Is Beyond the Seventh Door a Hidden Treasure or Dumpster Fire?
DVD Distributed By: Severin Films (Intervision Pictures Corp)
The Infamous ‘80s Canadian Thriller
Now On DVD For The First Time Ever
More than 30 years later, it remains one of the most ambitious, sought-after and totally bizarre low-budget Canadian features of all: Yugoslavian-born actor Lazar Rockwood – in a notorious debut performance that still astounds Canuxploitation fans – 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. Writer/director (and future best-selling ‘religious thriller’ author) B.D. Benedikt made his unforgettable filmmaking debut with this bottom-shelf VHS classic, now loaded with Special Features produced exclusively for its worldwide DVD premiere.
Trashmen Rubbish Round Table
Jamie
All of a sudden Suffer, Little Children isn’t so bad. Forget that this film was poorly made with cheap and amateurish production values, the movie was so goddamn boring with a story structure that made no sense at all. Okay, so we have this really strange, odd looking man Boris (Lazar Rockwood, that can’t be real can it?) who seems like Tommy Wiseau’s long lost brother. Boris is some criminal who persuades his ex-girlfriend turned call girl, Wendy (Bonnie Beck), into getting him into some mansion that has “treasures” that they can steal? Once inside, the owner of this mansion locks the two inside and forces them to play games of death to get to and from each room. Am I right so far?
Travis
Watching the trailer, I expected a low budget oddity with a high concept idea that tries hard but realistically could never pull off on its budget, some bad but funny line readings, and some exploitative elements. It barely could come up with one of these. And if the non-stop smoking was an attempt to make the lead look cool, it failed miserably. Instead it works as a great scared straight anti-tobacco ad, since his face is as gray and pallid as a rotting trout.
Jamie
You have scenes that just refused to end. The director had no idea how to yell “Cut” and there are long sequences that are shot exclusively in long shots that made me wonder if the camera was just set up and the director (Bozidar D. Benedikt, another strange name) just walked away. No tension, suspense, nudity, or violence to spice up this already boring and muddled film.
Jimbo
I agree the film wastes much of its time in awkward pauses and clunky execution. The minimal set designs and traps were decent, but the film never showcases a director’s finesse to massage the material into anything beyond laughably absurd. But that’s the reason to buy this DVD.
Jamie
The two characters just babble for 77 minutes, going from room to room, figuring out clues by chance to get them out of each situation. One room has flooding waters and one has spikes coming from the ceiling, etc.
One of you mentioned Saw. While we watched this I thought of the movie Cube but both are pretty similar. Although Beyond the Seventh Door was released before either film.
Jimbo
I think Cube is an appropriate comparison. Except Cube represents the successful execution of an escape room thriller on a shoestring budget. You could say that Beyond the Seventh Door is Cube meets Suffer, Little Children. For the record, I have to say that I enjoyed this better than Suffer, Little Children.
Beyond the Seventh Door has a strong premise, but is just a mess. Lazar Rockwood is just bad. The guy is trying. He proves to be the highlight of the film, but for all of the wrong reasons.
Travis
The acting is just straight up bad. The editing is beyond inept. And there is no blood or nudity. Sorry, when you introduce a character as a whore and have her wearing lacy garters, and have her tear off her clothes to plug up pipes filling a room with water, and not flash titties it goes beyond a missed opportunity to just plain dumb. Were they hoping the entire family would sit down and watch this crap?
Jimbo
I don’t necessarily care about a lack of nudity. What I do care about are good narrative choices. And this movie does the opposite. Granted, these poor narrative choices and the DIY aspects are part of this films charm. I’ll give an example…
After our characters “solve” the water room, Wendy is left wet and mostly disrobed. As you pointed out, she rips her dress apart to plug water pipes, leaving her standing practically nude. What happens next? Our two characters decide to copulate. Just on its face, it is completely stupid that anyone would be motivated by sex in a murder room, but whatever.
Bozidar makes this ludicrous narrative choice, so the audience expects a gratuitous sex scene. Again, expectations defied! The scene cuts to immediately afterwards and all we get is Lazar’s bare chest. So what’s more baffling? The characters fucking in a death chamber, or the director choosing not to make the most of an absurd idea to at least shoehorn some T&A into the film? At this point the audience has a choice; get annoyed or enjoy the film’s failures and eccentricities.
Every time we watch one of these movies I always wonder, why are these movies (and this one in particular) getting made? What is the endgame for the producers/director? Make money? Become famous? Vanity project?
Travis
Make money, sure, but I’m guessing it’s also the allure of “making a movie”. Some people just don’t have the skills or talent to pull it off. This collection of implausibly named Canucks is a great example. I’m sure their friends and family nervously supported them, but secretly were embarrassed at this like a shitty finger-painting a parent feels forced to put on the fridge. There is probably some shades of vanity as well on the film maker. I also wonder if any of the Canadian tax shelters helped to fund some of this?
Jimbo
Well, the “implausibly named Canucks” aren’t Canadian. Both Lazar and Bozidar are from Yugoslavia.
