Beyond The Darkness
AKA Buio Omega
Directed By Joe D’Amato
Released: 1979
Starring: Kieran Canter, Cinzia Monreale, and Franca Stoppi
Running Time: 94 minutes

Frank Wyler (played by Kieran Canter) is pretty broken up about the death of his girlfriend, Anna (Cinzia Monreale). So broken up, in fact, that he steals her body from the grave and takes it back to his house. Using his taxidermy skills, Frank preserves Anna so that she will remain with him “forever”. Frank’s housekeeper, Iris (Franca Stoppi), helps him to cover up this and the fact that he murders nearly every attractive woman that crosses his path. The controlling (and very psychotic) Iris has always been in love with Frank and is willing to put up with almost anything if Frank will concede to marry her. Things go terribly wrong when Frank finds a living replacement for Anna and Iris isn’t willing to give up her place in Frank’s heart.

Joe D’Amato (Anthropophagus) directs this disturbing and gruesome horror film which is considered by some fans to be his best. For me, the jury is still out. With a moody soundtrack by Goblin (Suspiria, Phenomena), excellent lighting, no frills cinematography, and well chosen sets, Beyond The Darkness is quite the lovingly made sleazy Italian gorefest. Strangely enough, the film only has a few flaws to keep it from being a masterpiece of the genre.

Leading man, Kieran Canter, makes Frank Wyler into one of the least frightening killers in all of horror filmdom. What works is that Frank’s quiet nature and good looks (I guess) make it all the more disturbing as he commits these horrible acts of violence. He does rise to the task occasionally to make Frank at least an interesting character to watch. Canter’s unpredictability (ripping out someone’s fingernails!) and oddly helpless behavior (nearly fainting while Iris helps him dispose of a body) keep his performance afloat but he just isn’t menacing enough.

On the opposite side of the acting spectrum is Franca Stoppi (The Other Hell) who really delivers as the sick and twisted, Iris. There isn’t a moment during her screen-time where Stoppi’s sharp features and piercing gaze aren’t the center of attention. And a major plus comes from the fact that she isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Whether it’s vilely munching on some stew made from tenderized tourist, encouraging Frank to breastfeed from her own bosom, or hacking up the spurting limbs of a corpse, Iris is one hell of a woman. Honorable mention goes to the wispy Cinzia Monreale (The Beyond) who plays a dual role here. When she’s not screaming in abject terror, she plays a corpse the likes of which I’ve never seen. Just wait for Anna to blink, twitch, or breathe. She never does.

Other than the ladies that get in Frank's way, logic is the real victim in Beyond The Darkness as nothing more than luck and Iris’s quick thinking keep Frank from getting caught every five minutes. Also Frank’s motives are completely out the window. It comes off as one of those all too familiar cases of “he murders because he’s crazy” although I’m sure there’s more to it. Was Frank simply driven to do all of these things after Anna’s death? And what’s with Iris? Is she that willing to cover up the murders and live with the preserved corpse of Anna just because she loves Frank so much? Eh, before the end of the film, dedicated viewers will probably care about as much as I do about what drives these freaks to do what they do. Which (big surprise) is not at all.

For the confounded viewers out there, let me just say that Beyond The Darkness definitely improves with multiple viewings This nearly logic-free film tries so hard to offend and nauseate that it just charms the pants off of any Eurosleaze veteran or gore enthusiast. While the intestines and severed limbs go a-flyin’, the sadism and the ghoulishness are doubly amplified by D’Amato’s clinical direction. What starts as a quiet film with some eye-rolling sentimentality ends in a horrific showdown between two disturbed souls. Yeah sure, I love it but I must warn casual viewers to proceed with extreme caution as most folks will (and probably should) be simply repulsed by Beyond The Darkness.