IMDb RATING
4.7/10
2.7K
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Juliet Mills plays a young pregnant woman in San Francisco who is going to have the devil's baby during her strange possession. Richard Johnson shows up to help her... but what does he reall... Read allJuliet Mills plays a young pregnant woman in San Francisco who is going to have the devil's baby during her strange possession. Richard Johnson shows up to help her... but what does he really want?Juliet Mills plays a young pregnant woman in San Francisco who is going to have the devil's baby during her strange possession. Richard Johnson shows up to help her... but what does he really want?
Elizabeth Turner
- Barbara Staton
- (as Elisabeth Turner)
Robert Booth
- Voice of Demon
- (uncredited)
- …
George Montage
- Dr. George Staton
- (uncredited)
Edmund Purdom
- Devil
- (uncredited)
Elizabeth Wieseman
- Girl at party
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWarner Brothers sued the Italian production company behind Beyond the Door (1974) for what they considered to be a blatant rip-off of The Exorcist (1973). The case was settled in Warner Brothers' favor with the Italians forced to pay an undisclosed fee.
- GoofsAt approximately 6:06 in the beginning the child's shoes are shown, then a cut away to the child. Who is obviously too short, and human to bend and contort in the manner in which the camera suggests.
- Quotes
Jessica Barrett: [in a demonic voice] Whooooo aaare youuuuu?
- Alternate versionsThe widescreen presentation under the title Devil Within Her, features almost 15 minutes of newer footage that was not shown in theaters. This includes the complete credits, a scene were Jessica meets Dimitri in the ritual grounds and a scene showing Jessica with Robert and her children shopping down San Francisco and seeing Dimitri.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Mad Ron's Prevues from Hell (1987)
- SoundtracksBargain with the Devil
Music Composed and Conducted by Franco Micalizzi
Written by Sid Wayne
Performed by Warren Wilson
Produced by Danny Weis (as Danny Weiss)
Featured review
The Lethargy of Evil
Amazing, the power of advertising. I had never seen this film, but I definitely recalled the TV spot that creeped me out as an impressionable youngster way back in the day. Apparently I wasn't alone in this; BEYOND THE DOOR fell into that category of movies that most cult aficionados were aware of but had likely never had the chance to watch. Now that I've finally seen it, I can only express my disappointment.
Talky, lethargic and needlessly obtuse, this mishmash of ROSEMARY'S BABY and THE EXORCIST squanders every opportunity it affords itself. Juliet Mills plays Jessica Barrett, a San Francisco housewife and mother of two whose comfortable existence is shattered by an unexpected pregnancy — instead of joy she's overcome by strange feelings of dread and unease. She and her music producer husband Robert (a miscast Gabriele Lavia) are alarmed to learn that the fetus is developing at a greatly accelerated rate, precluding an abortion; their family doctor is at a complete loss to explain it. With Jessica exhibiting bizarre behavior to hubby and the kids, a mysterious figure from her past named Dimitri (ZOMBIE's Richard Johnson) appears out of the blue to hover on the periphery, watching and waiting. He only inserts himself into the situation once it becomes clear that some kind of supernatural force is at work — the mother-to-be demonstrates telekinetic powers, speaks in an inhuman voice and vomits up a lot of green bile. In desperation Robert turns to Dimitri for answers, but the stranger only makes demands. There can be no contact with doctors, and the child must be born...
Although Mills and Johnson are quite good, taking their roles and the material seriously, I just couldn't bring myself to care about their characters or what happens to them. Most of the supernatural manifestations are effectively staged (notably in a scene depicting the demonic possession of objects in the Barrett children's room), but unfortunately these moments are buried deep within a sluggish, confusing narrative. I was surprised that a '70s Italian rip-off of trend-setting American horror films could actually prove tamer than its inspirations — no peeing on the carpet or masturbating with a crucifix here. Eating a rotten banana peel picked up off the street just doesn't quite compare.
Talky, lethargic and needlessly obtuse, this mishmash of ROSEMARY'S BABY and THE EXORCIST squanders every opportunity it affords itself. Juliet Mills plays Jessica Barrett, a San Francisco housewife and mother of two whose comfortable existence is shattered by an unexpected pregnancy — instead of joy she's overcome by strange feelings of dread and unease. She and her music producer husband Robert (a miscast Gabriele Lavia) are alarmed to learn that the fetus is developing at a greatly accelerated rate, precluding an abortion; their family doctor is at a complete loss to explain it. With Jessica exhibiting bizarre behavior to hubby and the kids, a mysterious figure from her past named Dimitri (ZOMBIE's Richard Johnson) appears out of the blue to hover on the periphery, watching and waiting. He only inserts himself into the situation once it becomes clear that some kind of supernatural force is at work — the mother-to-be demonstrates telekinetic powers, speaks in an inhuman voice and vomits up a lot of green bile. In desperation Robert turns to Dimitri for answers, but the stranger only makes demands. There can be no contact with doctors, and the child must be born...
Although Mills and Johnson are quite good, taking their roles and the material seriously, I just couldn't bring myself to care about their characters or what happens to them. Most of the supernatural manifestations are effectively staged (notably in a scene depicting the demonic possession of objects in the Barrett children's room), but unfortunately these moments are buried deep within a sluggish, confusing narrative. I was surprised that a '70s Italian rip-off of trend-setting American horror films could actually prove tamer than its inspirations — no peeing on the carpet or masturbating with a crucifix here. Eating a rotten banana peel picked up off the street just doesn't quite compare.
helpful•62
- SuperDevilDoctor
- Aug 19, 2009
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- A Demon Beyond the Door
- Filming locations
- Incir De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy(interiors)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $350,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 48 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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