I first bought this as a blind buy, and I'm glad I did. Ittenbach went all out on this one. For those of you not familiar with Olaf Ittenbach -he specialises in low-budget gore films that actually are semi-professional in looks (if not acting) and the effects are impressive enough to BE professional.
Anyway, Beyond the Limits is basically divided into 3 sections, 2 of them are set in present day, and one back in medieval times. Two of them are accounts of a story, told to a reporter by a guy who looks after a graveyard. He begins to talk about the recent death of a local gangster, and gradually recounts the story of why he died.
First episode, a gangster is having a party at a house and basically has double crossed some people or something. Things really spin out of control however when the party gets crashed by a sadistic murderer and his partner. Use your imagination for what happens next. All manner of dismemberments, explodings of heads, throat slittings, shotgun blasts to the chest at point blank and loads more with various implements - not forgetting the machete. Ittenbach didn't hold back here, this is all out carnage.
The second episode takes you back to medieval times where some guy who lives in a castle has a vendetta against some religious villagers. Plus he's also after something. There's a bloody massacre in a church - men, women and children in various gruesome ways and is done with brutality and delight by the knights. This second episode centres around a knight who is hard pressed to protect his pretty wife and also to try and protect the villagers from the unyielding castle lord. Things take a sinister turn for the worse when he's discovered as a traitor and has to battle against the this madman who will stop at nothing - rape, torture and murder to get what he's looking for. (You'll see, by the way - that the 2 stories are linked). At the end of this second episode we get an extremely graphic portrayal of Ittenbach's vision of hell. At the end, the film cuts back to the present day, when the reporter discovers that the evil that drove these men is still alive today.
As summaries go, that was longer than anticipated but I think the story is better than some of his other films. In terms of gore, well....we've got the whole bundle. Torture, rape and brutal massacre's are the order of the day and everything is done in a convincing and professional way. The acting could be better sometimes, but again the emphasis is not on that. To put it simply, it does the job. And that should be enough for anyone who would watch a film like this. Amongst the carnage are some fairly nice settings - the nicest being the knight and his wife in a snow-laden wood. Its nice to have these little scenes interrupting the bloodshed, gives the film a whole other angle. Make no mistake, it's primarily a gore film, but variety adds to the mix.
I don't want to spoil the whole film for you, I think I've made my point. Watch it, and appreciate the professionalism and effort that have gone into it. I recommend Ittenbach's other stuff, Legion of the Dead, Garden of Love if you like things like this. Make sure you get the uncut version though!
Anyway, Beyond the Limits is basically divided into 3 sections, 2 of them are set in present day, and one back in medieval times. Two of them are accounts of a story, told to a reporter by a guy who looks after a graveyard. He begins to talk about the recent death of a local gangster, and gradually recounts the story of why he died.
First episode, a gangster is having a party at a house and basically has double crossed some people or something. Things really spin out of control however when the party gets crashed by a sadistic murderer and his partner. Use your imagination for what happens next. All manner of dismemberments, explodings of heads, throat slittings, shotgun blasts to the chest at point blank and loads more with various implements - not forgetting the machete. Ittenbach didn't hold back here, this is all out carnage.
The second episode takes you back to medieval times where some guy who lives in a castle has a vendetta against some religious villagers. Plus he's also after something. There's a bloody massacre in a church - men, women and children in various gruesome ways and is done with brutality and delight by the knights. This second episode centres around a knight who is hard pressed to protect his pretty wife and also to try and protect the villagers from the unyielding castle lord. Things take a sinister turn for the worse when he's discovered as a traitor and has to battle against the this madman who will stop at nothing - rape, torture and murder to get what he's looking for. (You'll see, by the way - that the 2 stories are linked). At the end of this second episode we get an extremely graphic portrayal of Ittenbach's vision of hell. At the end, the film cuts back to the present day, when the reporter discovers that the evil that drove these men is still alive today.
As summaries go, that was longer than anticipated but I think the story is better than some of his other films. In terms of gore, well....we've got the whole bundle. Torture, rape and brutal massacre's are the order of the day and everything is done in a convincing and professional way. The acting could be better sometimes, but again the emphasis is not on that. To put it simply, it does the job. And that should be enough for anyone who would watch a film like this. Amongst the carnage are some fairly nice settings - the nicest being the knight and his wife in a snow-laden wood. Its nice to have these little scenes interrupting the bloodshed, gives the film a whole other angle. Make no mistake, it's primarily a gore film, but variety adds to the mix.
I don't want to spoil the whole film for you, I think I've made my point. Watch it, and appreciate the professionalism and effort that have gone into it. I recommend Ittenbach's other stuff, Legion of the Dead, Garden of Love if you like things like this. Make sure you get the uncut version though!