Rarely does a horror film become a cultural phenomenon like THE EXORCIST did when first released in 1973, spawning an onslaught of imitations around the globe. Italy was foremost in the trend, with the first of these examples being BEYOND THE DOOR, known in its native country as “Chi sei?” Also looking towards ROSEMARY’S BABY for inspiration, BEYOND THE DOOR was not only a hit in European and Asian countries, but also a significant box office contender when released in the States in 1975 by Film Ventures. You’d think this title would have had an official DVD release title years ago, but Code Red has now stepped up to the plate with a special edition making the wait all the worthwhile.

In San Francisco, happy housewife Jessica Barrett (Juliet Mills) lives with her successful record producer husband Robert (Gabriele Lavia, DEEP RED, INFERNO) and their two rather obnoxious and foul-mouthed kids (Barbara Fiorini and David Colin Jr.). Jessica soon finds out she’s pregnant and considers not having her child. What follows is a medley of unusual behavior: she vomits up blood, smashes her husband’s prized fish tank, eats a banana peal off the pavement, incestuously kisses her son on the lips and smacks her daughter abruptly. A strange rain-coated bearded man named Dimitri (Richard Johnson, ZOMBIE) is constantly making ambiguous appearances, and warns Robert that his wife’s baby must be born. But Jessica is apparently possessed by the Devil, and she performs the expected hell-bound bedroom stunts to prove it.

To assess whether BEYOND THE DOOR is a good or bad movie is beside the point, and for something which on the surface looks to be an EXORCIST carbon copy, it in fact has no exorcism but plenty of upchucking. The film boasts some excellent cinematography by Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli (who is credited as co-director under the name “R. Barrett”) and distinctive visuals, some of them optically enhanced during the possession sequences, all which come off rather creepy as proficiently acted out by Mills. Another standout is a sequence where the two children’s room is overcome by toys which come to life, though the consistent presence of Campbell’s Soup labels of the “Pea Soup” variety often makes you wonder how seriously this was all meant to be taken. Shot on location in San Francisco and at a studio in Italy, the film can become talky in spurts, but again, the number of unique and bizarre visuals makes up for that and the straight-faced performances of seasoned vets Mills and Johnson certainly bring the modest production up more than a few levels. The score by Franco Micalizzi is cemented in the 1970s, but that only attributes to its retro chic status today, capping off what makes BEYOND THE DOOR essential and irresistible Euro horror.

Code Red DVD presents BEYOND THE DOOR in its longer European version (with the title “The Devil Within Her,” not to be confused with a Joan Collins thriller AIP released here under that name) which includes an extended opening credits sequence with the full version of the pop song "Bargain With The Devil", and several other restored bits not seen in the U.S. release. The anamorphic widescreen transfer preserves the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and it looks quite good, with vibrant colors, sharp detail and very little grain or source blemishes. Only the preferred English language track is included, with sound effects, music and dialog all balanced nicely in Dolby Digital mono. The “Beyond the Door” title does actually pop up right before the end credits. Juliet Mills and Lee Christian introduce the film on camera.