From Beyond (Unrated Director's Cut) Reviews

• The Way Stuart Gordon Intended it to Be.

  
  By A96JD9312DHWC on 2007-07-12
  Scientific endeavors to reach the other side work and the results - they leave an enigma splashed all over an upstairs laboratory and a man in the custody of a lovingly cozy straightjacket. Here you have an assistant accused of killing his protégé with an axe, a young researcher that wants to exploit the possibilities of findings that still exist in a house with a now-grizzly past, some muscle to keep Jeffrey Combs from trying to escape while helping arrange this - and while trying to prove to people he isn't crazy, and a host of things that become transparent when an experimental machine is fired up and something "from Beyond" returns.
  You really have to love the work of Stuart Gordon, and moreso now that it comes complete to you in a form you haven't been allowed to see.
  
  For the longest time this item was only available in the US on VHS, and even then it was available only in chopped up variations that made you want to wince. The same can be said for the versions that appeared on bootlegged DVD - there were qualities issues that abounded, terrible dubbing issues to contend with, and there were also the irregularities that seemed to occur depending on what version you had. This was a sad fate considering this was one of the Gordon "big three," too, and the idea that such a good Combs movie could be overlooked seemed almost impossible. Lately rumors began to surface about a DC of the movie, though, and the suicidegirls did an interview that confirmed that the movie would be coming out. So, it took 21 years for someone to see the point in that, but after 21 years you have a DVD feature of one of Stuart Gordon's better films - and one that he did in the height of HPL remakes and j. Combs stardom.
  
  So, what does it mean to have a director's cut of the movie. Well, according to Gordon, the MPAA castrated his film when it was first rated and made a mess of it. Much like movies that wer ebeing imported at the time and even movies like Evil Dead, the MPAA wanted no part of horror. That meant that they hacked random pieces - a lot of goes and story as well - just to finalize a product they agreed with. Although there were just a few minutes that were added back in, the pieces that were added back took the campy nature of the film and gave it more power. The result - something you should check out because it has been needed for far-too-long. So, if you are a fan of Gordon, are a fan of Combs, or simply want to watch some horror when horror was good THen you need this.
  I recommend this o so strongly.
  
  
  

• FINALLY, love this movie

  
  By A1UVL3H22NUO3P on 2007-06-18
  It is about time they released this gem on DVD, or at least, release a "real" USA version instead of the cheap version from China with the subtitles that would not GO AWAY. The guy selling the german bootlegs on amazon (you might have noticed his posting just above this one when you searched "from beyond") must be crying like a baby. I have searched for this movie for the past five years, like once or twice a month waiting for it to show up, and that german copy has been there for months now with fans like myself paying for a crap version.
  
  
  
  Anyway, the point, another H.P. Lovecraft gem staring Jeff Combs and Barbara Crampton, both of which rocked in Re-animator, are back for another cool blood soaked romp. Other dimension worms, exploding heads, brain eating, and the best damn seduction scene ever (love ya barbara). What more could you want. The plot moves fast, the story is interesting, the special effects are cool, especially for the day, and once again Jeff and Barb bring humor, intensity, and a nice dash of naughty to this cult favorite
  
  
  
  BUY it. not to be missed
  
  

• Finally

  
  By AJKWF4W7QD4NS on 2007-09-12
  After years of waiting, Stuart Gordon's From Beyond is finally out on DVD, and be thankful that it is. Undoubtedly one of Gordon's (Re-Animator) best films and one of the best H.P. Lovecraft adaptations ever filmed, From Beyond revolves around survivor Crawford (the great Jeffrey Combs) of an experiment gone hideously awry. A psychiatrist (Barbara Crampton) however wants to continue the experiment, and returns to the house where everything went wrong, along with Crawford and a cop named Bubba (Dawn of the Dead's Ken Foree). Naturally, things don't go very well, but in Gordon's hands, the otherwise predictable story and events are frequently gross, and frequently entertaining. There's plenty of gorey, slimy moments to be had, as From Beyond is finally restored in all it's uncut glory after years of only being able to see it as a butchered, MPAA approved version that floated around on VHS. The DVD itself has some great special features as well, including an insightful commentary from Gordon, and a couple featurettes as well which detail the making of the film as well as it's re-editing for DVD. All in all, it's so great to finally have From Beyond in all it's uncut glory on DVD; and it's needless to say that if you're a real horror fan, this DVD belongs on your shelf.
  
