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Beyond the Seventh Door - DVD Review

5 beersBeyond the Seventh Door, on its string bean budget and with its Jigsaw-like way, is every bit the very definition of a cult classic.  And any negative thing you can say about it merely adds to the film’s growing fandom.  That’s power right there, folks, and, truly, this bizarre z-grade flick about how not to rob a Canadian castle deserves the attention. 

Cracking mirrors with his grin alone, Boris (Lazar Rockwood) has just been granted his freedom.  His is a reflection few can forget.  Hide the kids.  His face, stretched tight against the skull, is a wrinkled mask of imperfection.  With lines this thick, even shadows fear it.  This dude, even bundled, looks all sorts of badass as he cuts through the cold air.

Just wait until Boris speaks, though.  That unidentifiable accent clatters as if it was created out of sheer frustration at the world.  Shake those fists, buddy! Boris’ angst is a growing beast and, as he yells for his super hot girlfriend to hang on, his voice clangs a constant shrill bell that each word after continues to strike.

And then his responses to trying to solve puzzles he has no intelligence to handle become physical.  He holds his head.  He rubs his cheeks.  He worries.  He vents.  Boris is having a really bad day.  Directed by Bozidar D. Benedikt (The Graveyard Story), Beyond the Seventh Door is all about a break-in gone wrong.     

And it might all be his former girlfriend’s fault.  You see, Wendy (Bonnie Beck) – the smartest character in this movie – is “helping” him rob her current wheelchair-bound employer of his rumored treasure.  But there are obstacles in the way of all that fortune and glory.  Lord Breston (Gary Freedman) is amply prepared for such deceit and beckons them forward with a loudspeaker system that many would be envious of. 

An entire network of booby-trapped rooms awaits the dynamic duo.  With each narrow escape, their nervous energy grows and grows.  Soon, Boris is on his knees blowing harshly against Wendy’s crotch.  He’s trying to keep her warm.  Yeah, that’s the ticket.  Soon enough, they are shagging on wet concrete walls and floors and dodging spikes from the ceiling.  Boris, once again, is in a tight spot. 

Beyond the Seventh Door was made for pennies.  Yet, thanks to the steely-eyed performance of Lazar Rockwood and its pre-SAW trap rooms, this shot-on-video thriller has become a classic of Canuxploitaiton filmmaking.  Intervision Pictures Corp and Severin Films presents the film with its DVD debut, complete with new special features.

Featuring a cast of three “actors” and filmed on sets that look like they in a family basement, Beyond the Seventh Door is low-fi schlock made memorable thanks to its many, many imperfections.  It’s obvious, poorly paced, and – because the speculative theories behind some of the traps are interesting – unquestionably nonchalant.

What lies Beyond the Seventh Door?  Open the DVD case – over 30 years in the making – and find out what teeth gnashing madness awaits you.

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Beyond the Seventh Door - DVD Review

MPAA Rating: Unrated
Runtime:
83 mins
Director
: Bozidar D. Benedikt
Writer:
Bozidar D. Benedikt
Cast:
Lazar Rockwood, Bonnie Beck, Gary Freedman
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:
In order to reach it, one needs seven lives... to find out what's behind it, one has to die
Memorable Movie Quote: "Welcome to my chambers of terror."
Theatrical Distributor:
Marvan Films
Official Site:
Release Date:

DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
October 31, 2017
Synopsis: Lazar Rockwood is Boris, an ex-con and career thief who convinces his ex-girlfriend (Bonnie Beck) to help him rob her wealthy boss’ castle. But when Boris discovers that the eccentric millionaire has booby-trapped the building, they’ll have to survive six riddle-triggered rooms of homicidal mayhem in order to claim the treasure.

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Beyond the Seventh Door - DVD Review

DVD

DVD Details:

Home Video Distributor: Intervision
Available on Blu-ray
- October 31, 2017
Screen Formats: 1.33:1
Subtitles
:
Audio:

Discs: DVD Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Region-free playback

Presented by Intervision, the 1.33:1 full screen image is as pretty shitty as you can imagine.  Colors are never bright.  The contrast is never clear and the picture is one big ball of fuzzed out pixels.  Nothing is crisp and the black levels bleed like throughout each and every shadow.  The sound is presented in an effective Dolby Digital Mono soundtrack.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  •  Moderated by Canuxploitation.com’s Paul Corupe, the feature length commentary with Writer/Director BD Benedikt and actor Lazar Rockwood is an unforgettable journey into the heart of low budget filmmaking.

Special Features:

The DVD release of Beyond the Seventh Door features new interviews with the film’s writer and director and the film’s star.  There is also a supplemental item that celebrates the eccentric legacy of Toronto’s Ben Kerr, who has a cameo as a corpse in the movie.

  • Beyond Beyond the 7th Door
  • The King of Cayenne

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Beyond the Seventh Door - DVD Review

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