S. (HD, 39 in all)
  - Various (HD, 16 in all)
  - Video Releases (HD, 55 in all)
  - Beyond The Beyond (HD, 100 in all)
Grindhouse Releasing Prevues:
- Cat in the Brain (HD – 1:59)
- Cannibal Holocaust (HD – 1:58)
- Cannibal Ferox (HD – 2:47)
- Massacre Mafia Style (HD – 2:21)
- Gone with the Pope (HD – 2:02)
- Pieces (HD – :33)
- Corruption (HD – 2:07)
- The Swimmer (HD – 2:45)
- The Big Gundown (HD – 2:15)
- An American Hippie in Israel (HD – 3:03)
- Scum of the Earth (HD – 2:14)
- The Tough Ones (HD – 3:31)
- Ice House (SD – 1:40)
- I Drink Your Blood (SD – 2:50)
Production Credits

The fourth disc is actually a repressing of the second disc from Grindhouse’s previous Blu-ray release of The Beyond, which means that it contains the bulk of the extras from that set. (Not quite all of them, but hold onto that thought for a moment.) It kicks off with Looking Back: The Creation of The Beyond, a making-of featurette that includes interviews with Sergio Salvati, Dardano Sacchetti, Fabrizio De Angelis, Antonella Fulci, poster artist Enzo Sciotti, and actor Giovanni De Nava. It actually covers more than just the making of The Beyond, since the participants also provide some insights into the making of Italian genre films during that era.

There are also four different interviews with various other participants in the making of The Beyond. The New Orleans Connection is with actor Larry Ray, who ended up serving as a liaison for the production since he could speak Italian. Beyond and Back is with Catriona MacColl, who covers this film and her whole career working with Fulci. See Emily Play is with Cinzia Monreale, who talks about why she became an actress and her experiences making The Beyond. Making it Real is with Giannetto De Rossi and Maurizio Trani, both of whom were recorded separately, talking about the makeup effects in The Beyond and, well, beyond.

Lucio Fulci Remembers is an audio-only interview with the director in two parts. It’s really a monologue, or rather a response, because Italian journalist Gaetano Mistretta had sent a list of questions to Fulci in 1988, and Fulci responded by recording answers on tape and sending them back. The first part focuses on his own life and career, while the second part expands to include his thoughts about other filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick and Dario Argento, David Cronenberg, and Mario Bava.

The rest of the extras on this disc include four different appearances by Fulci, Catriona MacColl, and David Warbeck at three different film festivals (the first one at Eurofest ’94 is the source of the Fulci footage in Images from The Beyond). There are a variety of different Still Galleries including production stills, behind-the-scenes photographs, and various advertising and promotional items. There’s another set of trailers for other releases from Grindhouse, this one a bit more dated since several of them are out-of-print. Needless to say, there are also two more Easter eggs:

Necrophagia Music Video (SD – 5:21)
Location Comparison (HD – 1:30)

To find the first one, press the left arrow from the Still Galleries selection on the main menu (you might have to hit it twice), and a bullet point will appear under The Beyond. The Necrophagia Music Video is an old, lo-fi video from the death metal band that includes clips from The Beyond. For the second one, select Interviews from the main menu, drill down to The New Orleans Connection, press the right arrow, and a bullet point will appear next to the word Interviews above. It’s the same location featurette that’s on the first two discs.

DISC FIVE: 7 DOORS OF DEATH (DVD)

7 Doors of Death (SD – 80:09)
The Beyond in the Age of Aquarius (SD – 39:37)
7 Doors of Death Trailer (SD – 3:06)
Drive-in Asylum Newsprint Ad Gallery (SD – 3:31)

7 Doors of Death is the truncated American version of The Beyond that was distributed by Aquarius Releasing in 1983. The violence was trimmed in order to achieve an R rating from the MPAA; Fabio Frizzi’s score was replaced by music from Mitch and Ira Yuspeh; and many of the names were altered in order to make them sound more English-friendly (Fulci was credited as “Louis Fuller”). The whereabouts of the internegative for this version are unknown, and there don’t appear to be any extant prints for it, either, so this version is pulled from the 1” videotape master instead. It’s presented in pan-and-scan format at 1.50:1 with English 2.0 and 5.1 Dolby Digital audio. The 2.0 track sounds like the original 2.0 surround version that was released on VHS, and the 5.1 appears to be a straightforward discrete encoding of those original four channels. While the video quality is limited by the source, the 1” master looks much better than a VHS rip would have.

The Beyond in the Age of Aquarius is an interview with distributor Terry Levene and editor Jim Markovic. While age has slowed both of them down a bit, their memories are still sound, and they cover the history of Aquarius Releasing and the process of turning The Beyond into 7 Doors of Death. They also provide some invaluable insights into the process of dealing with the MPAA during that era.