  

• Beyond Bad

  
  By A3KKM0T1KY42HA on 2007-10-01
  You know those movies that you saw 20 years ago that for whatever reason you never saw again, but to this day they stick out in the back of your mind as cool? Something jogs your memory about a flick and you think, "Man, I'd like to see that again; I hope it comes out/is out on DVD."
  
  Chances are you're like me, and 20 years ago was a different lifetime. Maybe you were a teenager and the movie was one of the first R-rated horror films you ever saw; hence, the movie just made a lasting first impression. Or maybe you were out late as a young adult still living with your parents, and you get home at 3 in the morning, make yourself a snack and you find this "cool" movie on late night cable (enhanced by whatever stimulants kept you out 'til 3 a.m.).
  
  Because I'll tell you what: there are some movies out there that you either had to be young and impressionable to like, or you were just wasted when you originally saw it and decided that it was cool. From Beyond is one of those movies for me.
  
  I threw an extra star at From Beyond for the nostalgic value, but this movie was tough to sit through. The acting is atrocious and the situations are as unrealistic as I've ever seen. The story is well conceived though; it's an adaptation of an HP Lovecraft short story about a machine that activates a "sixth sense" in the brain that gives people the ability to co-exist in a parallel, albeit monstrous, world.
  
  Classic Horror-master Stuart Gordon ( Re-Animator (The Millennium Edition) ) directs, and Re-Animator star Jeffery Combs is also the lead in From Beyond. I recently watched Re-Animator too, and while that movie was also not the "awesome" movie that I remember it as when I first saw it in 1985, it was a lot better than the fresh look that I had at From Beyond. (Ironically, I actually can't wait for Gordon's star-studded 2008 release House of Re-Animator with William H. Macy ( Fargo (Special Edition) ) , Combs and George Wendt ( Cheers - The Complete First Season ).
  
  Anyway, in hindsight, what might have made From Beyond more fun to watch on DVD was turning on the Director's commentary. Unfortunately, I didn't think of that until writing this review, and I'm just not compelled to spend another 90 minutes with this film.
  
  Bottom line: If you've never seen this before and you're seeing the high average star rating here at Amazon for From Beyond...tread carefully into this movie. Let's put it this way....If Aliens Aliens was perhaps the best movie of 1986 in the genre, From Beyond is the antithesis of Aliens. If you remember seeing From Beyond 20 years ago, and you think it would be fun to take a nostalgic look, the Director's commentary might make it easier to watch again.
  
  
  

• Stuart Gordon at His Best!

  
  By A1KR3AZJ1M9L6T on 2004-03-13
  I am a huge fan of Stuart Gordon, Jeffrey Combs, and H.P. Lovecraft. I watched this movie repeatedly as a teenager and have been anxiously awaiting a collector's edition DVD release. I'd love to see this movie in widescreen with a dts soundtrack! Some director and actor commentary would make this film even better. Aside from that, it's already a perfect 80's gore flick.

  YES!!
  
  

• When is this coming to DVD
  By A3R6ST52EBN2FK on 2005-07-17
  I saw this years ago, and it was one of the nastiest, scariest, horrifying pieces of cinema I have ever witnessed. I absolutely respect Stuart Gordon who also did Dolls and The Reanimater, for their time so original and still great fun to watch. I am still waiting for it to be put on DVD format, then I'll be buying it.
  
  
• Very Interesting
  By on 1999-04-15
  This is a very interesting documentary of ghost folklore. In this video, you join a pair of paranormal researchers in their studies of ghosts (like the "White Lady"), demons, exorcisms, poltergeists, curses, and demonic artifacts. The stories are very chilling yet questionable in their authenticity. The sound is not great however if you are interested in the unusual, this is a good buy.
  
  
• Humans are such easy prey...
  By A1EZMV5DSWU8TU on 2006-07-06
  "Mad scientist" Dr. Edward Pretorius has created a resonator machine which can reveal a parralel dimension by stimulating the pineal gland in the brain which perceives the lurkers beyond who lie in wait. Parasitic creatures swim through the ether attracted by movement and light. It is claimed that the pineal gland in the cerebrum is responsible for sixth sense function, and is essentially the parapsychological bit of grey matter.
  
