If someone uses as reference the IMDb rating of L'aldilá he is going to notice something particular. L'aldilá unlike many B-Euro-horror movies of the 80s has almost a 7 points rating with less than 2000 votes. The reason: Many people worship this cult movie. If someone ranks this movie with a 1 on the other side there will be a 10 to compensate. We are speaking about a true cult movie. Acclaimed by a small number of fans worldwide, a movie scorned by critics and the regular viewer. One strange case indeed.
The story is a disturbing mix of elements. In the first minutes during the execution of Schweick , it is clear what kind of tale is L'aldilá. Vengeance beyond the grave, an apocalypse that is unavoidable. Common people trapped in the middle. One of the merits of Sarchetti's script is the character of Katriona Maccoll a real down to earth human being, his partner is a curious but good man. Both of them tried to do things right, but in the end that won't help . The brutality of violence is another great detail, is unexpected, extreme and very, very graphic. And as the final touch, the climatic ending. The assonant music has its logic, this is disturbing terror, it wouldn't be the same with new-age, reggae, or a ballad.
Lucio Fulci was an unique director. With L'aldilá he tried to create an 'artaudian' study of horror. He achieved that. He used less than 90 minutes to mix ominous menaces that are beyond this world waiting their time for return and extremely gory horror. The unavoidable tragedy strikes in the form of hungry zombies. He was a demanding director, he never let that their actors underestimate their roles. His use of zoom-effects are a trademark, the zoom in used in a completely original way. Let's say the zoom is the hand of someone that keep your eyes open in an awful or transcendental sequence, Fulci forces you to pay attention when he wants your attention. Delightful. Nowadays audiences are very comfortable watching horror movies. They expect to see some scares and then laugh with the jokes of some stupid teens avid of rave music and easy sex. Fulci in that aspect was an author beyond his time. He tried to shock people, scare them, revolve their stomachs, those were his methods to gain the public but he NEVER underestimated the audiences, he gave his 100% and made cult classics.
Note for Fulci newcomers: The more interesting works of this director are in the period of middle 70's to 1985. If you see two or three of his movies in this period and you dislike them then don't bother anymore because you will never like his style.
The story is a disturbing mix of elements. In the first minutes during the execution of Schweick , it is clear what kind of tale is L'aldilá. Vengeance beyond the grave, an apocalypse that is unavoidable. Common people trapped in the middle. One of the merits of Sarchetti's script is the character of Katriona Maccoll a real down to earth human being, his partner is a curious but good man. Both of them tried to do things right, but in the end that won't help . The brutality of violence is another great detail, is unexpected, extreme and very, very graphic. And as the final touch, the climatic ending. The assonant music has its logic, this is disturbing terror, it wouldn't be the same with new-age, reggae, or a ballad.
Lucio Fulci was an unique director. With L'aldilá he tried to create an 'artaudian' study of horror. He achieved that. He used less than 90 minutes to mix ominous menaces that are beyond this world waiting their time for return and extremely gory horror. The unavoidable tragedy strikes in the form of hungry zombies. He was a demanding director, he never let that their actors underestimate their roles. His use of zoom-effects are a trademark, the zoom in used in a completely original way. Let's say the zoom is the hand of someone that keep your eyes open in an awful or transcendental sequence, Fulci forces you to pay attention when he wants your attention. Delightful. Nowadays audiences are very comfortable watching horror movies. They expect to see some scares and then laugh with the jokes of some stupid teens avid of rave music and easy sex. Fulci in that aspect was an author beyond his time. He tried to shock people, scare them, revolve their stomachs, those were his methods to gain the public but he NEVER underestimated the audiences, he gave his 100% and made cult classics.
Note for Fulci newcomers: The more interesting works of this director are in the period of middle 70's to 1985. If you see two or three of his movies in this period and you dislike them then don't bother anymore because you will never like his style.