BEYOND
THE DARKNESS - BUIO OMEGA (1979)Director: Joe D'Amato
Shriek Show/Media Blasters
BEYOND
THE DARKNESS - BUIO OMEGA (1979)Director Aristide Massaccesi,
better known to American and British audiences as "Joe D'Amato," was
in his prime during the late 1970s. Following a successful career as a cinematographer
for some of the best Italian films of the decade (WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO SOLANGE?,
THE DEVIL'S WEDDING NIGHT, THE ARENA, THE ANTICHRIST), D'Amato made his directorial
debut with the cult classic DEATH SMILES ON A MURDERER, a film still awaiting
the wide audience it deserves. And while his ever-popular "Black Emanuelle"
series starring Laura Gemser are his best-known contributions to Eurocult cinema,
his most noteworthy horror film remains BEYOND THE DARKNESS, an experience that
can only be summed up as excruciating, even by today's standards. After a lengthy
delay (note to Shriek Show: don't announce street dates until all materials
are available!), BEYOND THE DARKNESS has seen the light and anyone remotely
interested in this revolting masterpiece will be 
pleased.
Frank (future porn star Kieran Canter) is a young rich taxidermist who is involved in two twisted relationships: he is lusted after by his crazed maid Iris (Bruno Mattei favorite Franca Stoppi) and also is obsessed with his dying girlfriend Anna (Cinzia Monreale of THE BEYOND). Anna finally succumbs to her heart ailments, but Frank is a strong believer that death cannot conquer love. Digging up her barely-cold cadaver, Frank whisks her away to his mansion to preserve her forever. On his mission, Frank must eliminate any woman that stands in the path between him and his beloved Anna. But Iris has other plans of her own....
Packed
with incredibly sick visual setpieces and a pair of over-the-top performances
by Canter and Stoppi, BEYOND THE DARKNESS is never disappointing. Those looking
for a sleazy necrophiliac study might be disappointed; NEKROMANTIK this ain't.
The audience can't help but empathize with Frank's situation. A heartbroken
shell of a man, he continues to hold onto a relationship that has been extinguished
by nature. Frank is a semi-hero while Iris is the complete villainess. Iris'
sadistic and almost sensual behavior while mutilating the bodies of Frank's
victims displays some of Italian cult cinema's best performing by Miss Stoppi.
Always memorable in her screen roles, one wonders where she disappeared to?
And let's not forget the lovely Cinzia Monreale in what is essentially a glorified
cameo; she thankfully reappears as Anna's quite living identical sister Teodora
during the crazed finale. And let's not forget the official fourth star of the
film: the disco-inspired score by Italian horror favorites Goblin, contributing
what may be their most underrated score, which only just recently saw a release
on CD. 
DARKNESS still features disgusting setpieces that will leave some running for the nearest toilet to lose their lunch: fingernails are ripped off with pliers, a body undergoes an autopsy in graphic, stomach-churning detail, and a body is dismembered and its pieces thrown into a bath of acid. YUCK! And I didn't even go into detail about the finale of the film! Obviously not for the weak of heart, this film reportedly left many 42nd Street patrons staggering down the aisles. Even by today's blood-spattered standards, D'Amato's nasty special effects and even some of the more restrained moments (Frank 'nursing' on Iris' breast, for example) wouldn't sit well with modern jaded gorehounds.
Shriek
Show presents BEYOND THE DARKNESS in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The source
material looks quite good, very colorful, and most importantly, is completely
uncut, including a disco scene previously removed from most versions. One problem:
the blacks on this disc suffer from severe pixellation. Quick examples that
cite this problem include Frank entering his darkened garage near the start
of the film and the final confrontation between Frank and Iris, set almost completely
in a darkened room. It's not too intrusive, but is a problem that will prevent
many diehard fans of the film from calling this the "definitive version"
of BUIO OMEGA.
Extras are an amazing group, as to be expected from Shriek Show. Included here are the original theatrical trailer, under the title of BEYOND THE DARKNESS, and the well-done international trailers for upcoming Shriek Show titles WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE?, HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK (the trailer's title is, strangely enough, HOUSE OF THE PARK AT THE EDGE!!), and SEVEN BLOODSTAINED ORCHIDS. Let me break from the review to state that these three titles are highly anticipated by me and if the transfers for these three are anywhere near the quality of the trailers, fans of Eurocult cinema have a lot to be excited about!!
Kit
Gavin and Mike Baronas, the providers of the wealth of interviews for Shriek
Show's discs, interview art director and frequent D'Amato collaborator Donatella
Donati, who gives a lengthy audio interview/commentary over scenes from the
film. Fans of Eurocult actresses will leap for joy at the chance to see Cinzia
Monreale as she is today, brunette and still as beautiful as ever! Speaking
her native language of Italian, she discusses the film and her coworkers on
the project. Unfortunately, Shriek Show obviously didn't notice the interview
needed some severe editing: blank space between questions and some instances
of Cinzia looking and motioning to persons off-camera should have been eliminated.
And I have no doubt that Cinzia, Kit, and Mike expected them to be. A slideshow
presents international posters and lobby cards from a variety of countries.
Also includes in the package is a "collectors booklet" with liner
notes by Nathaniel Thompson discussing the film and the composers of the soundtrack,
Goblin, and an essay by Robert Monell detailing the life and career of Joe D'Amato.
Shriek Show has delivered a package that will leave fans of Italian horror of the 70s and 80s watering at the mouth. Despite the black errors evident here, the disc is well worth owning for the price and scores another win for this small company. (Casey Scott)