Product Description: The second H.P. Lovecraft adaptation by Stuart Gordon FROM BEYOND is pure Lovecraftian science-terror. Out-there scientist Dr. Pretorious (Ted Sorel) and his assistant Dr. Tillinghast (Jeffery Combs) are working towards breaking through earthly perceptions and revealing a new alternate universe. They do this by stimulating the pineal gland of the human brain which enables people to see the strange creatures that inhabit a parallel dimension. Unfortunately these creatures can now see humans as well and they are none too pleased with it. Dr. Pretorious is killed by the floating monstrosities but the police blame his assistant for the murder and lock him up. Only Dr. Katharine McMichaels (Barbara Crampton) believes the insane tales of Dr. Tillinghast and it's up to her to shut down the experiment that threatens to unleash the other-dimensional creatures on this universe forever. Great special effects and solid performances by Combs and Crampton complement a near-perfect realization by Gordon of Lovecraft's vividly detailed and chilling vision of scientific possibilities.System Requirements:Running Time: 85 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: R UPC: 027616085504 Manufacturer No: M108550
Virtual gate to another world of the fourth eye. ^ This movie has some gore that is opened by a switch to another world. Once switch in our brain has a fourth eye and I say no more. Watch this film and be surprised be virtual illusions which is only seen when machine is turned on. Get ready for a beast that changes and never lets go to the final chapter of the movie.
This cockeyed gem was considered to be so egregious that the review board made Gordon edit it to death before they'd okay it, but if you are my kind of weirdo, you'll be knocked out to see it restored. Its even better than "Re-Animator" because its bizarre audacity and wildly creative effects actually move it a notch beyond THAT classic. The horror is played very broadly, but the creep-factor is outstanding and made all the worse/better because its half-FUNNY. Every effects penny was well-spent and brilliantly executed, despite the low-budget aroma. Even if you are a fan of such fare, if you haven't seen this, your experience just isn't complete. DO NOT let kids see this thing! The overall tone and sexual aspects will scar 'em, heh heh. However, if you can show it to some disliked pucker-butt aunt or hyper-religious folks, video their convulsive reactions and post it to YouTube. Yes, its that much fun.
From Beyond... Pineal Envy ^ From Beyond: 6 out of 10: All the ingredients are here for a kick ass movie. First of You have Stuart Gordon director of the superlative Re-Animator and Dagon. In addition From Beyond is also a HP Lovecraft adaptation.
Moreover, there is the cast... Jeffrey Combs is a Lovecraft movie staple and a fine actor. Scream Queen Barbara Crampton famous for the greatest receiving head scene in cinematic history (Re-Animator again and the head in question was decapitated and alive) and is tied with Michelle Johnson as the quintessential blonde sex symbol of the eighties.
Heck the movie even has Dawn of the Dead hero the always-watchable Ken Foree.
There is nudity, bondage, brain eating, slime and silly monsters.
It simply does not gel as a movie.
Pacing and the script seem to be the enemy of the good here. For a movie with so many gladdening elements, it can be a true slog. From Beyond seems to drag just when the getting is well getting good.
The monsters are neither terribly scary nor funny they are just slimy puppets of various sizes. There is no sense of fun in the film and it certainly does not get one involved enough to care about the characters fates.
Barbara Crampton spends too much time in large oversized glasses and a tight bun in her hair and buy the time she lets her hair down (and her bondage gear on) Jeffery Combs is bald, naked and making guttural sounds.
As for the story... well I have seen the film twice and I have still no real idea what is going on. (Something to do with monsters from another dimension and the pineal gland) From Beyond is certainly worth a watch for fans of Gordon, Lovecraft or Crampton but I cannot help feel that this was a colossal missed opportunity.
JUST AS I REMEMBERED ^ I saw this film years ago and enjoyed it. It may not be indicative of 'great cinema', but it is a great example of both imaginative special effects and one of several of the odd characters of which only Jeffrey Combs is capable of creating.
The Pineal Gland Gone Awry! ^ It took a little while to figure out where this movie was coming from, and perhaps more importantly, where it was going. The opening sets up the spooky mansion, mad scientist & assistant, weird experiments--and a noisy next door neighbor lady & her little dog sneaking around--and a sort of funny, madcap scene. So one might think, Ah-oh, a comedy! But is it Lovecraft?
It is...and it isn't.
The script brings in a lot of 80's motifs: Kinky sex, a racially mixed cast, drugs, decadence, etc. The really funny thing is that, while having little to do with HP, it all ties in & works.
What really is "Lovecraftian" about the film is the theme. It asserts that the pineal gland in the forehead (often metaphorically associated with The Third Eye), if scientifically stimulated, acts as a bridge between our world and a dimension inhabit by psychically destructive worm and snakelike creatures that can enter our world and wreck havoc. The effects are quite good, you can relate to the actors, and there's plenty of chills `n thrills.
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