There’s also another copy of the 7 Doors of Death trailer and a collection of newspaper advertisements for the film, Drive-in Asylum Newsprint Ad Gallery. Oh, and yes, there’s also at least one additional Easter egg:

Interview with Terry Levene (SD – 3:21)

To find it, press the up arrow from either the Play or Chapters selection on the main menu, which will highlight one of the zombie’s eyeballs. It’s an additional interview with Levene, offering his thoughts on why audiences were attracted to gruesome films.

But wait, there’s more!

DISC SIX: COMPOSER’S CUT SOUNDTRACK (CD)

Schweick’s Torture (7:29)
The Eyes (:40)
John McCabe, The Doctor (1:02)
Room No. 36 (:25)
Basement Mysteries (1:45)
The Plumber Towards His Destiny (1:35)
Death Comes from the Wall (:43)
Emily Appears to Liza (3:50)
Flat Electroencephalogram? (1:00)
Sweet Dressing (:32)
Blood Foam (2:06)
White Eyes in the Cemetery (:19)
Ancient Simulacra (1:59)
Liz Relives Schweick’s Death (2:13)
Dawn of Anguish (1:28)
Nails in the Wall (2:14)
The Book of Eibon (:57)
Spiders Attack (4:13)
The Mystery Thickens (5:57)
Symbols in the Morgue (1:02)
Justice from the Past (4:22)
Emily’s Second Death (:39)
Liz Panicked (1:49)
John’s Disbelief (1:57)
Zombie Infested House (1:07)
Towards Despair (2:18)
Horror Hospital (2:35)
The Return of Schweick – Epilogue (6:28)
M15 + M16 + M16 Bis – Modified Piano (2:41)
M31 + M31 – Modified Piano from Bar 28 (:38)
M54 + M55 – Modified Piano from Bar 31 (:49)
M56 + M57 – Guitar FX (:13)
Terma 2 – Dixie (3:19)

Considering that Grindhouse’s previous Blu-ray included a CD copy of Fabio Frizzi’s soundtrack to the film, it makes sense that they’re also including a copy of his Composer’s Cut soundtrack here. The circle is now complete. (Note that the final five tracks are actually bonus tracks, and yes, I listened all the way to the end of the last one in order to make sure that there wasn’t a hidden track after it.)

As overwhelming as this collection of extras may seem, it’s still not all things The Beyond, at least as far as home video has been concerned. The most noteworthy omissions come from Arrow’s U.K. Blu-ray release: a commentary track with Antonella Fulci, moderated by Calum Waddell; an introduction and an interview with Cinzia Monreale; a Q&A with Catriona MacColl; interviews with MacColl and Giannetto De Rossi; and the featurette Fulci Flashbacks: Reflections on Italy’s Premiere Paura Protagonist. Arrow also included a featurette on the alternate prologue/opening title sequences that has appeared in various forms on other editions of The Beyond, but not here.

Speaking of which, Grindhouse’s DVD and Blu-ray releases of the film included the German prologue for The Beyond, in full color instead of sepia toned, as well as Easter eggs with the 7 Doors of Death title sequence. Those may have been omitted here since this set includes the color prologue in the composer’s cut, and it also offers the full 7 Doors of Death. Or, they may still be here on an Easter eggs that I haven’t discovered yet. There may be other minor bits and bobs missing from other editions as well, but it’s hard to tell since some of them may still be here but in altered and/or retitled form.

Frankly, the overwhelming amount of material in this set has broken me, and not in a bad way, either. 2025 has already seen at least two impressively exhaustive 4K releases: Arrow’s Cruising and Lionsgate’s Basic Instinct. While Grindhouse’s The Beyond may not be quite as all-inclusive as either of those two sets, it’s exhaustive to the point of being exhausting. It even managed to bring this particular obsessive-compulsive reviewer to his knees, and that’s no mean feat. My quick back-of-the-napkin calculations indicate that... oh, puh-lease, we all know full well that I actually took the time to add everything up manually, so here’s the tale of the tape:

Excluding the composer’s cut, the CD, the untimed still galleries, and any Easter eggs that I missed, that’s 20.5 hours of extras. Including the composer’s cut and the CD, it’s more like 23.25 hours. It’s material from an impressive breadth of participants, too, and a genuinely valuable archive. Combined with a beautiful 4K presentation of the film itself, and you have one of the best, if not the best, physical media releases of the year so far. Props to everyone involved at Grindhouse Releasing. If you missed out any of the Deluxe Limited Editions, be sure to get your pre-order in for standard Deluxe Edition coming out in July. It’s worth every penny.

-Stephen Bjork

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