  When Dr. Katheryn McMichaels discovers Pretorius' assistant Crawford Tillinghast who was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia, incarcerated in a mental hospital, she remands him into her custody to recreate the experiment. Together with cop Buford 'Bubba' Brownlee, the dimension is opened and they are greeted by a nude and subsequently malformed Dr. Pretorius who takes a strong liking to Katherine - both to her horror and ecstasy, for it seems the process also enhances sexual sensitivity as well, and she is awakened to her primal self.
  
  Considering the procedure is largely experimental yet, the scientific method of trial and error is employed to disasterous results, as various creatures who range from eel-like beings to huge worm-like monsters are attracted to the massive electro-magnetic vibrations, and eventually overcome the participants. Pretorius is himself a transmutating beast who attempts to absorb Tillinghast and Katherine, until they eventually barely escape with their lives, though Tillinghast is dramatically effected by this encounter as his pineal stem emerges from his forehead like a "third eye", through which his psychic abilities are amplified, but is also afflicted with an insatiable hunger for brains.
  
  Despite becoming a patient herself scheduled for shock therapy at the hands of a sadistic and resentful rival doctor, Katheryn escapes and returns to the attic of the blighted house to destroy the resonator, but is surprisingly met by Tillinghast who restrains her. He struggles to regain control of his mind, but is eventually ingested by Pretorius, creating a hellish struggle from within the bowels of the creature.
  
  She barely emerges from the nightmare with her life, but at the cost of her own sanity.
  
  For those who enjoy the writings of Lovecraft, From Beyond is both a psychological and horror thriller filled with impressive pyrotechnics and FX creations.
  
  
• A underrated cult horror classic!
  By on 1999-10-11
  I'm glad to say that I finally have a copy of "From Beyond" to call my own! I haven't seen this monstrously grotesque H.P. Lovecraft adaptation in more than ten years; thank goodness Amazon has it in print. Everything about this frighteningly original & campy horror/sci-fi story is absolutely remarkable (even 13 years later). Jeffrey Combs is excellent as the hapless, neurotic physicist Crawford Tillinghast (he ranks right up with Bruce Campbell's Ash from the "Evil Dead" saga). He and his demented colleague, Dr. Edward Proterious (Ted Sorel), have made a scientific breakthrough with their Resonator machine, a device that stimulates the dormant pineal gland in the human brain through resonant magnetic field frequencies. In turn, the subject can "see" outer-dimensional creatures that otherwsie couldn't be observed in the physical world. However, they both become victims of their own creation as they are transformed into hideous, unearthly creatures with a new sixth-sense organ and an acquired taste for human brains! The action, special and mechanical effects (especially after the cop Bubba gets killed by hordes of flesh-eating gnats), and story make this 1986 cult film a triumph for Stuart Gordon's "Re-Animator" crew! Definitely not for the squeamish or faint of heart!!!
  
  
• My long wait is finally over!
  By A154HPDBJE78Q2 on 2007-06-20
  I have to agree with Mr. Honesty. I too have the Asian and German (bootleg??) versions, utter CRAP!
  
  I love this movie and have been waiting for a decent print for years (I pray that this is one).
  
  This is quite simply one of the best of its kind; they don't make movies like this anymore (unfortunately). Very imaginative, original and surreal with a touch of dark humor and kinky sex. Great special make-up and lighting effects (NO depthless CGI monsters here). If you liked "Re-animator", you'll love this. Buy it!
  
  Thank you MGM. Finally!
  
  
  
  
• A weird and bizzare film
  By A27WSLVJ8WJF86 on 2002-10-12
  This is one of the stranger and gorier movies to come out of the 80's. After the success of Re-Animator, Stuart Gordon, Brian Yuzna, Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton teamed together again to make another movie based on an H.G. Wells short story, From Beyond.

  A big difference between this movie and Re-Animator is the lack of intentional humor. This movie is serious, gory, and left me slightly unsettled after watching it recently for the third time.

  The basic story is that Dr. Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel) and his assistant, Crawford Tillinghast, (Jeffrey Combs) have invented a machine, the "Resonator", that stimulates a gland in the brain that produces pleasure. It also just happens to open a gateway to another dimension that has eel like creatures swimming through it along with other horrible creatures. Dr. Pretorius has disappeard and presumed dead from the gore left behind at the scene in the lab. Tillinghast is in a mental ward and being accused of the crime, but an ambitious and beautiful psychologist, Dr. Katherine McMichaels (Barbara Crampton), talks the detective on the case, "Leroy Bubba Brown" (Ken Foree), into releasing Tillingham into her custody to go back to the house where the laboratory is located. This is done over the great objections of the psychologist in charge of Tillinghast (Carolyn Purdy-Gordon).

