Beyond the Darkness (1979) dubbing: Trailer vs. Film

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I love Italian trailers of the 1960s and 70s! Always lengthy and ridiculously spoiler-filled, they are definitely products of a different time, but they never fail to amuse and are usually very well put together.

Some trailers are of particular interest because they feature different takes than the ones used in the finished film, and on occasion even contain clips of scenes that are nowhere to be found in the release versions. This is because the trailers were sometimes assembled before the final editing on the film was complete, and when that was the case, it typically led to differences in another area as well: the dubbing.

A great examples of this can be found in one of the most iconic Italian horror films of the 1970s, Joe D’Amato’s Beyond the Darkness (1979), starring Kieran Canter, Franca Stoppi and Cinzia Monreale. Famous for its gruesomely graphic gore scenes, his necrophilia-themed shocker has long been a favorite of aficionados of Italian horror, and is generally regarded as one of D’Amato’s finest films, but the theatrical trailer is really a little masterpiece all on its own. Narrated by dubbing veteran Ted Rusoff, who draws us in with the promise that “if you enjoy the violent emotions, this film is for you”, it then proceeds to assault us with a montage of horrific moments from the film – all to the accompaniment of the pounding and insanely addictive score by Goblin. Take a look for yourself:

 



If you are familiar with Beyond the Darkness in its English dubbed version, then you’ll probably have noticed certain differences. Whereas the voice of protagonist Kieran Canter is dubbed by Ted Rusoff in both trailer and in the actual film, the voice of the darkly sinister housekeeper played by Franca Stoppi is different. In the film, Stoppi is voiced by Rusoff’s wife Carolyn de Fonseca in one of her most famous dubbing roles, going all in and digging into the demented character with relish. In the trailer, however, Stoppi is dubbed by another veteran dubbing actress: the great Silvia Faver, which makes for quite a difference.

 

Franca Stoppi's voice changed from the trailer to the film.


But not only that, Faver actually voices all of the females featured in the trailer, which in addition to Stoppi includes Cinzia Monreale and the old woman with the voodoo doll. I’ve made a little comparison video below. Check it out, and also pay attention to the use of different takes:

 


It’s a bit strange to see these little clips next to each other like that, and a great illustration of how the choice of voice can alter a performance. For me, though, the most startling difference is actually not the dubbing of Franca Stoppi, but rather the scene with the old woman and the voodoo doll. In the trailer, we hear her reciting a creepy chant (“Body of a whore, dead forever more” etc.) as she pricks the dolls with large needles, whereas in the film we only hear some inaudible mumbling coming out of her mouth. That macabre chant – recited in delightfully sinister fashion by Silvia Faver – is one of my favorite parts from the trailer, and I’ve always found its omission from the final cut of the scene to be highly disappointing. The chant does not occur in the film until near the end, when the same old woman is seen passing by Kieran Canter as he picks up a potential victim at a disco, and we get to hear it recited (this time in the voice of Carolyn de Fonseca) in a longer version than the one from the trailer. This could have been a much more effective full-circle moment had the chant been used in the earlier scene so that we’d recognize it from there. A bit of a missed opportunity.


Body of a whore, dead forever more. Body three times cursed, pain and torture first. Body in a bed, body growing dead. Body in a crypt, body hellfire dipped. Body ringing bell, body into hell. Always be a taker, hurry meet your maker. No one's life you'll save, rot soon in your grave.

On a final note, it is worth noting that although Silvia Faver did not get to voice Franca Stoppi in the finished version of Beyond the Darkness, she would nevertheless go on to dub the eye-rolling and famously over-acting actress in at least three other films: The Other Hell (1981), Violence in a Women’s Prison (1982) and Women’s Prison Massacre (1983) – all directed by Bruno Mattei.


Franca Stoppi would go on the be dubbed by Silvia Faver in The Other Hell (1981).


© 2023 Johan Melle

 

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