Necrophilia, taxidermy, and gory obsession meet in Joe D'Amato's infamous Italian shocker.
BEYOND THE DARKNESS
A fate worse than death!
A disturbed young taxidermist exhumes his recently-deceased girlfriend, takes her body to his family villa, and embalms her corpse with help from his strange housekeeper. But his bouts of insanity are just beginning.
Beyond the Darkness is a 1979 Italian drama-horror film directed by Joe D'Amato about a disturbed taxidermist who exhumes and preserves his deceased fiancée, unleashing a spree of deadly obsession.
Synopsis
A young rich orphan loses his fiancée to voodoo doll mischief on the part of his housekeeper who is jealous of his attentions. He digs his girlfriend up, cleans her out, stuffs her, and puts her in bed at the mansion. Following this, he tries out and disposes of a series of young maidens, trying to find the right replacement for her, and the disapproving housekeeper helps him with the disposals.
Why Cult
A prime specimen of late-70s Italian exploitation, this film pushes the envelope with visceral gore and taboo subject matter.
The plot’s core is a jaw-dropping descent into necrophilia and corpse preservation, unlike anything in mainstream horror.
Franca Stoppi delivers a memorably twisted performance as the jealous, complicit housekeeper, heightening the film’s depravity.
From disembowelments to furnace-baked corpses, the film revels in graphic body horror and mutilation.
Trailer
Scene Gallery
Questions from the Vault
What is Beyond the Darkness about? +
Beyond the Darkness follows a disturbed taxidermist who exhumes his dead fiancée and keeps her embalmed body, spiraling into further violence and depravity.
Who directed Beyond the Darkness? +
Beyond the Darkness was directed by Joe D'Amato.
How long is Beyond the Darkness? +
Beyond the Darkness has a runtime of 94 minutes.
What genre is Beyond the Darkness? +
Beyond the Darkness is classified as a drama-horror film.
Where can I watch Beyond the Darkness? +
Beyond the Darkness is available to stream on SassyFlix.