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.

DOOR INTO SILENCE (dir. Lucio Fulci)..... Sometimes a movie is so full of inconsistencies and mistakes you wonder if anyone even watched the film before it was released. This film is one of those. After the death of his father, a young man drives the back roads of Louisiana, and has a bit of car trouble. It is never really explained where he is going or why, but he is directed to a mechanic, and the man tells him that it will take fifteen minutes for him to repair his car, and he advises that he check into a motel to clean up (his hands are dirty). If a fifteen minute wait requires you to rent a motel room, would a couple of hours of repair time necessitate the purchase of a home in the area, and sign- up for a library card? Then, endless mundane car chases down two lane roads, and we haven't even gotten to the supernatural part of the tale, and that part was not 'super' by any stretch of the imagination.

Well,due to the complex Man that Lucio Fulci was,I think that this Movie wasn't so bad that certain people want it to be.I think that since it was his last movie,He Went Out in Style! I Mean: Look at it's Budget! He proved he could make a Movie nearly without a Budget at all! No,not his greatest achievement,but He Went Out In Style! A complex and a Superb Film Maker! No one can come close.Fulci is purely FULCI! Enjoy or Die!(not even trying).Fulci was responsible for(or known for)the Splatter/Zombie movie "Zombi 2" in Italy(an unofficial follow up to George A.Romero's "Dawn Of The Dead"),but he made Movies far more better than that one.Just take a look at his "Don't Torture a Duckling" where he proved himself as a Superb Film maker! He made several Movies as well,which is as good as well.It's just a matter of taste! Long Live The master Of Italian "Grand Guignol".

For what turned out to be his final project, Lucio Fulci opted for something different, a type of film that he really hadn't made before - a Rod Serling kind of tale of the journey of an American businessman in search of answers regarding his own existence. As this man drives through the Louisiana countryside he encounters a strange woman several times as well as a hearse with his name on the coffin. It doesn't take long before he realizes something is up and he frantically attempts to discover what it is. John Savage is superb as the confused Melvin Devereux, likely the greatest performance of his career that I've seen. He doesn't overplay or underplay, and his reactions are seemingly entirely natural. The other actors and actresses in "Door To Silence" cannot compare to Savage but do very well nonetheless, while Fulci directs with a subtle fluidity and sense of reflective affection which had become increasingly rare for the master after his career really took off circa 1980. This isn't a perfect film, there are a couple of slightly poor edits and several 'what the hell' parts (a motel stay for 15 minutes, a phone that rings before dialing, etc. - although these can be seen as being perfect for the unreality of Melvin's situation). The same camera problem that plagued "Demonia" also pops up in "Door To Silence" here and there, but not to the same extent nor to the film's detriment.Sadly enough, I don't know if this final effort will ever be truly accepted. It's not generally of interest to Fulci's fans as it's not horror, and despite it's artistic cult appeal, Fulci is unknown to the art-house audience (if not outright vilified). It is really a shame that despite the high quality of "Door To Silence", Fulci's name was replaced with a fictional one for apparently some bizarre commercial reasons. "Door To Silence" is a near-masterpiece and more than deserves to be seen, and now can be due to it's very welcome release on DVD by Severin. Check it out while you can, you won't be sorry.