I’ll admit, I had not heard of The Beyond until about 2008. I had been watching horror films since I was a kid in the early ’90s, cruising the local video stores for whatever I could find, but I don’t ever remember seeing a box or poster for the movie, or even its gore-reduced version, The 7 Doors of Death. I started buying horror DVDs in the early 2000’s from Anchor Bay, then moved onto Shriek Show’s Italian exploits and eventually came across Grindhouse Releasing’s version of The Beyond (around 2011).
I remember popping it into the DVD player at my girlfriend’s apartment, watching it on her 55″ plasma television, and though I’m not really a gore fan, I was ready for whatever I was about to see. It definitely lived up to its expectation with violence and gore, but by the time that I came to the end of the movie, with its abrupt downer, I remember thinking….that’s how it ends?
I would be lying if I said that I loved the movie right away, since it was just so different. I remember thinking it over for a day, then deciding that I needed to watch the movie again, but by the end of the second viewing I was in love with it. The Beyond absolutely had some great cinematography and while the dubbing can be a little distracting, everything was so well done.
Setting aside everything else that I loved about the movie, the locations used were absolutely amazing and I was interested in finding out as much as I could about them. There’s something about that Southern look that’s unique to anywhere else. Here are The Beyond filming locations that you need to check out.
1. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
425 Basin St
New Orleans, LA 70112
Not far from busy Canal Street in New Orleans is St. Louis Cemetery Number One, where the burial scene from The Beyond was filmed. While the cemetery is open to the public, you must pay about $20 to view the cemetery as part of a tour with a guide. I visited in 2013 and this wasn’t the case back then, but it was changed to allegedly cut down on vandalism and to prevent people from sleeping there.
This was the first of three Roman Catholic cemeteries in New Orleans and was opened in 1789. Marie Laveau is interred there, as well as other notable New Orleanians. Nicolas Cage also purchased a pyramid-shaped tomb as his future burial site!
2. Emily’s House
1221 Orange St
New Orleans, LA 70130
The yard looks a lot nicer 40+ years later at Emily’s house, and she resided at 1221 Orange Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. This is private property, so DO NOT trespass, but you can still snap a few pictures from the sidewalk.
Right after Liza almost runs down Emily on the freeway, we’re shown Emily’s house and overgrown front yard.
3. Dillard University
The exteriors for the hospital were filmed at the historically Black college, Dillard University. This is a private college in New Orleans, but you’ll likely get permission to check the grounds out if you call ahead.
4. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
New Orleans
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is where Liza first comes across Emily. It crosses over Lake Pontchartrain with two parallel bridges crossing nearly 24 miles. While you’re free to check out the road (just don’t stop your car!), there is a $5 toll.
5. Otis House
119 Fairview Dr.
Madisonville, LA 70447
I have saved the best for last. The movie starts and ends at one of the gateway to hell, AKA The Otis House. As we see the townspeople converge upon the hotel via boats, the hotel known as the Otis House is the backdrop.
While the basement scenes were filmed on a soundstage, much of the interiors of the house were actually used in the film. I’ve included some screenshots of the Google Maps submissions.
Runner Up:
Biblioteca Della Societa Geografica Italiana
Via della Navicella, 12, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
This library is located in Italy and appears to also have been used in Lucio Fulci’s House by the Cemetery. It’s a beautiful library, but I wouldn’t feel bad about whether you can check it out in person or not, since it’s not located in the USA. Check out the photos of the place on Google Maps here.
