From Beyond

From the team that brought us the horror classic; Re-Animator comes From Beyond; a tale of a mad scientist and his search for the ultimate pleasure.

Like Re-Animator, From Beyond is based on a story by the fantastic horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. The acting here comes courtesy of two of Re-Animator's best actors; Jeffrey Combs, a man that is well known in the world of B-Movie, and Barbara Crampton; the scream queen that we all remember from the infamous 'head' sequence in Re-Animator. There is also a role in this movie for Ken Foree, whom horror fans will instantly recognize from the classic film, Dawn of the Dead. I didn't know he was in this movie, so it was a nice surprise for me. From Beyond is also brought to the screen by the same team that brought Re-Animator to the screen; Stuart Gordon in the director's chair and Brian Yuzna producing. With a group of people as accomplished in the horror genre as this fine bunch, what could possibly go wrong?

The plot of this movie is good because it very much plunges into the unknown, and as well all know; it is that which makes horror frightening. This movie is also made good by the fact that once the horror starts, it doesn't stop and that's always a good thing for a horror movie as nobody likes waiting for the next horror sequence to turn up. The team of Gordon and Yuzna obviously knows that relentlessness makes a good horror movie as it is evident in all horror movies that they have worked on, together or separately. The idea behind it is also an original one, as ever with H.P. Lovecraft and it leaves a lot open for creativity, which is capitalized upon very well by Stuart Gordon with his interesting and effective creatures that are brought into the film as a result of the scientist's foray into 'the beyond'. The story, it could be said, is unrealistic, which is true of most horror films. However, the way it is brought to life seems realistic and as there is some explanation to the point of the machine and that which it does, so the audience can somewhat believe it; much to the film's credit.

In the 80's, horror reached a new point; gone was the creativity of the 60's and 70's, and a new area of over the top and extremely gory horror was opened up. From Beyond very much capitalizes on this 'new wave', but unlike a lot of the 80's films that did, From Beyond manages to pull it off so it is both interesting and creative and therefore it is a cut above the majority of other 80's films of the same ilk. From Beyond is not a masterpiece, but it is very good and fans of the horror genre will certainly find something to like about it. Recommended.

This seminal film by Stuart Gordon reeks pure 80's. Following the success of the far superior Re-Animator, Gordon experiments with one of the works of his favourite literary sources: HP Lovecraft. The film tackles the popular sci-fiction theme of the sixth dimension -- and considering the small-budget limitations placed upon the director, it is a reasonable treatment of the multi-dimension theme. The resonator depicted in the film demonstrates strong Lovecraftian imagery . . . not easy to achieve. What strengthens the film are the grotesque F/X and Jeffery Combs/Barbara Crampton: both of these elements are excellent (for the genre and budget). Some of the F/X are really stomach churning -- try eating jello or fried liver and Chianti when watching the film . . . If your are a HPL, Gordon, Combs or Crampton fan, this film is an essential viewing for you.

Its been a while since I saw this, but I fondly remember it as being one of the wildest and most entertaining horror films of the 80s. I liked it even more than Re-Animator, partly because there is something more intriguing about parallel dimensions and the connection to schizophrenia, than Re-Animators simple (though still entertaining ) "dead come back to life"-scenario. Some of the outlandish effects seem to be influenced by Dali, bodies in a constant state transformation and re-evaluation. It is mind-boggling that it is still so hard to get a hold of on DVD, I only watched a British VHS copy years ago which had some cuts and I still long to see the original unrated version. The score, by Richard Band, is also impressively aggressive and atmospheric. Would somebody please just release it on DVD! They just don't make them like this anymore.

There's Jeffrey Combs doing his bit! "The Resonator, it's working! We know that, 'cos weird worms pop out of the air and try to eat your face! Love a doctor called Pretorius complete with mad laugh! Acting dialled up to 11 - "I want to see more than any man has ever seen!" Lovely makeup and gore effects - only Gordon does Lovecraft like this and has so much fun doing it - but it just gets silly as they totally lose it at the end!

The cast and crew of the horror hit RE-ANIMATOR team up again for this stomach-churning ride through (literally) the human mind. Once again using Lovecraft as source material, Gordon and friends take the original story and add their own gruesome elements to the stew. Much overlooked alongside its more popular and altogether more famous brother RE-ANIMATOR, FROM BEYOND, while lacking some of the frenetic pace and macabre gags which made that film so good, still stands alone as a deliriously gory horror film, full of slime, blood, and body bits.

The film works best when it sticks close to Lovecraft's original tale, and the opening scenes in which Jeffrey Combs sees the mysterious eel-like things floating around in the air invoke thrills and fear at the same time. Unfortunately, as the plot progresses it rapidly unfolds and moves to a hospital, which is where the film is at a low point. However the climax - a predictably slimy and visceral conclusion - is well worth waiting for, if only to watch the special effects.

The acting is definitely tongue-in-cheek and in this respect is effective all round. Jeffrey Combs can do no wrong, even in the worst of bad films, and he's once again on hand to deliver the chuckles and chills with his particular brand of over-acting. Combs' transformation into a monster is rightly disturbing to watch. Barbara Crampton makes for a good heroine and looks very fetching in a black leather outfit, something you probably won't see anywhere else. As well as the two leads, DAWN OF THE DEAD's very own Ken Foree has a comic relief role as a policeman caught up in the horrific events. Watching Foree prance around in underpants made me think just how much I like this great actor, it's a shame he hasn't been in more films since Romero's classic gave him a certain cult status.

The special effects are the real stars of FROM BEYOND, and they range from the typical (brain eating, eyeball gouging) to the superb (big slimy monster things). The effects are used a lot and all are totally brilliant in conception, being wonderfully weird and odd, especially the slime creature and the monster in the basement. With a spine-tingling soundtrack and collaboration from three notable names in horror - Charles Band (a cheapie producer who now owns Full Moon Entertainment), Brian Yuzna (a delightfully sick individual) and finally Stuart Gordon, there is no way this film could miss the mark really. Overall, FROM BEYOND is a delightfully entertaining film which thankfully never takes itself too seriously and can be watched over and over again.