Director – Lucio Fulci (The New York Ripper, The House By the Cemetery)
Starring – Jared Martin (Westworld, Knight Rider), Lara Lamberti (Red Sonja, A Blade in the Dark), Ulli Reinthaler (Zombie 3)
Release Date – 1987
Rating – 3/5
Blu Release – 3.5/5
Tagline – “Possessed by revenge”
Several years ago I upgraded my Zombie DVD. Blue Underground had released the film around then on blu and I jumped on it. While I was making the order on Amazon I went ahead and picked up a few more Lucio Fulci flicks. I finally got my own copy of The Beyond in the awesome tin from Anchor Bay and Aenigma. Sadly, I never made the time to watch Aenigma so it gathered dust on my shelf. When Severin announced their blu release of the film I decided it was time to finally check it out. I reached out to Severin and they were kind enough to send a copy my way. Thanks guys!
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a young student who goes out on a date with her crush. What she doesn’t know is that her date is a practical joke by the girls in the boardinghouse. The prank goes horrible wrong and she is struck by a moving vehicle. She’s hospitalized in a coma with no brain function. Soon after a mysterious new student arrives as school and befriends the young girls. However, nothing ordinary happens as the young girls fall prey to different mishaps while the new student struggles mentally. It’s soon revealed that even though she is in a coma she is controlling the new girl and is exacting her revenge on the students that did her wrong.**spoiler Alert**
Lucio Fulci has yet to let me down but I rarely venture into his more unknown films unless they are sent to me for review. I blame my love for The Beyond, Zombie, The House by the Cemetery, and City of the Living Dead for the reason of never venturing out to these other films. I know I love these movies and I rarely have time to watch a movie not for review. However, after finally watching Demonia and Aenigma I can safely say I have two more movies to add to my favorite Fucli list.
The acting in this one is my favorite of Fulci’s films. I really enjoyed the characters and how the cast approached their roles. The characters really carry the story and don’t fall into clichéd performances. I really liked their personalities and how it tied into the story itself. Typical Fulci films revolve around one dimensional characters dying but this one delivers on the performances.
The story for this one is not something we have seen before especially during the late 80s. In fact, by 87 there has been several supernatural and slashers using the premise of someone dead or in a coma who is controlling someone else and forcing them to kill. With that being said, this one is done in Fulci’s now iconic style. It flows almost like giallo but the murder mystery angle is lost fairly early on.
Finally, it wouldn’t be Fulci without some great practical effects and plenty of blood. This is far from the bloodiest film my the godfather of gore but for those looking for juicy kills will enjoy it. Overall, Aenigma is not the most original or depraved Fulci film but it still satisfies. The transfer from Severin looks fucking gorgeous. My friends over at Cultsploitation even compared this brilliant transfer to 88 Films release to show just how superior this release is. Check it out.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary with Troy Howarth, Author of “Splintered Visions – Lucio Fulci & His Films” and Mondo-Digital.com’s Nathaniel Thompson
Writing Nightmares: Interview with Screenwriter Giorgio Mariuzzo
Italian Aenigma: Appraising Late Day Fulci
English Trailer
Italian Trailer
Italian Credits