  So Dr. McMichaels, Tillinghast and Bubba go to the large and creepy house in the middle of nowhere to try and duplicate the experimant that Tillinghast claims took the life of Dr. Pretorius. They soon have the Resonator up and running and Dr. Pretorius makes an appereance with a grossly altered body. When he was still a normal human Tillnghast confesses, Dr. Pretorius would bring women to the house for sex and tie them up and make them scream. Dr. McMichaels starts becoming attracted to the newly deformed Dr. Pretorius and she definitely has gotten his attention. Before things get out of hand and the flying eels tear them apart and Dr. Pretorius makes Dr. McMichaels his new sex toy in the 4th dimension, Bubba manages to pull the plug on the resonator and shut everything down.

  Later that evening Dr. McMichaels starts trying on a leather outfit left behind at the house and becomes extremely aroused. She goes to Tillinghast and they are going to shack up when Bubba bursts in the room telling them that the power cable to the resonator have reconnected and it has started up again.

  Down in the basement which is now filled with water and a giant sea monster, Tillinghast is trying to cut the power but ends up being sucked in the mouth of the sea creature. Bubba manages to get him out but Tillinghast has now lost all of his hair and is nearly in a coma. They manage to leave and get Tillinghast back to the hospital he was released from.

  The next morning Tillinghast is a phsical and mental mess and Dr. McMichaels is discredited, distrusted and facing legal charges. She is also about to get locked up and given shock treatment by the evil psychiatrist running the mental ward. But before this can happen, Tillinghast escapes and is now having a worm-like creature pop out of the middle of his forehead and he has a violent urge to eat human brains. As he makes his way through the hospital he runs into the evil doctor and chews through her head ending the possibility of Dr. McMichaels getting shock treatment.

  I will leave it at that as to not spoil the ending, but this movie is a doozy as far as special effects of morphed flesh, guts and blood go. As I stated earlier this is not a comedy. It sounds very much like Re-Animator and Bride of Re-Animator, but Jeffrey Combs plays it straight throughout the film. The only release in the tension comes from Ken Foree's character Bubba, but the scenes where he makes goofy lines are just part of the character.

  Ted Sorel does an excellent job as a lecherous psycho/monster and Barbara Crampton is again great just as she was in Re-Animator.

  This movie is out on VHS but has not been released in the US on DVD. I managed to get a Chinese import NTSC R0 dvd on ebay, but the disk has absolutely nothing on it except the film. There are not even chapter stops on it. It is also full frame and the picture and sound quality are not the greatest, but it is a very entertaining movie. Tthere are no current plans at the moment for a US dvd release.
  
  

• This movie is awesome
  By A2PQPOQGEI50N2 on 2004-07-11
  This is a great "Horror" movie and shouldn't be taken as any other thing. Reading Blake Kleiner's review all I have to say is pal you overanalyzed a great "Horror" movie. If you want a great psychological thriller watch "Silence of the Lambs"
  Horror movies aren't meant to be anaylzed, they're meant for us to see some gore, some bad acting and most of the time a little T&A if your looking for more than that then find another genre, but if your looking for all of the above make sure you see this movie!!
  
  
• "It ate him-bit off his head like a gingerbread man!"
  By A3ZR78XCY9AVZ on 2005-11-12
  I love this movie. It's probably one of my favourite Jeffrey Combs films after the "Re-Animator" series. My dream would be for it to FINALLY come to special edition widescreen DVD with commentary by Combs, Stuart Gordon, and Barbara Crampton at least, as their comments on the "Re-Animator" special edition are absolutely incredible and hilarious. A possible behind the scenes/deleted/extended scenes would make my day as well.
  
  The film is just good fun. Great story, great actors, great gore. :)
  
  
• Grisly, claustrophobic, and very violent.
  By A1XX5797TIZT5Q on 2000-02-03
  From Beyond, compared with the previous Gordon/Combs/Crampton collaboration, expands on the characterization, enriches the sci-fi quality, while losing a bit of humour and becoming even more horrific in the process.

