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Door To Silence
AKA Le Porto Del Silenzio
Directed By Lucio Fulci
Released: 1991
Starring: John Savage, Sandi Schultz, Richard Castleman, and Mary Coulson
Running Time: 91 minutes
Region: 0 PAL
DVD Released By Raro Video
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Real estate agent Melvin Devereux (played by John
Savage) is making his way home to his wife after visiting the grave of his
father. Due to some flooded streets, Melvin is forced to take a very long
detour. He meets a mysterious woman (Sandi Schultz) who tells him very
cryptically that she has met him before and is going the same way he is.
Melvin is constantly harassed on the road by a hearse carrying a coffin
bearing the name Devereux on it. Determined to get to the bottom of these
strange occurrences, Melvin pursues the hearse and the mystery woman to
the very end.
My first thought was that this isn’t Fulci’s final film but rather the
first he made after his death. My second thought was that this film will
definitely appeal to Caprice Classic enthusiasts. Ugh, I’m pretty
underwhelmed here. Even with the telegraphed ending, the endless sped up
stunt driving scenes are still the absolute worst part about this movie. Watch
as Melvin’s Caprice Classic veers around the road nearly hitting the
hearse. Whoa! Oh! Now, watch it again. And again. That’s the scary!
After the surprisingly good Voices From
Beyond, also written and directed by
Fulci himself, my expectations for Door
To Silence had been raised somewhat.
What I wasn’t counting on was the overwhelming amount of padding. It seems
that a 45 minute TV film has been stretched out to a 90 minute feature
with terrible results. Melvin runs around in circles for what seems like
an eternity for answers so easy that you’ll be screaming them at the
screen.
Okay, now for the good news. Fulci’s obsession with death is in full swing
here. The scenes in the New Orleans cemetery are stunningly filmed (by
Giancarlo Ferrando (Torso))
and a dream sequence in a funeral parlor is quite eerie. There’s also a
wee bit of slow motion that is used effectively. An unsettling feeling of
claustrophobia surrounds much of Melvin’s dealings with the scummy people
he runs into and the deserted Louisiana back roads certainly lend to the
nightmarish mood. The nutty soundtrack by Frano Piana isn’t a complete
disaster and is filled with some corny 90s smooth jazz, electronic horror
mumbo jumbo, and some nice New Orleans jazz.
John Savage is actually quite good as Melvin (not Blanche) Devereux and
that husky voice is perfect for spicing up the mundane dialogue. The scene
where his search for the answers leads Melvin to a funeral for a black man
with the same name as his is well-played. He is so discombobulated by his
horrific experiences thus far that he has to be physically thrown out of
the funeral home by practically the entire mourning family. Another
memorable scene comes when he visits his Aunt Martha (Mary Coulson) to
have his palms read.
Door To Silence
is quite a disappointing film but I'm hardly surprised. The sad state of
Italian horror films by the early 1990s combined with the director’s
supposedly poor health explains a lot. With Joe D’Amato as your film’s
producer, trouble is bound to find you. However, Fulci completists should
just go ahead and give this one a shot. There are a couple of brief
moments between all the friggin’ driving sequences that work very well and
fit in the director’s idiom. As far as blood and gore go, there
isn’t a trace of either to be found in this one.
Well, folks, that is the last of the last from the late, great Fulci. From
The Beyond
to New York Ripper
to Zombie,
the man’s rep as the "Godfather of Gore" can’t be touched by a little
thing such as this. His knack for squeezing his fascination with death,
some very wet gore setpieces, and undeniably creepy atmospheres into his
films will not be soon forgotten. For better examples of the man’s later
works, try visiting House Of Clocks,
Touch Of Death,
or even Demonia.
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DVD Stuff:
Raro Video has released
Door To Silence
in a full frame format. The colors are way too yellow and the print has
some minor damage in the form of specks and scratches. This is definitely
a watchable presentation but the attention paid to restoring other
late-period Fulci films is not present here. The English audio is in good
shape and is much deeper and less tinny than the Italian audio.
Unfortunately, there are no subtitles on the disc so the Italian dub of
the film as well as the audio commentary with Antonio Tentori and Fabio
Giovannini are kind of lost on us English-speakin’ folk.
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Quotes:
Melvin: “Your honor, I thought that was me in the casket.”
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