Beyond Terror: The Flims of Lucio Fulci

by Stephen Thrower

Italy's Master of the Macabre Lucio Fulci is celebrated in this lavishly illustrated in-depth study of his extraordinary films. From horror masterpieces like The Beyond and Zombie Flesh-Eaters to erotic thrillers like One On Top of the Other and A Lizard in a Woman's Skin; from his earliest days as director of manic Italian comedies to his notoriety as purveyor of extreme violence in the terrifying slasher epic The New York Ripper, his whole career is explored.

Supernatural themes and weird logic collide with flesh-ripping gore to breathtaking effect. Bleak horrors are transformed into bloody poetry - Fulci's loving camera technique, and the decayed splendour of his art design, make the films more than just a gross endurance test. Lucio Fulci built up a fanatical following, who at last will have another chance to own this epic book - five years in the making - which is the ultimate testament to 'The Godfather of Gore'.

Since its first publication in 1999, Beyond Terror has sold out three print runs, and continues to be one of the most frequently requested FAB Press reprints.

Without doubt, by far and away the largest collection of Fulci posters, stills, press-books and lobby cards ever seen together in print. We have scoured the Earth to find the most stunning, rare and eye-catching Fulci images.

Out of print for ten years, it's back again in 2018, bigger and better than ever!

Featuring a foreword by Fulci's devoted daughter Antonella, and produced with her blessing and full co-operation, this book is quite simply the last word on Fulci. His whole cinematic career is studied in obsessive depth. Huge supplementary appendices make this volume essential for all serious students of the Italian horror movie scene.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Horror, Media Tie In, Italy

100 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 1999

Reviews

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go searching for any books out there on Lucio Fulci and you'll find just about zero. Stephen Thrower, author also of American Nightmare, a tome covering the independent exploitation film scene of the 1960-80, has put together a film by film study of all of Fulci's work that functions both as a light biography of the man, but much more as an entertaining and fascinating study of the recurring themes and tropes in the work of this 'terrorist of genres'. I was very happy to find a book that treats Fulci's work in a thoughtful manner, as typically you'll only find gore-hounds celebrating Lucio's later films, but as Thrower proves, where Fulci is concerned there's more operating under the hood of this fascinating director than merely an engine for depictions of corporeal destruction and eye trauma.

[Kyle Burley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whatever you think of Lucio Fulci as an artist, this is an extraordinary film book by any measure. Stephen Thrower strikes the perfect balance between fannish enthusiasm and articulate, and often highly critical, analysis.
Plus, it’s a handsomely designed,and visually striking, volume.
A must for Fulci admirers, genre fans, and anyone who enjoys good film writing.

[Dani Nefasto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book plenty of info about the work of the great director Lucio Fulci. Essential if you like his movies.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was in high school and just getting serious about digging for movies, Fulci's films felt sort of dangerous and underground. That giant box for "Zombie" haunted my childhood video store trips and watching a bootleg VHS tape of "The Beyond" when I was 16 gave the impression that I had just been let in on an evil secret. Now he's even gotten mainstream recognition, with Guillermo del Toro jocking "Zombie" and a recent Guardian (?!) article. Say what you will about the clumsiness and unintentional humor of some of his oeuvre, he knew how to slather on hallucinatory vibes and provide images that still haunt when he was at his best. This is THE book on Fulci and his work. It's a total doorstop of a tome that covers every era of his career, from early comedies and spaghetti westerns to the horror classics, weird forays into fantasy / sci fi / crime, and finally the phoned-in later years. You probably know whether or not you need it by now.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

this thing sat on my shelf for nearly 10 years before i decided to crack it open. i remember purchasing this as a high priced import (i must have the original british edition because it has a different cover) and then packing it away somewhere. i dusted it off and...

pretty decent overview of fulci's career including his early comedies which no one seems to talk about. author stephen thrower does a good job of covering all the bases although it does get a tad overly analytical of his work and the genre (i'm generally looking for details and not analysis in these situations). but where this thing really shines are all the photos, movie posters and reproductions. absolutely amazing and certainly worth the price of the book. i give three stars for the words and a million trillion for the pretty pictures.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely for a niche audience. I'm a big Italian horror fan, especially Fulci, so I naturally love this book.

[Lee Perkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually a bit disappointing.
I skipped immediately to see if the usually excellent Mr. Thrower had any more information on the scene that was cut BEFORE the release of 'The New York Ripper' as there was a big section on it's censorship, but nothing there.
Information on Production doesn't seem too deep either; no mention of the animal rights furore around 'Lizard in a Woman's Skin' and factual errors abound in the few perused pages (Rock Hudson was in 'Shock Corridor'?) and that big zombie/shark fight in 'Zombie Flesh Eaters' seemed to be no big deal as it was over in about five words.
It's a big read and I have about ninety five per cent left but from what little I've read I don't think it's worth it as I don't think I'm going to get a lot out of it. And will any of it be correct?
Which is a shame as it's a lovely, impressive looking book, well laid out with lots of photos, posters, locandinas, fotobustas... it's just the text that's the problem.
In a book like this, there should be time to go in-depth, not just a brief overview of the productions.
However, if you're a Fulci fan, it's worth buying just for the pictures.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and erudite exploration of Lucio Fulci's directorial career that goes into as much detail as you could ever want. What I was surprised about here is just how scholarly the tone is - the author brings in film theory and talks about exploitation and B-movies in relation to mainstream cinema and the idea of the auteur. Many of Fulci's early comedies are glossed over due to their unavailability, but this matters not when pretty much all of his work from the 1970s and 1980s is examined in minute detail. Thrower's words are 99% of the time spot-on as well, even though I'd disagree with him about the merits of Bava's DEMONS, for example. The icing on the cake is this book's wonderful design, as it's chock-full of exemplary stills, posters, video covers, you name it. One of the best film books out there and as comprehensive as it gets.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

There isn't a better writer about films of this sort. Absolutely essential reading

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. With Pictures. Good stuff.