Severin Films
R1 DVD
Door into
Silence (1991) was
directed by Lucio Fulci of Zombie and
The Beyond fame, its executive
producer was the infamous Joe D’Amato and the costume designer was Laura Gemser
the dark beauty of Black Emmanuelle.
It was also the very last film directed by Fulci, so you may expect a very
unusual horror film; instead it is strange exploration of psychological terror
which is more like an extended episode of the Twilight Zone. This does not mean
it does not have its moments of intrigue and interest but just don’t judge it
by what Fulci has produced before.
The film stars John Savage as a Louisiana
real estate tycoon named Melvin Devereux who we first meet at a funeral. The
funeral is for his father and has quite a nice eerie appearance presented with
an African-American funeral procession. Savage seems to be followed to his
father’s grave. Is it by a person, a force, even death ? We won’t find out until the very end of the
film.
Soon a strange yet attractive woman Sandi
Schultz, who became Mrs. John Savage sometime late) appears to be following
him. He seems to know her but cannot remember from where, from here things get
weirder by the moment with lots of strange nightmares and a rather nasty hearse
which constantly harasses him on the road.
The movie takes place on the lonely back
roads and towns of Louisiana; it is the empty and isolated countryside which
creates such an effective mood. Giancarlo Ferrando was the cinematographer and
he also worked on All the Colors of the
Dark, Torso, The Suspicious Death of a Minor, Island of the Fishmen, A
Policewoman in New York, Scorpion
with Two Tails and many others. He brings a real sense of desolation to the
abandoned towns, dilapidated roads and bridges and countryside on show. Nature
certainly is not beautiful here; it is lonely and vaguely threatening.
The sound track by Franco Piana is very
jazzy and sometimes seems a little out of place but it does give the film an
unusual soundscape.
For a while confusion reigns as strange
events plague him and nothing seems to make a lot of sense, but relatively
early in the film we realize what is occurring and the rest of the film is
simply a matter of being along for the ride. It is a nice ride with some fun
twists and occasional glimpses of that Fulci touch but don’t expect any
splatter or gore!
Severin presents the film in its original
1.33:1 aspect ratio. The image has been cleaned up nicely with an English mono
stereo mix, which is very clear.
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This
review will appear in Volume 2 No.5
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
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