Beyond the Seventh Door begins with one long ass montage of career criminal Boris (who’s hat is festooned with a large yellow “B” just so we can remember who he is, although how we could forget a man that looks like the unholy union of Billy Drago and Angus Young is beyond me). Anyway, Big B convinces his girlfriend to help him rob her Scrooge McDuck of a boss…which should be easy for a seasoned pro like Boris, but the fact that the boss’ treasure is hidden within a trap laden castle makes things a P.H. more tricky. In a case of being right on the nose; our “heroes” have to traverse six deadly rooms before they can claim the fortune that lies…beyond the seventh door (cue thunder crashing).
Made for roughly the same price as a plate of poutine (and comin’ from the same Great White North), and starring a man, Lazar Rockwood by name, that would make the world forget Tommy Wiseau even existed if they knew of the wonder of his acting abilities (not to mention his aforementioned physical appearance); Beyond the Seventh Door may be bargain basement, but my lord does it have a great premise…and although the locations are threadbare and the acting questionable, it’s one flick that is filled with heart (I mean by the film makers and their enthusiasm to make this film regardless of how the deck was stacked against them in a near ludicrous way…not that the film was a charming exercise in sentimentality) and an earnestness that is hard to resist! And I know I’ve mentioned Rockwood a few times know, but I honestly believe he’s the film’s biggest asset, because when your cast consists of primarily two actors for 99% of the run time, you better have someone on the screen that can either act their ass off, or are at least interesting to look at and listen too, and this dude is certainly that. Also of note, the puzzle rooms the characters have to solve are genuinely interesting and clever and add a nice tension to many of the scenes.
The only negative your’s cruelly had with ol’ Beyond the Seventh Door is that some of the scenes drag on a tad, which normally I’d say was to pad out the run time, but this thing only runs an hour and sixteen minutes as is, so I can’t even imagine how short it was if the director felt the need to vamp it up. It’s certainly not a deal breaker, but it’s there, so I told ya!
As sensational as I found this fright flick, the beastly bonus material present really enhances the whole experience! Those sexy devils at Intervision have saw fit to find and interview writer/director BD Benedikt, Rockwood (that goes as surreal and off-the-rails as you would expect and is worth the price of admission alone), and Canadian horror picture expert Paul Corupe. Following that we get an appreciation of Toronto lunatic Ben Kerr (who played the corpse in the film). Last, but definitely not least, we get an anecdote laden commentary track featuring Benedikt, Rockwood and Corupe.
Packed with clever traps, baffling actors, and plenty of tension; Beyond the Seventh Door is a can’t miss Canuxploitation gem!
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