Image Entertainment presents

Voices from Beyond (1990)

"Why must they wait? If only they would do it now, they'd find out what killed me."- Giorgio (Duilio Del Prete)

Stars: Duilio Del Prete, Karina Huff
Other Stars: Pascal Persi, Frances Nacmen, Lucio Fulci
Director: Lucio Fulci

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (minor gore, sexuality and nudity)
Run Time: 01h:31m:02s
Release Date: 2001-12-04
Genre: horror

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
C-	D+	B-	C	D-

 

DVD Review

Some of Lucio Fulci's landmark horror occurred in early 1980s, with the release of Il Gatto Nero (The Black Cat) and Quella Villa Accanto Al Cimitero (The House By The Cemetery). By the time Fulci directed Voci Dal Profondo (Voices From Beyond) in 1990 it certainly appeared that his best work was far behind him. In an effort to apparently flesh out the Fulci catalog with some of his lesser work, Image has released Voices From Beyond as part of their continuing, and generally very good, EuroShock Collection.

Giorgio Mainardi (Duilio Del Prete) is the John Gotti-ish patriarch of a wealthy family nestled somewhere in the Italian countryside. The story begins with the suddenly stricken Mainardi dying from a mysterious "internal hemorrhage", coughing up bright red arterial blood all over his nice white hospital bed sheets. The Mainardi family, a particularly selfish and hateful lot, all seem to have a reason to have wanted Giorgio dead, with the exception of his angelic daughter Rosy (Karina Huff), a college student who returns home for the funeral.

Apparently Giorgio was murdered, because he constantly speaks to Rosy from beyond the grave, in a badly echoed voice, urging her to solve his unnatural death. He even appears to her in a vision, stressing the importance of identifying the killer. The self-centered Mainardi clan include a cornball cast of money-grubbing low lifes that would make most soap operas jealous, and sweet young Rosy has to quickly work against time to find out who killed her father. Fulci never makes it too clear what exactly the rush is to find the killer, other than perhaps to simply get Giorgio to shut the hell up and stay dead.

The main suspects here are so overly dramatic and unlikable that I didn't really care who the killer was; I just wanted Rosy to solve it, and solve it fast. In a weak attempt to boost the horror factor as she works her way through clues, Fulci cuts away occasionally to show Giorgio's body slowly decomposing in his grave. I wasn't sure what the significance of those shots were, other than to remind the viewer that they're watching a horror film and not some sleazy soap opera.

Voices From Beyond isn't one of Fulci's best, and it's a shame to see this mediocre title foisted out on DVD as if it were. Other than being a necessity to complete a Fulci collection, it doesn't represent what was once a talented horror director in a flattering light. Aside from a particularly graphic autopsy sequence featuring a few lengths of intestine, this film has almost no other blood whatsoever. The autopsy scene seems a little forced, as if Fulci was trying to punch up the tame script (with which he shares writing credit) with some much needed gore. A couple of dream sequence zombies shuffle around briefly, but never amount to much. Even Fulci's addition of a fair amount of gratuitous sex and nudity to the story isn't enough to save it. What's left is a mostly tedious whodunit that never really gets the chance to instill any genuine mystery or fear.

Rating for Style: C-
Rating for Substance: D+

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.77:1 - Widescreen
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	yes

Image Transfer Review: Image has issued Fulci's film in a 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Most of the film has a rather soft edge to it, bathed in reds and golds, with colors appearing almost hazy at times. The source print itself is relatively clean, but not perfect by any means. After a speck-free beginning, there are some quite visible blemishes that begin to appear as the film progresses. Fine grain is evident during some of the foggy night sequences, but not to the point of distraction.

An overall decent transfer, despite some minor imperfections.

Image Transfer Grade: B-
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
Mono	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: An English mono track is supplied here, and while it is nothing exceptional, it is more than adequate. I wasn't aware of any significant hiss, and the only noticeable limitations are a tendency for loud noises to distort slightly, as well as a harsh shrillness when a character screams. The obvious lack of any sort of bass gives the whole track a sort of unnatural hollowness, which may be more a result of the dub than anything else.

Audio Transfer Grade: C 

Disc Extras

Static menu
Scene Access with 15 cues and remote access
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extras Review: No extras of any kind on this disc; even the menu is simply a chapter list.

Extras Grade: D-
 

Final Comments

A tepid supernatural murder mystery with no pay-off and no suspense from one of the legendary Italian gore directors.

Certainly not Fulci's best. I suggest you pass on this.

Rich Rosell 2001-12-12