I can understand why you guys hate this movie, but I also understand the appeal for movies like this. If nothing else, it’s memorable. You’re going to remember Lazar Rockwood (aka Lazar Rajic). He gives a remarkably bad performance. Jamie invoked the name of Tommy Wiseau, and Lazar’s performance is of a level that bad. Fans of The Room may find some common qualities that may draw them to this film (minus the boobies).
Travis
I could actually see this becoming some cult hit out of nowhere for the same reasons that piece of shit The Room is. And this actually has lots of interesting rooms!!
Jamie
It’s memorable only because of Lazar’s looks. I seriously was forgetting half the film until I was doing screen captures. I actually forgot how it ended with the really bad “twist” ending. Nope, I didn’t like this at all and just don’t see any appeal to it.
Jimbo
The best part about the “twist” is the explanation of the sex scene. I won’t spoil the surprise.
Jamie, you checked out all of the special features…
Jamie
The special features include interviews with Lazar and the director Bozidar Benedikt, both who are out of their minds. Bozidar’s interview is him at a film house, talking about how there is no God and that independent cinema is now dead. I’m not kidding.
Lazar’s interview starts off with him speaking about how Bozidar wrote the script for him and then he starts questioning the interviewer asking him if he owns a cat and the best actors mimic cats. “Get a cat! You understand?”
He does mention how cast and crew did not get along. The actress who plays Wendy (Bonnie Beck) was involved with a producer who didn’t like Lazar. The director of photography didn’t like someone else, and so on.
The other special feature (aside from the audio commentary by the actor and director) is a special featurette about Ben Kerr, the guy who played a dead body in one of the rooms. I guess he was a cult figure in Canada, a street performer known to a lot of people. Travis would love him, he loves street performers.
And you guys were right, this was shot on film so I stand corrected.
Jimbo
But I bet post production was finished on analog video. The title sequences lead me to that conclusion.
Jamie
On the audio commentary, Lazar says he asked Bozidar to make a film for him and so this is what Bozidar made for his buddy. Both men haven’t watched the film in over 20 years so they seem shocked over how it looks and how Lazar looks (we were shocked too). The commentary is moderated by Paul Corupe from Canuxploitation.com and he thankfully moves along the conversation. He is biased though. I think he likes the film because it was shot in locations that he is familiar with. Both Lazar and Bozidar sound so much alike though that it’s hard to distinguish who is who.
One interesting thing, I must admit, is that the director talks about a longer cut. His editor took out a scene that explains why the bad guy at the very end is in wheelchair and why he has a personal vendetta against thieves.
Listening to this I think Bozidar considers himself a good filmmaker. He’s not pompous but thinks he knows how to make a good thriller. He seems like a nice guy but clueless.
Jimbo
Did any of the extras mention anything about Lazar’s chronic sniffing and nose rubbing throughout the film? Is Lazar a coke-head or was this supposed to be just a character trait?
Jamie
No mention of Lazar sniffing and rubbing his nose non-stop.
Lazar didn’t care for the “cameraman” – He didn’t like some people around camera. “We had discussions.” Apparently he was “demanding”. He probably was annoyed at working on such a piece of shit.
There is mention that the actress who played Wendy did nudity in other films. So why the fuck didn’t they get her nude in this? I guess the producer wanted nudity from the sounds of it too. Not sure why she didn’t show off some Canadian coochie.
Bozidar does get props for championing against digital as opposed to film. Although video has gone a long way and doesn’t look as bad as it used to. Still, film rules and will always forever look better.
Jimbo
That’s all really interesting stuff. I appreciate you taking some time to delve into that Klein. I think it highlights that the DVD does have value for folks interested in that kind of deep dive experience into an obscure film. Beyond the Seventh Door is far from any long lost hidden gem like Threads or Shocking Dark, but at least Severin Films does their honest best to create bonus content to make the DVD worth owning.
Jamie
Agree that it does offer a nice insight on the making of this movie and always appreciate any commentary track on a film.
Travis
The extras sound more worthwhile than the film. For such odd people I would have expected more cheap insanity or at least weirdness from the actual movie.
Jimbo
Beyond the Seventh Door may not appeal to the casual movie watcher, but for film fans the extras certainly make the prospect of buying this dreck much more appealing. My low rating may be perceived as a negative, but from my perspective it’s a compliment. This movie is a wonderful mess. I’m very curious to listen to the commentary now…
Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?
| Jamie: |  (1.0 / 5) |
| Jimbo: |  (1.5 / 5) |
| Travis: |  (0.5 / 5) |
| Average: | (1.0 / 5) |
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Special Features
- Audio Commentary with Writer/Director BD Benedikt and Actor Lazar Rockwood, moderated by Paul Corupe (Canuxploitation.com)
- Beyond Beyond the 7th Door: Interviews with Writer/Director BD Benedikt, Actor Lazar Rockwood, and Canuxploitation.com’s Paul Corupe
- The King of Cayenne: An Appreciation of Legendary Toronto Eccentric Ben Kerr
