Beyond Evil

Beyond Evil is a 1980 American supernatural horror film directed by Herb Freed and starring John Saxon and Lynda Day George. Its plot follows an architect who suspects his wife is possessed by a former resident of the historic colonial mansion they have just moved into. Plot Architect Larry Andrews and his new wife Barbara travel to a small island off the coast of the Philippines, where they are due to move into a condominium. Barbara is perturbed when Larry's business associate, Del, notifies them the residence is not ready yet, and pays for them to stay in a hotel, and tells Larry she feels Del exploits him. At dinner, Del subsequently reveals to the couple that there was no condominium to begin with, and that he instead arranged for them to live in a large, historic colonial mansion named Casa Fortuna. Del soon explains that the home is supposedly haunted by Alma Martín, the first lady of the home; she and her husband, Esteban, killed each other in the home according to local legend. Prior to their respective murders of one another, Alma became heavily involved in the occult. Barbara begins being awoken by chanting and is troubled by visions of a woman she comes to find is Alma. On one occasion, she uncontrollably stabs herself in the hand, but claims to Larry it was accidental. Barbara is hospitalized and Dr. Albanos, a physician, runs tests on her. Meanwhile, Larry meets their neighbors, Leia Solomon, and her father, Dr. Solomon, a healer. Leia later confronts Larry and says she and her father can sense that Barbara is in danger, and urge him to have her healed. Larry becomes suspicious when the records of the tests Dr. Albanos completed on Barbara disappear. Dr. Solomon subsequently tells Larry that Alma is vying for Barbara's body, and that Barbara is in danger of spirit possession. Larry proposes the two move, but Barbara resists. The next day, a construction accident at Larry's project seriously injures one of the foremen. Del later stops at the house and attempts to initiate sex with Barbara. She agrees, and leads him upstairs, where she pushes him from a balcony to his death. Larry later finds Barbara staring blankly into the fireplace, and she loses consciousness when he approaches her. Larry consults Dr. Solomon after he notices a strange skin anomaly on Barbara's finger, and Dr. Solomon insists Alma's spirit is attempting infect her.