Beyond the Limits (2003)

Anthology films have long been a way for directors to have fun within a shorter format and also serve as a nice way for younger filmmakers to further hone their craft. Always fertile in the horror genre, the anthology format has become especially popular in recent years with the stories contained within the films often centering around a common thread. While the multi-director anthology films always present interesting concepts, what's just as interesting and can sometimes be even moreso is how a single director approaches an anthology film. Some of the obvious examples include Mario Bava's Black Sabbath (1963), Freddie Francis' Tales from the Crypt (1972), Dan Curtis' Trilogy of Terror (1975) and of course George Romero's Creepshow (1982). Walerian Borowczyk also proved himself to be adept at anthologies firstly with Immoral Tales (1974) and later with Immoral Women (1979). Borowczyk would also feature in another erotic anthology, Private Collection (1979) alongside Shūji Terayama and Just Jaeckin. Another director who proved to handle the anthology concept quite well is German splatter heavyweight Olaf Ittenbach, who's second feature, the infamous shot-on-video anthology The Burning Moon (1992) became an immediate underground favorite and solidified Ittenbach's reputation among fans of extreme gore effects. Ittenbach would return to the format in 2003 with Beyond the Limits, one of the most ambitious works in the realm of German splatter and certainty one of the bloodiest anthology offerings around.

Vivian, a young journalist seeks out Frederick, the caretaker of a centuries old cemetery for an interview. Frederick agrees and begins to tell her two stories about his “customers”, as he reefers to them as, the main thread tying both tales together being an ancient relic known as the “eternal heart”, a human heart said to grant immortality to whomever possesses it. The first, a contemporary story involving double-crossing gangsters, a coke deal gone bad and a dinner party interrupted by two sadistic hitmen while the second story goes back to the middle ages and the origin of the heart, centering on David Deming, a renegade inquisitor obsessed with obtaining the heart and James Flynn, a true believer desperate to stop Deming.

Beyond the Limits couldn't have been a more appropriate title. As is often the case with Ittenbach, the film could be labeled as “extreme”, though not just in the violence and gore departments, which are pretty extraordinary. Virtually everything in the film is heightened, from the exaggerated performances, the gangster story becoming downright histrionic at times, the acidic dialogue spouted in both segments and flashy camerawork, with Ittenbach really flexing his directorial muscles throughout the film. Yet that's precisely how a film such as Beyond the Limits needs to operate. As an actual anthology film, the film works thanks not only to the concept of the “eternal heart”, which is a unique idea in and of itself, but the clever twist Ittenbach tosses in at the end tying both stories together with the interview wrap-around. Both stories would have worked equally with or without the wrap-around segments and both have more to offer than just focusing on the heart. The gangster segment in particular has a pretty involving side plot involving revenge and the modern setting gives the violence an especially vicious kick. The medieval story plays out like a more classical tale and like the first also features several interesting asides, including a love story that amazingly works within the context of the segment and doesn't feel out of place. The segment also features a bit of sword-fighting action and Ittenbach sneaks in some of his morbid humor amidst the excessive bloodshed splashed throughout the segment, Ittenbach's effects work astonishing as always.

Beyond the Limits was co-written by Ittenbach and Thomas Reitmair, who was Ittenbach's right hand man in a number of departments for many years going all the way back to Ittenbach's debut feature Black Past (1989). It was the second screenplay Reitmair collaborated with Ittenbach on following Riverplay (2001) and the two would also co-write Garden of Love (2003) and Chain Reaction (2006). Reitmair has also appeared on screen in several of Ittenbach's films, most notably in Beyond the Limits as one if the hitmen in the first story but Reitmair also features in Premutos: The Fallen Angel (1997), Riverplay, Garden of Love, Chain Reaction, Dard Divorce (2007), No Reason (2010) and Legend of Hell (2012). Reitmair has also written music for Black Past, Premutos, Riverplay, Garden of Love and Chain Reaction as well as serving as Ittenbach's assistant director on Riverplay, Legion of the Dead (2001), Beyond the Limits, Garden of Love and Chain Reaction. Like so many of Ittenbach's films, Beyond the Limits has also fallen victim to draconian censorship laws, resulting many cut DVD releases. By far the best release is the steelbook, which, along with containing the complete film also features a hefty bunch of behind-the-scenes footage showing that even when working with a slightly larger budget and bigger crew, Ittenbach's approach is always hands-on, making Beyond the Limits one of the more quality horror films from the 2000's.