From Beyond (1986) Movie Review
From Beyond (1986) Movie Review
From Beyond, 1986
Shudder, Widescreen
Let’s be honest… I don’t have an objective opinion here. Full disclaimer; I’m a guy who grew up in the 80’s. With that said, they really don’t make horror movies like they used to.
Now, I haven’t seen “From Beyond” for a long while. Does this classic hold up in 2020? The initial teaser sequence starts the film strong. We’re introduced to Crawford Tillinghast (played by Jeffery Combs), Dr. Ed Pretorious (Ted Sorel), and the resonator- a monster inducing machine that connects us to parallel dimensions and pineal gland stimulation beyond one’s wildest imagination. We have a wonderful flying eel, and a whole lot of groovy magenta lighting.
No, I’m not even kidding… they don’t make movies like this anymore, and it’s a fucking shame, because this is AWESOME. A Brian Yunza production, directed by Stuart Gordon, and loosely based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft. Soon, we’ve got Ken Foree and Barbara Crampton in the mix playing a detective and criminal psychologist (respectively), trying to get to the bottom of this ever deepening inter-dimensional murder-mystery.
The cast is essentially an A-list of horror icons. Of course, this was made in the mid 80’s, so it’s films like this that are the reason we respect and revere these actors today. Maybe I’m being nostalgic, but you can revisit this movie and still enjoy the extreme over-the-top performances. Jeffery Combs is famous for this shit, but Crampton and Foree are just as adept at giving a pulp-comic like life to these characters.
It’s worth noting, that (in my opinion), a lot of what makes other (or should I say non-Yunza) Lovecraft film adaptations NOT work, is the fact that they’re too subtle. If they would go further with just about everything, from special effects to performances, I feel that other movies based on Lovecraft stories would be a lot more entertaining. A lot of what makes Lovecraft great, or at least unique, also makes his works hard to really make into an effective film. The potential is great, but not usually realized. However, “From Beyond” seems to overcome all of those obstacles. Expanding on the original story quite a bit, it’s a much more modern and well-paced version that is well tailored into a feature length film.
If you complain about movies that are cheesy AF, you might not like this. If you complain about movies being “realistic”, you also might not like this. But if you’re into THE BEST OF THE 80s, then this movie is for you. Wicked monsters from other dimensions (and being objective here, they’re a lot more well done than similar movies). Studded leather dress up AND S&M home movies. Tons of pink and magenta lighting. Apartments with red walls, airbrushed wall art, and animal print blankets. G-strings. Possessed oofing. Bald headed Jefferey Combs. Monster oofing. Mind melting. Pineal hulking. Pineal snaking. There are some wonderfully nutty scenes in this movie, and bless the fact that they exist.
The physical effects and makeup in this film are really works of art. Especially in the final climactic scenes, things get freaking weird. And there is no shortage or holding back throughout the movie, really. Lots of slime. Lots of wet, slicked-down actors. Also some powdered, shaved, ashy looking actors. There’s just a lot going on as far as hair, makeup, and prosthetic SFX, which is really how it should be for a film like this. Lots of grotesque shit as well. As previously mentioned, this is probably where a lot of other Lovecraft adaptations go wrong. It’s understandable that budget constraints are likely to make this hard, but still…
There really isn’t anything else I can say about this film, as it’s a true classic in the genre. It’s very likely that most of you have seen it already, but it you haven’t, it’s absolutely worth the watch. As H.P. Lovecraft movie adaptations go, this is commonly considered to be “number one” on that list. I’d kind of have to agree.
4.5/5