  The Re-Animator has a more distinctive tone, but From Beyond is terrifying and imaginative in its own right. Jeffrey Combs is great as usual, Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead) has a blast as the heroic, honest Bubba, and Barbara Crampton surprised me with a varied, compelling and determined lead performance that's the polar opposite of her more limited role as the sweetheart in Re-Animator. She walks off with From Beyond's best acting performance as Catherine, the obsessive scientist who learns that there's a price for too much ambition.

  Some of the horror FX are gruesome beyond belief -- the attack of the killer insects, the brain feasts, the final confrontation -- and crosses the line from horrifying to nauseous, but given the excessive nature of the script and the material, and the fact that most of the action takes place in one location, Pretorius' house, I can understand Stuart Gordon's decision to surpass even The Re-Animator in the gore content. (Gordon himself said that the MPAA threatened that he would have to cut about 70% of the film to qualify for an R)

  Worthy, intelligent horror, for the seasoned horror vet only.
  
  

• "This time I'm not running away, Eunuch!"
  By ACWJYFT907YZQ on 2002-03-23
  Two scientists are on the verge of discovery, creating a resonator to stimulate the pineal gland located in the brain - to create a 6th sense. But this is a horror movie not a documentary so things go...well, wrong. The resonator opens up a world visible only to those in the 'field' or range of the device but one that is constantly expanding and filled with horrific creatures that certainly aren't friendly.

  This IS without a shadow of a doubt the best film EVER. The cast surpases brilliance - Jeffery Combs certainly deserves more recognition as the BRILLIANT actor that he is, Barbara Crampton is one foxy chick and that Leroy 'Bubba' Brown character has to be one of the funniest 'Shaft' wannabee's ever put to film.

  I won't spoil the film for you but just wait to see what happens to Dr.Edward Pretorius - "My God Edward, WHAT have you become?" - "Myself!". Pure genius.

  I'd recommend this film to anyone - you'd be mad to miss it, and why isn't it on DVD? - Criminal!
  
  

• Finally!
  By A3RVXEGC92W1E0 on 2007-10-01
  After years of wondering why this great horror classic was not available until now is revealed! We nowdays take for granted that every movie will be available on DVD and unrated. So why did it take so long for this film to be released? The studio misplaced the cut scenes! In fact director Stuart Gordon was originally told that they were thrown away. Luckily for us in 2005 someone found them! Now we all get to see one of the most original horror films of all time the way it was supposed to be seen.
  If you have not seen this film, there is no real way of describing it properly. You just have to see it. It's thrilling, well acted, and gory as hell. You'll be talking about it for days with your friends. Plus at a good price, you just have no excuse owning it. A great addition for your horror collection if you already love Gordon's Re-Animator films and his take on Lovecraft stories.
  
  
• It's a crime this isn't on DVD yet
  By A1DX195XC5F724 on 2003-03-04
  Somebody needs to get their act together on this one. From Beyond is everything that low-budget horror was meant to be. In the absence of money, Stuart Gordon was forced to be creative. And the result is a movie that delivers in a campy sort of way that will draw in the open-minded viewer.

  Oh, and by the way. Barbie Crampton is not to be missed. Enough said.

  ...
  
  

• Beyond Bad, Beyond Terrible; "From Beyond"!
  By A7L6P7DJJ1JNA on 2008-01-22
  As one of the few remaining movies I had not yet seen that carried the name "H. P. Lovecraft's" on the cover, I finally took the time to watch this film. It's supposedly a film version of H. P. Lovecraft's rather average, but original, tale about how two scientists discover a way to see "beyond", meaning, to see the creatures and the worlds that co-exist with us, but we're unable to see. This film has about as much to do with that as the Semitically Correct film version of LOTR have to do with Tolkien's Indo-European vision. Why these horrible directors with their for lack of a better word, simple minds, are allowed to abuse Lovecraft's good name with this rubbish is simply astounding.
  
  There's not really any plot to summarize, since the entire film is just a mishmash of a terrible story, promiscuity, gore, miscegenation and screaming. What on earth has this to do with Lovecraft?! It's the complete opposite of everything his magnificent and mind you, highly intelligent and aristocratic, vision was and is. Once again, I've wasted one and a half hour watching some fool transform an author I love into a movie I hate. If you like Lovecraft, and you like this, then you must have quite a "complex mind", to say the least.
  
