Lucio Fulci's final film is an odd duck, a very different approach directorially than what he was normally making during the 80s. No gore to speak of and this could be the first film to feature a method actor as Fulci's main star. The problem is that "Door Into Silence" isn't altogether exciting. We spend 98 % of the time following John Savage's Marvin Devereaux inside his Chevy Sedan, as he pursues a hearse, afraid the body inside might be his own. Feels like a homage to Twilight Zone and films about a character caught in a bizarre series of events where his fate is inevitable and obvious, even to Marvin himself although he must actually see his corpse in the casket before fully accepting that he is deceased. I think this will be more of a curio to the Fulci cult than casual horror fans because "Door Into Silence" is such an atypical film in the director's overall cannon. Fulci has plenty of style to spare and technically I think this film is just as good as anything he has ever made. It is the idea that we spend so much time inside the car with Savage, occasionally he ventures out, to question what body lies in the casket, but great portions of the film has him chasing after the mortician and his hearse, coming across dangerous hazardous road conditions, car trouble, a mysterious woman who "has an interest in him", a mystic who discovers a secret about him and is so horrified she croaks (!), and numerous citizenry while driving through Louisiana. I could sense that Fulci was greatly interested in the state of Louisiana as he shoots at great length and expense all throughout various locations, particularly backwoods and desolate streets. I think this will be of certain intrigue to Fulci fans, but because the director devoted so much time to Savage's travels (it almost felt like a travelogue to me, most of the time), I also feel "Door Into Silence" will alienate his most vocal, loving supporters. Many care first and foremost about the ultra violence. I think "Cat in the Brain" was his last will and testament to his many years grossing horror fans out. I think "Door Into Silence" was a liberating picture for Fulci to make as it frees him from the box he was often closed in due to expectations from those who hold him in such high regard. To know that his final film would have no gore is fascinating unto itself. Instead, this film opts for fantasy, with Fulci allowing his central character to come across a pretty, but obnoxious hitchhiking hooker, patrolling police who catch him running a road block sign, a hunter in the woods he thinks is planning to shoot him (!), a mechanic who talks him into renting a room (he doesn't even stay in overnight!), and the mortician (who is a real jerk, playing road racing games with Savage, not allowing him to pass). Savage plays his character as a reactionary man, responding to each weird event or crisis with bewilderment and frustration. The sheer terror of a trip to the funeral home, perusing caskets containing bodies named Marvin Devereaux is probably Savage's best scene in the movie. My favorite scene has Savage crossing a less-than-trustworthy wooden plankboard bridge. Just be forewarned that this is a different kind of Fulci film, while he has always had plots featuring strange scenarios and characters, "Door Into Silence" doesn't adhere to the tropes associated with his output so prevalent in the previous decade.
Review of Le porte del silenzio
