With a story based on the works of the almighty H. P. Lovecraft, Stuart Gordon as the director and Jeffrey Combs as the star, great Horror is guaranteed. After the success of the masterpiece "Re-Animator" (1985), Gordon, Combs, producer Brian Yuzna, as well as the stunning Barbara Crampton teamed up again for yet another incredible piece of Lovecraftian Horror that is creepy and utterly fascinating. "From Beyond" of 1986 is a wonderful classic of 80s Horror cinema, which delivers in all regards, be it the insanely morbid storyline, the wonderfully eccentric characters and great performances, the eerie settings and creepy atmosphere, the pitch-black humor or the grisly makeup and incredibly gore-drenched splatter effects.
Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs) is assistant to the sinister Dr. Pretorius (Ted Sorel). Together, they have developed a device that stimulates the pineal gland and open the gates to a hellish parallel world. When their experiments go terribly wrong, Tillinghast is sent to a mental institution. Both out of good will and out of interest in their scientific achievements, the beautiful Dr. Katherine Michaels, a prodigy in psychology, gets Tillinghast out of the institution in order to investigate the circumstances in the eerie mansion where the experiments took place...
Jeffrey Combs, doubtlessly one of the greatest Horror/cult actors alive, is once again great in his role here. As opposed to his own Dr. West in "Re-Animator", Combs' character of Crawford Tillinghast isn't insanely obsessed with his work, but actually wants to prevent further experiments with the menacing device of his and Dr. Pretorius' creation. The ravishing Barbara Crampton is once again absolutely wonderful in the female lead here. Unlike her equally lovable, but more innocent character in "Re-Animator", she plays a fearless and very dedicated scientist here. As in the earlier film, Crapton is witty, sexy and absolutely wonderful in all regards. Ted Sorel is wonderfully creepy, sleazy and diabolical in the role of the villainous Dr. Pretorius (Horror fans will immediately recognize the reference to the mad scientist in James Whale's brilliant 1935 Universal Classic "Bride of Frankenstein"). The role of Dr. Pretorius is comparable in its sleaziness and creepiness to that of David Gale's Dr. Hill in "Re-Animator", both characters being unscrupulous scientists and, simultaneously, perverts. Other notable performances include Ken Foree as the likable black cop who joins Crawford Tillinghast and Katherine Michales to Pretorius' mansion, and director Gordon's real-life wife, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, who plays an malicious psychologist hostile to Katherine.
"From Beyond" is extremely creepy from start to finish, and yet it always includes the wonderfully morbid and pitch-black humor that makes Stuart Gordon so inimitable. The gore-effects are once again extremely bloody, the make-up is truly grisly, the deformed character from beyond alone looks incredibly nauseating. "From Beyond" is a breathtaking and stunningly suspenseful cinematic experience from start to finish, with which Gordon once again proves that Horror can be scary and funny at the same time. My favorite Stuart Gordon film will always be "Re-Animator" (which happens to be one of my favorite films of all-time), but "From Beyond" comes very close. An absolute must-see for all Horror fans!
Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs) is assistant to the sinister Dr. Pretorius (Ted Sorel). Together, they have developed a device that stimulates the pineal gland and open the gates to a hellish parallel world. When their experiments go terribly wrong, Tillinghast is sent to a mental institution. Both out of good will and out of interest in their scientific achievements, the beautiful Dr. Katherine Michaels, a prodigy in psychology, gets Tillinghast out of the institution in order to investigate the circumstances in the eerie mansion where the experiments took place...
Jeffrey Combs, doubtlessly one of the greatest Horror/cult actors alive, is once again great in his role here. As opposed to his own Dr. West in "Re-Animator", Combs' character of Crawford Tillinghast isn't insanely obsessed with his work, but actually wants to prevent further experiments with the menacing device of his and Dr. Pretorius' creation. The ravishing Barbara Crampton is once again absolutely wonderful in the female lead here. Unlike her equally lovable, but more innocent character in "Re-Animator", she plays a fearless and very dedicated scientist here. As in the earlier film, Crapton is witty, sexy and absolutely wonderful in all regards. Ted Sorel is wonderfully creepy, sleazy and diabolical in the role of the villainous Dr. Pretorius (Horror fans will immediately recognize the reference to the mad scientist in James Whale's brilliant 1935 Universal Classic "Bride of Frankenstein"). The role of Dr. Pretorius is comparable in its sleaziness and creepiness to that of David Gale's Dr. Hill in "Re-Animator", both characters being unscrupulous scientists and, simultaneously, perverts. Other notable performances include Ken Foree as the likable black cop who joins Crawford Tillinghast and Katherine Michales to Pretorius' mansion, and director Gordon's real-life wife, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, who plays an malicious psychologist hostile to Katherine.
"From Beyond" is extremely creepy from start to finish, and yet it always includes the wonderfully morbid and pitch-black humor that makes Stuart Gordon so inimitable. The gore-effects are once again extremely bloody, the make-up is truly grisly, the deformed character from beyond alone looks incredibly nauseating. "From Beyond" is a breathtaking and stunningly suspenseful cinematic experience from start to finish, with which Gordon once again proves that Horror can be scary and funny at the same time. My favorite Stuart Gordon film will always be "Re-Animator" (which happens to be one of my favorite films of all-time), but "From Beyond" comes very close. An absolute must-see for all Horror fans!