trashgang
Olaf Ittenbach will do ring a bell with the gorehounds. His flicks are full of splatter and ultra gory but this time Olaf moves away from the horror genre. But don't be afraid. It's still Olaf.What we have is in fact an intro on a graveyard where the undertaker is questioned by a first time reporter. Short after we move into story one. It takes place nowadays in a mobster world. Things go wrong and punishments should follow and they do in ultra gore. The second story was for me the best part. The story looked more believable and the acting was much better. It takes place in the dark ages with the inquisition taking place. The story is better because the gore isn't there not just for the gore. But the torture and slaughtering is splatter and gore galore. Part 1 has clearly German actors trying to speak English and it shows. After the second part we move back to the graveyard with the final. It's one of Olaf's older flicks that had a proper release in 2012. Just go search Olaf's other splatter friend Timo Rose, he's to be seen in the second part.The story is simple and we do have blood and gore just for the sake of it so if you can't stand that don't watch it but for the gorehounds this is has a real boner effect.Gore 5/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 4/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 1/5
Ogrishel
"Beyond the Limits" was a big surprise for me since I am very disappointed in the latest movies concerning the special effects because I hate those cartoon-like computer effects. Olaf Ittenbach is absolutely fabulous as the gore master from Germany because he likes to do the FX the classic way without the help of computer animation.The movie is composed of two "Tales from the Crypt"-like stories and the main subject is the trip of the "eternal heart" through time, from the alchemistic Middle Age to present days, causing a gore marathon on its way.The main characters are sadistic psychos who really enjoy to torture and kill their victims in the most gory way someone could imagine. The acting is quite good and impressive for this kind of movie because it makes you really feel the terror and pain of the victims.This is not a scary movie, it's just a very well done splatter horror from Europe, much better then many Hollywood movies of the genre.I give it a 10 out of 10 because Olaf Ittenbach rules!
Sinister_Zombie
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!
IsilmeAngel
I took the time to watch this one... and how I regret to have ever done it! The only thing that made it the slightest worthy was the hilariousness of it. Be warned: there are no actors in this film, only people who were paid to read a few lines, kill, die and scream a lot. Of course I'm no fan of gore films, but this... The plot is rubbish and easily forgotten due to the weak producing. The only things that do anything for the movie at all are the special effects used and the quality of the sets.*****Beware Possible Spoiler******** It really gathered my attention with the beginning scene in the graveyard but it was all lost the minute the so-called reporter appeared and everyone started getting killed in all possible ways imaginable.Don't waste your time on this one... except if you're a gore die-hard fan or if you feel like having a laugh for the simple ridiculousness of it!