  Zero stars.
  
  
• A Must See
  By A2RNTG686ZATNP on 2002-03-21
  This is one of the bloodiest, most intense horror flicks I've ever seen. From the brilliant mind of H.P. Lovecraft (Re-Animator) comes a struggle to close the gates of hell between a pupil and his teacher. Outstanding special effects and an absolute classic. If you love blood and gore this is a MUST SEE!!
  
  
• CREEPY, WEIRD, SEXUAL,FUN-I T'S STUART GORDON!
  By A369FL43G2UA2M on 2003-04-26
  Nobody could of made this film but the legendary Stuart Gordon.
  I hadn't seen 'From Beyond' for at least 10 years, when I was little, and I must say I'm glad I had the pleasure of viewing this film again last night. From the moment the film started I was intrigued throughtout it all. I think the end impression one will be left with is that this is a little weird, imaginative film, but you'll have a lot of fun with this film. I have a huge amount of affection for the delightful Barbara Crampton and Jeffrey Combs.They were rightly cast and their performances are fun. Not as excellent as Re-animator but worth a look, especially for the Stuart Gordon fans.
  By Justine Ryan.
  
  
• I Love Horror
  By A15YPJLKLZS0MK on 2003-12-23
  I loved this movie as a rental growing up, and now I own it along with every Lovecraft adaption ever made. I also have a poster of this in my bedroom (Humans are Such Easy Prey...ha). A scientist invents a machine that holds hideous monsters that try and possess this guy. The chick in this movie is pretty. This is super gory. Stuart Gordon is the king of Lovecraft adaptions and is still going strong into the new millenium with Dagon.
  
  
• Our pick for Crappy Movie Night
  By AE0E6UII0VSZA on 2004-02-16
  The chosen film for the Crappy Movie Night this past Friday was this H.P. Lovecraft adaptation from the makers of "Re-Animator." There's a reason for that.

  Now, here's where I'm at a loss: describing the plot. I wouldn't know where to start, so I'll break it up into little blurbs. Two scientists created a machine called the Resonator, its desired effect and purpose is to stimulate the dormant pineal gland in the human brain, making possible to see beyond the external aesthetic offerings of the third dimension. Instead of the machine offering simple "sight", however, it elongates the pineal gland into a freaky looking worm type thing that protrudes from the center of your head. Apparently it's some kind of a third eye. Another side-effect: it causes sexual overload, madness, and possibly (it's never really stated) opens up a door to another place fittingly dubbed "the beyond". Convenient, isn't it?

  Now, being a novice in the field of Lovecraft, I'm hesistant to make this observation, but here goes: Lovecraft obviously was a simple-minded storyteller with tons of vivid imagery in his head, but with no skills of how to craft a story around them. If "From Beyond" is any indication, his mind gave him a picture of an insane otherworldly overlord created by this machine for reasons unknown. No explanation whatsoever is offered for what we are given; we're just supposed to accept it at face value. Well, sorry, but I have a hard time doing that when Earthworm Jim is sticking out of the "Re-Animator" guy's forehead and peeking around ("Talk to the worm, cuz the face don't wanna hear it anymore" was a comment I uttered during the group viewing that got a huge laugh).

  Why does the machine take over the entire essence of the first mad scientist but not the second? How is it that the creatures seen while the machine is on can take on actual physical presence (they inflict injury and decapitate people), yet they don't carry over into reality once the machine is off (like Jeffrey Combs' third eye does later on)? These are questions that director Stuart Gordon and producer Brian Yuzna (who directed the superb "The Dentist") aren't interested in answering. They expect us to leave logic at the door and be taken along for the ride of this ludicrous story. Gore effects are enough to propel a Lucio Fulci film because that's what his films are about. But this film actually tries to involve us in a story fit for an audience of tards, and it packs in as much gore as it can. Sorry guys, but you can't have it both ways.

  Anyway, that's my little review for the film. Now, imagine a room full of people who share my opinion watching this turd and shouting out comments, additional dialogue, and expletives to describe the inate characters. (Even poor Ken Foree, who was such a strong presence in George A. Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" as the black SWAT team member, got caught up in this dreck. Not only that, he got stuck with the name "Bubba." If that's not a step down from one of the best dark comedies ever made, I don't know what is.) Our little group of movie defecators were merciless to this celluloid, pelting every second of it with a sarcastic comment. From my own lips, we heard: "Whore!" "Best y'all be eating my dumplins!" "It'sa me, Mario!" and other such phrases.

