Grindhouse

Beyond the Door

Following William Friedkin’s The Exorcist there was a surfeit of demonic possession knock-offs flooding local cinemas, some from the USA but most from Europe. Italy unleashed dozens, highlighted by director Ovidio (The Visitor) Assonitis’ Beyond the Door. Juliet Mills (Hayley’s sister), a young housewife living with her husband (Gabriele Lavia) in San Francisco, is possessed by the devil and impregnated with what may be Satan’s son. A mysterious, bearded Richard Johnson (The Haunting) shows up from Juliet’s past to help deal with the nefarious goings-on. Surely he will get to the bottom of things… or will he? The film did boffo box office.

“In the later stages… when Jessica begins to turn green and talk like the Big Bopper, the movie’s just conventionally disgusting. We get green vomit, brown vomit, blood, levitations and other manifestations of the devil… It’s all trash, but it’s scary trash.” – Roger Ebert

Cathy’s Curse

In 1947, a young girl is roasted alive in a car accident. Thirty years later, her grown brother returns to their childhood home with his mentally unstable wife and sweet daughter Cathy. But when the dead aunt’s vengeful spirit possesses the child, it will unleash an unnerving nightmare of creepy mediums, demonic dolls, and plenty of sick ‘70s foul-mouthed moppet mayhem. (Severin Films)