‘Beyond the Gates of Hell’ Is A Low-Budget Love Letter to Lucio Fulci [Giallo Julian’s Indie Spotlight]
Those who know me, know that I LOVE Italian splatter-gore maestro, Lucio Fulci. Hell, I’d even say that Fulci’s one of my favorite horror directors of all time, sitting at that blood-drenched round table along with John Carpenter and Adam Simon.
The night I saw Zombie (aka Zombi 2) changed my life. It wasn’t the first zombie movie I’ve ever seen (George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead has that honor). But it did impact lil’ Giallo more than any other. I attribute that to the brutal unapologetic bloodshed and haunting atmosphere — from the constant beat of distant drums, to the splintered-door eye-gore, to the absolute banger theme song. Also, a zombie trades bites with a shark, which is rad enough to be a core childhood memory on its own.
Dustin Ferguson is also a Fulci fan if his filmography is any indication. He’s done spiritual successors to several Fulci flicks like Zombie VIII: Urban Decay and Hell of the Screaming Undead. That’s the case with his latest feature as well — Beyond the Gates of Hell — inspired by what many consider to be Fulci’s magnum opus, The Beyond.
“A young couple purchase a new home with plans of turning it into a bed and breakfast. However, it isn’t long before a series of bizarre and frightening events unfold on the property. After a mysterious woman visits Katrina (Traci Burr), she soon discovers that someone or something is lurking in the basement! She enlists the help of a local priest (Brad Banacka) but it’s already too late as the Gates of Hell have now opened, and the Zombies have risen.”
There’s a certain expectation that comes with Ferguson’s work given the nature of his films. Much of them are on the lower side of “low-budget”, so there are a fair amount of concessions made during production that tend to limit their level of quality. That being said, I have a hard time denying the passion that went into these movies. One doesn’t make so many films per year without any love for what they do, I feel. That’s what I’ll be keeping in mind going forward.
Beyond the Gates of Hell is essentially a low(er)-budget remake of The Beyond, complete with haunting specters, undead warlocks, and flesh-craving zombies. A couple buys a big house only for spooky shit to start happening. You know how it is breaking in a new home, there’s always an adjustment period. It’s eventually revealed that the residence is an actual portal to hell. Why? How? Years ago, a sorcerer met some frontier justice, his death sparking the creation of said infernal gateway. Now, the restless dead hunger for the living.
It hits nearly all the same beats as its inspiration, though notably, any semblance of spider-eyeball-gore is absent. That’s fair, I wouldn’t want to attempt to one-up such an iconic scene, either. Also of note, the flick takes some cues from another film in Fulci’s library, The House By the Cemetery. The Big Bad in the film’s climax looks a lot like Dr. Freudstein, which I thought was a charming touch to include.
So with all that laid out, it comes down to a single question that I’m sure y’all want me to answer: How is it? If you’re asking me if it beats out the original Fulci classic, then no. Obviously not. However, I’d argue it’d be unfair to make such a comparison, despite their similarities. As low-budget as The Beyond was, its crew was still working with an estimated $400,000 for production and advertising. Beyond the Gates of Hell’s team had WAY less to use ($1,500), so I’m looking at it from that perspective. It’s a lower-than-B movie made by a group of people wanting to make a movie. Nothing grandiose or thought-provoking or completely original; just a movie. The love is there for 70s/80s Italian horror and for filmmaking.
If you’re not a fan of Ferguson’s work, this won’t turn you around. I feel that nothing he does will change you from that mindset, which is okay. No filmmaker is for everybody! However, if you love to see low, low, LOW-budget films and enjoy the passion and work that go into even the smallest production, I think you might find something of value.
You can buy Beyond the Gates of Hell physically here.
Until next time…
Ciao, friends!
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