Beyond the Door
Poder maléfico
1974 · Italy · 109 min
- Director
- Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli, Ovidio G. Assonitis
- Screenplay
- Ovidio G. Assonitis
- Producer
- Edward L. Montoro
- Music
- Franco Micalizzi
- Cinematography
- Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli
Cast
What it is about
Jessica Barrett, a young English mother living in San Francisco with her husband Robert and their two children, discovers she is pregnant. The pregnancy progresses at an odd pace, and she begins to suffer violent mood swings, voices and unexplained disturbances in the house, while her family and her doctor try to understand what is happening to her.
How it was made
Co-directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis and cinematographer Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli, it marked the directing debut of both. Assonitis wrote the screenplay with Piazzoli and Antonio Troiso. Samantha Eggar was the first choice for the lead, but the role went to Juliet Mills. Exteriors were shot in San Francisco and interiors in Rome. Franco Micalizzi's score is unusual for a horror film, echoing funk and disco.
Reception and legacy
Critics received it largely negatively, and many saw it as an imitation of The Exorcist. Even so, it was a major commercial hit in the United States. Its distributor, Warner Bros., sued the production company for copyright infringement, and the case was settled in 1979. Over time, its title was also used to market sequels with no connection to it.
Stills
Trivia
Discarded first choice
Assonitis wanted Samantha Eggar as the lead, but his assistant Peter Shepherd recommended Juliet Mills, with whom he had worked on Avanti!.
A veteran of 2001
The special effects were designed by Wally Gentleman, who had previously worked on effects for Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.