toothboy

I have a question about Lucio Fulci's "The Beyond." A plot question, actually.

When the little girl and the mother go to the morgue to identify the body of Joe, the plumber, the mother screams and is then annhiliated by a vat of acid which falls on her and dissolves her. I have seen this movie several times and can't figure out what she sees to make her scream and how she ends up against the wall underneath a shelf that the acid is on. And what makes the acid fall? Any help would be appreciated.

Hendrik

...ahh... you mean to say it matters to you?... the how and why??... really???... I say the whole -and only!- point of the scene is to get the mother to a spot where a conveniently placed vat of acid falls on her and dissolves her (the acid does, of course, not the vat) ... and the heck with explanations of how and why... this is Fulci, after all, not Visconti!... sheesh!...

. . . . . .

renaldow

I think she's supposed to be horrified at seeing her dead husband. So this was the only thing in the movie that made you wonder about character motivation?

toothboy

I didn't mean to get flamed by asking this question...I realize it's a Fulci flick and these by nature are short on continuity, character motivation, and plausibility. I'm not ANALYZING the scene or the movie (it is what it is), but I was just wondering if there was something I was missing. (I only ask because there was nothing to indicate what she screamed at--she had been in the room awhile and nothing new "popped up"). I kinda figured it was just to get her in place for a good ol' acid bath, so I shall cease talking about this and take it for what it is--a reason to melt.

(renaldow--I don't think it was seeing her dead husband...she had been dressing him for a few minutes. But she could have had a delayed reaction, which is entirely possible in a Fulci flick!!)

Slumbering Fist

Chalk it up to the Wonderful World Of Fulci Logic> She screams because she must die. No real rhyme or reason other than that.

Vampyr

I must agree with the answers given. Don't look for a reason and just go with it. It's kind of funny if you think about it.


Eliza: How long will it take?
Joe: It'll take as long as it takes.
------- Very thought provoking don't you think?

renaldow

Ok, it's been awhile since I've seen this movie, it was just a theory Since we're on the topic I'll throw my own question in:

Why did the spiders eat that guy in the library? I watch Discovery and Animal Planet, and so far I haven't seen any spiders that take down large prey for food, let alone a species that travels and hunts in packs. Any ideas what type of spider that was?

garmonbozia

I watched my parents' cable when I was visiting them over the holidays and saw some Discovery/Animal Planet stuff on spiders. There are spiders that do take down large prey....or at least prey that is larger than themselves. There are spiders that prey on birds and what not....I think they were in South America, but I could be remembering wrong.....

garmonbozia

Hendrik,
I would have never pegged you as a Fulci fan.....are you one?
I admire your diversity in taste.

renaldow

Yes, there are spiders that prey upon animals larger than themselves, but not 800x larger as the Man v. Spider conflict would be. Humans prey upon animals larger than themselves too, but imagine a pack of 20 humans trying to take down a creature the size of a 50 story building with their bare hands. There in lies the problem of the spiders.

necromania

I thought it was because his body moved.