From Beyond (1986)

Strong and Moving!

Sadly Over-hyped

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Petty much as in the title. I remember watching this when it first came out when I was 14, but couldn't really remember anything. At the time it was seen as something new and different to the offered horror fare. An intelligent horror based on the weirdness of H.P Lovecraft. As it started I was looking forward to an adaptation of Lovecraft full of 80's nostalgia, and something interesting though maybe dated. The premise is interesting enough, and something really good could have been crafted for the screen but unfortunately it never really gets past silly and gory. By the time Jeffrey Combs is running around sucking people's brains out through their eyeballs it becomes just over indulgent silly nonsense that takes itself way too seriously but is more comical than anything else. The effects are great, but unfortunately this doesn't save the ultimately boring narrative.

It's unfortunate, but From Beyond can't help but be compared to the superior Re-Animator. Both films are directed by Stuart Gordon, star the same two leads, and are influenced by Lovecraft, so it's hard not to make comparisons. While on paper they seem similar, the movies themselves are quite different in terms of quality, unfortunately. From Beyond seemed not to try hard enough to create some type of structure to keep the story afloat, whereas Re-Animator perfectly meshed the horror/comedy genres and created some fantastic scenes with sound structure. Basically, From Beyond felt too silly and campy for its own good, you can attribute that to both the direction and the acting. The slim and ick-factor are both here, but the typical charm and enjoyment factors aren't.The overall idea is creepy in itself (unknown dimensions), but the execution of the story seemed to be lacking. The opening moments reveal the protagonist, but then the following 80 minutes nothing really comes from it. The story seemed to go absolutely nowhere, and in fact I could hardly tell you what it was trying to accomplish. And, of course, there were all those sexual undertones, where they necessary to the story, who knows? Maybe I failed to grasps the film's overall message of sexual exploration and all that, but what was given was scarce and more importantly lame.Like I said, it's hard not to compare this film to the vastly superior Re-Animator. While the special effects here are fantastic (I love the 80s gore effects), they can't save From Beyond from being dull and joyless. Not a disastrous movie but the movie doesn't even close to reaching the heights of other 80s sci-fi classics.

Dr. Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel) and his assistant, the physician Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs), have developed the Resonator, a machine to stimulate the sixth sense through the pineal gland. When Crawford activates the apparatus, he sees creatures flying in the air and he summons Dr. Pretorius. The experiment goes out of control and Dr. Pretorius refuses to turn off the Resonator. Meanwhile their neighbor (Bunny Summers) calls the police, and when the police officers arrive, they see Crawford trying to escape from his house and Dr. Pretorius beheaded. Crawford is sent to a mental institution under the supervision of the sadistic Dr. Bloch (Carolyn Purdy-Gordon). However, the prominent psychiatrist Dr. Katherine McMichaels (Barbara Crampton) requests the custody of Crawford and Detective Bubba Brownlee (Ken Foree) that is investigating the case stays with them. Katherine goes with Crawford and Bubba to see the Resonator and turns the machine on. Dr. Pretorius returns in a mutant shape and attacks them, in the beginning of a gore night with weird life forms."From Beyond" is a funny trash produced by Brian Yuzna and Charles Band and directed by Stuart Gordon that works with the cult-actor Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton from the Re-Animator. The result is a gore and gruesome black humor horror movie filmed in Italy to keep the low-budget. In the 80's, "From Beyond" was very creative and unique; in the present days, it has lost part of this impact but still entertains. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Do Além" ("From Beyond")

With all the reviews here, I won't waste your time with redundancy. But I do have a word to add.First: This is available to watch free here at IMDb. Get it while it's hot!Second: Jeffery Combs is one of my favorite actors, and I harbor deep resentment at the fact that he was never elevated to mainstream success. The emotions, thoughts, and inner conflicts of his characters flicker across his visage in a way that few actors can manage. There are many actors who can do "twitchy", and a few that can't help but come off as deranged, but the discipline Combs brings to gradual mental deterioration shows great craft.Take a bow, Mr. Combs!Third: This is a rip-snortin' roller coaster of a movie. It's funnier, smarter, sexier, and more creative than the genre, audience, or era demanded. Like "A Boy And His Dog", "Flesh Gordon", "Liquid Sky", "Eyes Of Fire" or "Sore Losers", this flick rises above every expectation the uninitiated may have for it.Old school? You bet!But on a psychologically fantastic level not affected by changing fashion and technology, this little bugger should be able to freak people out for generations to come.