BEYOND DARKNESS aka La Casa 5 (Claudio Fragasso, 1990)

Dear gawd, when will the Fragasso reviews end? Soon, I assure you, very soon. But until then, beware: they will pop up when least expected, much like the Goblins' materializing out of nowhere in Troll 2, and just as devastatingly.

Father George (Michael Brandon) oversees the excution of a witch who murdered many children to provide innocent souls for Satan. However, the witch refuses to rest in peace, and torments not only George (who becomes an alcoholic pretty damn quick after the execution), but Father Peter (Gene LeBrock), his wife Annie (Barbara Bingham) and their children Martin and Carol (Martin is played by the same kid from Troll 2!) who moved into her house. Soon, almost randomly, the black-garbed, bloody-faced souls of the damned come for their children. They survive the first assault with some divine intervention, but rather than, say... MOVE AWAY, they do the smart thing and decide to stay in the house. Guess what happens next?

There's a few parallels between this film and Troll 2, which were likely made back-to-back. First, we have Joshua/ Martin. Then the soundtrack by Carlo Maria Cordio. In fact, it's the same soundtrack used in fellow Filmirage productions Troll 2, Witchery, etc. The makeup in Beyond Darkness is notably better than the crummy masks used in Troll 2, but the special effects are basically the same: wind, dry ice, and bright backlighting. I might mention that the acting here is much more believable, though the expected bad dialogue and derivative story ruin any chance Fragasso had of making a decent B movie. They seriously borrowed (aka ripped off) not only The Exorcist, but Poltergeist, The Fog, and The Beyond. I'm sure there's a couple of titles that I've missed, but you get the idea. What's most tragic is that there are a couple of spooky moments in the film, but they're never properly explored. Beyond Darkness is frightfully cheesy, but not in an enjoyable kind of way.

FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET

(Dario Argento, 1971)

For some time, rock drummer Roberto Tobias (Michael Brandon) has been followed by a moustached man in sunglasses. One night he confronts the man after following him into a deserted theatre. In the ensuing scuffle, Roberto accidentally stabs the fellow. To make matters worse, the event is photographed from the balcony by someone in a creepy dummy mask.

This is only the beginning of Roberto's nightmare, as the deranged witness to the murder begins breaking into the flat Roberto shares with his wife, Nina (Mimsy Farmer), and leaving incriminating photos about the place in addition to choking Roberto and killing their cat. It's not long before the viewer is privy to the fact that the mysterious man killed by Roberto is actually alive, and that someone wants to drive the drummer mad. With the help of a gay private investigator and a couple misfit friends, Roberto attempts to unmask the killer before he himself is done in.

The third and final title in Argento's so-called Animal Trilogy, Four Flies was once one of rarest and most sought-after gialli ever as it was never released anywhere after its theatrical run. Prior to its official DVD release, home viewers could only see it in dark, murky, bootleg form, which proved frusrating to most as almost all of the best scenes in the film occurr in nearly complete darkness.

Story-wise, Four Flies is among the weakest of Argento's gialli, as it's not terribly difficult to point out the killer within the first twenty minutes. The murderer's motive is a little wonky, but makes sense thanks to the Italian language-only explanation that was cut from previous releases. There are also too many misplaced comedy scenes considering that there's not a lot of bloodshed and the violent bits are few and far-between.

Being of early-Argento origin, Four Flies does feature some nifty experimental camerawork, compositions, and lighting. The performances by Brandon and Farmer are a litle flat, though this does somewhat highlight the awkwardness of their relationship. There are a couple of stand-out murder scenes, most notably a wire hanger garrotting, and the killer's decapitation by windshield at the end. Finally, I might mention that Four Flies was scored by the great Ennio Morricone, and his upbeat funk-rock sound adds much-needed excitement to the proceedings. Recommended, though one may prefer to see the superior The Bird with the Crystal Plumage beforehand. Available here.