Beyond the Door (1974) was one of the first of many films that attempted to cash in on the success of The Exorcist. In this Italian-made movie Jessica Barrett (Juliet Mills) comes under demonic possession after the revelation that she is pregnant with a third child. After scientific methods fail Jessica's husband goes in search of Dimitri (Richard Johnson) Jessica's former boyfriend and satanist who may be the only one who can help her. Turns out Dimitri has a deal with the devil and his intentions may not be for Jessica's welfare.
Released in 1974 (1975 in America) Beyond the Door proved to be a smash hit at the box office grossing $15 million. Critical reception wasn't so strong and Warner Bros attempted to sue the producers of the film for copyright infringement and the Italian producers had to pay an undisclosed sum.
This film contains examples of:
- B-Movie: Italian rip-off of The Exorcist you bet.
- Enfant Terrible: The possession starts after Jessica becomes pregnant with an unplanned child.
- Exorcist Head: Much like Reagan in The Exorcist, Jessica's head also turns 180 degrees. This happens once in the company of her daughter Gail.
- Gainax Ending: Dimitri is supposedly killed by supernatural forces. The next day Jessica's doctor friend finds her sleeping in bed and in a corner of her room is the dead body of a baby with no mouth. Later the family is at a pier and Ken unwraps a present that turns out to be the same kind of car that Dimitri was driving when he had his accident. Ken throws the car into the sea and turns to the camera with his eyes glowing.
- Imaginary Friend: In one scene, Ken is talking to someone who he tells Gail is his friend.
- Not-So-Imaginary Friend: In that same scene, the rocking chair in the children's room starts to swing. Even though he and Gail are not sat on it.
- Parental Obliviousness: Both Jessica and Robert don't take much heed of what is happening with their kids. This includes Ken's habit of drinking pea soup and Gail's habit of swearing in their presence.
- Would Hit a Girl: Under the influence of her possession, Jessica hits Gail across the face and shouts at her.