  Lovecraft stories have a history of bad film adaptations, this one and another Yuzna-produced film, "Necronomicon," being the most obvious examples. They should really learn to leave well-enough alone. The best Lovecraft film to date wasn't actually a Lovecraft film. It was John Carpenter's "In the Mouth of Madness." Ain't that a slap in the face?
  
  

• From Beyond
  By A2YX682JEE250J on 2007-09-20
  I am a long time Horror movie buff. I bought this movie based on it's reviews, anticipating a gory/scary flik. I am so sorry to say this movie is a horrble joke and a total waste of money. The special effects are so poorly done, and the acting...did you see where the detective stopped cold in the middle of his line?
  
  
• CULT CLASSIC FINALLY GETS A DVD RELEASE
  By A2PEA2XX5EV4MN on 2007-10-07
  It had been years since I last saw 'From Beyond', so when I heard that it was being released on DVD, and being the Lovecraft nut that I am, I pre-ordered it right away. I watched it as soon as it came, and I wasn't disapointed!
  
  The movie starts off with our main character Crawford Tillinghast(Jeffery Combs) doing some paperwork concerning research on a device called 'The Resonator'. Aparently, the Resonator is a device that uses sound waves and vibrations to stimulate the 'pineal gland' to make the observer aware of 'higher dimensions' of reality.
  As he activates the device the mood and atmosphere of the room changes. He becomes aware that there are strange 'things' floating about. He unfortunatly gets a little to close to one and is bitten. He shuts the machine off, then runs down the hallway to his partner's room. He awakens Dr. Edward Pretorus(Ted Sorel) to inform him that the Resonator is working. Dr. Pretorus turns the machine back on to see the results for himself, unfortunatly this leads to a grizzly consequence!
  Crawford is arrested and charged with murder and locked up in an insane asylum. A beautifull psychologist by the name of Kathrine McMichaels(Barbara Crampton)takes an interest in Crawford and wants to hear his story. After listening to his rant, she has the hopital release Crawford into her custody and with a bodyguard(Ken Foree) they return to the house to find out what happened.
  Reluctantly, Crawford turns the machine back on to prove that he is not insane, and shows Dr. McMichaels that it truely works. She imediatly takes a very strange interest in the resonator and forms a hypothasis that schizophrenics may not be crazy, they are just 'aware' of the beings that occupy the 'alternate reality' that co-exists with our 'reality'.
  As she becomes more and more infatuated with the Resonator, she decides to turn it back on to a gory and disturbing consequence.
  
  I was very young when I first saw this, and with limited releases, it was next to impossible for me to see this up until now. Time has not diminished my appreciation for this movie!
  The story is purely Lovecraft fiction, but solid. The pineal gland(in the movie)stimulates sexual arousal, which gives the movie a heavy sexual vibe.
  The dialoge is natural and believable, and the acting is good, but a little week in spots. Combs, Crampton, and Foree give solid performances(given the dark humor).The gore and 'monster' effects(and there is ALOT!!)are one of the best parts of this movie!
  My biggest gripe with the film is the over use of 'spooky' colored lighting. I understand that lighting effects are used to visually describe supernatural events, but this movie goes way overboard. When I visualize a Lovecraft story, I don't get a sence of color, I get a sence of dark, black, grey, and a forbidding feeling of dread and hopelessness. This movie is LOADED with 'spooky' green and red lights, but it doesn't take away from the story, it just stand out a little to much. One other issue, It is kind of far fetched that a suspected murderer would be let out of the luny bin on the orders of any doctor, kind of a continuity flaw that I picked up.
  The DVD comes with a few cool extras including: Commentary by the director and cast, and a story-board to film documentary.
  'From Beyond' has aged very well, but it's obvious that it is a B-level movie from the 80's. In conclusion, If your a Lovecraft fan, or you like fantacy horror, From Beyond is a MUST HAVE!!!!
  
  
• Finally a Directors Cut WORTH OWNING!!!
  By A3C0WSRUOCD8IG on 2008-02-15
  Wow,
  I was Impressed by how much amazing and creepy footage was cut from this film even from the theaters. (saw it in 1986) Amazing how cool many of the effects still are and with all the gore and just plain creepiness you could remember PLUS More!
  if you liked this film way back, then you MUST get this NOW before it goes out of print. it is simply as it should be a complete Horror film complete with jump-out scenes and all sorts of weirdness you would expect from the makers of Re-animator.
  Jeffrey Combs (From Star Trek DS:9 and even Voyager and also the Re-animator series) does an excellent job in this film as a scientist working under Doctor Praetorius with a machine that enhances and stimulates the pineal gland in the brain. well, they begin to see creatures, and they see them! a nasty lovecraftian tale!
  the deviant behavior the resonator seems to Induce in people was truly an inspired idea and was well thought out and even with a fairly small budget at the time they did an excellent job in both acting and in special effects. you cannot go wrong with this film in any way.
  
  Loads of extras as well round off this dvd such as:
  audio commentary by director stuart gordon and cast, Director's perspective featurette, The editing Room: Lost and Found featurette, interview with the composer, photo montage, storyboards for the film, commparrisons with introduction.
  
  Truly a wealth of features for fans of the film.
  
  5 Star film, cast and story.
  5 stars for Extras!
  5 Stars for making it the Right way.
  
  earn another 5 stars buying it here!
  From Beyond (Unrated Director's Cut)
  I Love this Film!
  
  
• Not Very Faithful
  By A260HPXUTLD8VV on 2000-06-03
  A film adaption of H.P. Lovecraft's short story "From Beyond", there is little in this movie that will attract Lovecraft's readers. The scientist is portrayed as a man who was into kinky sex (and as anyone who has ever read Lovecraft knows, he would NEVER have included such details in his stories), and uses the addition of a police officer and a lady who seems to become possessed by the spirit of the dead man to eat up the majority of the plot. Great if you're into gory movies or Lovecraft, but this is really a throwaway.
  
  
• It'll draw you in
  By on 2002-07-11
  This is a REALLY fun little movie. That's said from the perspective of someone who generally doesn't like horror movies. But this one's different. Like Re-animator there's a certain sense of humor that pervades everything, but being that it's based on a Lovecraft story, it's heart is very dark indeed. So it takes you from moments of guilty laughter to creepy horror and back again throughout the course of the movie. The mood gets set early on and builds with a pretty good consistancy. By the time the Resonator device is first set on full power, you get a dreadful feeling from it's menacing, throbbing hum that things are about to get really, really bad...and do they ever!!
  
  
• Not a bad horror yarn, falls a little short.
  By AD0J5KK4WQXNS on 2003-10-14
  From Beyond, is a follow-up to the smash horror hit "Re-animator". It is not a sequel but is directed, acted and written by the same production group. Based on the tale by H.P.Lovecraft, the story is about a psychiatrist who meets a demented doctor who claims to have done experiments into the sixth sense using a device that resonates with the pleasure glands in the brain, causing a new dimension to open up which releases all sorts of unknown monsters into the world. As you can imagine all hell is bound to break loose... and it does.

  From Beyond is a very good horror movie with another wonderful performance from horror veteran Jeffrey combs (watch him kneeling on the floor with his mouth full of brains), but it does fall short towards the end. These where the days of latex monsters and lots of gore on a modest budget. There is not a single computer generated creature in sight. Never the less you have a pretty solid story with lots of monsters, mayhem and madness. Not the best horror movie you will ever see, but a not a bad one either.

  Fans of Stuart Gordon, Jeffery Combs or Re-animator will eat it up.
  
  

• From Beyond
  By AC766DP6P7XW on 2006-02-09
  One of my favorite Hor-no films. Barbara Crampton is awesome in that leather getup she wears. "It's so beautiful"....This has to be released on DVD.
  
  
• Better than Re-Animator?
  By A2YB9IUKXZ1ONL on 2007-07-01
  Yeah, I think so. Don't get me wrong; I love Gordon's previous film. But From Beyond really captures the feeling of Lovecraft -- although HPL would've been aghast at the erotic content. But that's why I think it's the perfect fright film for the Age of Aids: It deals with the horror of sexuality and the sexuality of horror. Anyway, it's about time we got a good DVD edition of the movie. Now, if somebody would just release The House That Screamed.....
  
  

• The Burning
• Tales From the Crypt / Vault of Horror (Double Feature)
• Re-Animator
• Scarecrows
• Grindhouse Presents, Planet Terror - Extended and Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition)