From Beyond the Grave (1975)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Perfect cast and a good story

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE is one of the best of the Amicus horror anthologies, in that the stories are some of the most inventive and eeriest. It also benefits from an exceptionally strong cast, with at least a couple of famous actors in each and every story giving their all in the interests of horror. It's hard to pick the best anthology when Amicus were making so many good ones around this time, but FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE at least has stories which are all above average with no real duffers. It also contains a brilliantly atmospheric pan through a ghostly green Highgate cemetery while quiet orchestral music plays in the background - great stuff.The first story is basically a variant of one of the tales in DEAD OF NIGHT, except with added '70s-style sleaze and gore. Although not a gruesome film by today's standards (it got a PG certificate in the US actually), for the time it was made this is still a pretty grisly little movie with flowing blood on occasion - just don't expect to see any severed body parts as in THE VAULT OF HORROR. David Warner takes the lead and is very good as the possessed man, and there are plenty of spooky bits to enjoy (like the ghostly face in the mirror and the dream forest, plus some choice dialogue (eg. "come - you must feed me!"). The way that Warner hides all the murdered prostitutes under the floorboards recalls 10 RILLINGTON PLACE and the segment's packed with atmosphere and gritty realism.The second segment is chiefly memorable for its excellent performances by the father and son team of Donald and Angela Pleasence (who also put in a very good spooky turn in THE GODSEND and other movies). Initially they seem to be a kind and charitable people but things turn darker when Angela practises voodoo, creating a doll of Diana Dors (of all people!) and murdering her with it! This is stuff you won't see anywhere else and is highly recommended. Ian Bannen also puts in a good turn as the stuffy Christopher Lowe who is totally suckered by the Pleasences and ends up regretting his decision. Although the cast is great, the story - by once-famous horror author R. Chetwynd-Hayes (upon whose stories the whole film is based) - is also solid, throwing in a nice, surprising twist ending.The third story is the "comic" tale of the anthology, kind of like the Terry-Thomas segment in THE VAULT OF HORROR. Ian Carmichael plays a businessman who finds an invisible elemental living on his shoulder. There's an over-the-top exorcism scene taking the mickey out of THE EXORCIST and a funny performance from Margaret Leighton as "Madame Orloff", clairvoyant extraordinaire. Despite having an unexpected downbeat ending, this is probably my least favourite of the stories.Thankfully, things are once again on top form with the final story, which stars horror veteran Ian Ogilvy as a newly-wed who comes to regret his decision to purchase an ancient carved door. This has some fun, effective clichés to enjoy (the dragging steps coming from behind a closed door), a spooky set of the blue room, and an excellent ending in which Ogilvy discovers that if he "hurts" the door, the evil ghost will also be injured. Thus we have a scene of Ogilvy madly axing a bleeding oak door, classic stuff. This segment also has a brief, cheap Dracula-style death in which the ghost is reduced to a skeleton. I'm a sucker for those.The wrap-around story stars the inimitable Peter Cushing as the "Antique Shop Proprietor", who owns one of the dingiest, dustiest and most genuinely spooky antiques shop you are every likely to see. Cushing is excellent, giving life to his oddball character and enjoying himself in his flat cap, northern accent, shabby coat, and playing with a pipe. He gets lots of darkly humorous lines to deliver ("I hope you enjoy snuffing it") and is great as he chuckles to himself. The finale - in which Cushing is attacked by a robber who discovers he has made a terrible mistake - is also classic stuff. Kevin Connor's direction is pacing and interesting, the stories are all above-average and genuinely creepy, and the cast is brilliant: what more could you possibly want from a horror film?

From Beyond the Grave could have gone either way in quality. It could have a clever, atmospherically effective and well acted film or predictable schlock, luckily From Beyond the Grave belongs in the former category and of the anthology horror films it's one of the better ones. The third story The Elemental lacks the atmosphere of the other three stories and there are things throughout that could have gone into detail a little more, some good ideas here but could have had more explanation. From Beyond the Grave may not be big in budget but it actually looks competent and nicely made, it doesn't look slipshod and the lighting and settings are quite atmospheric. The music is appropriately spooky and doesn't overbear things, the direction keeps things moving swiftly but with time to breathe also and the film is very smartly scripted. Not masterpiece-status, but it doesn't try to be and always entertains, which is much more important. The stories are atmospheric and are effective in creepiness, while things could have had more explanation things are at least coherent and you are always engrossed. Of the four stories, the best is the second, fun and genuinely chilling stuff. The acting is very good, especially Margaret Leighton, Donald Pleasance, Peter Cushing and David Warner, nobody disgraces themselves. In conclusion, entertaining and scary, pretty darn good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This is yet another cracking effort from British horror aces Amicus. It's the usual shtick: a collection of individual, creepy tales strung together with a common theme - in this case, the wonderful Peter Cushing and his infernal antiques shop.There's plenty of classic chills and the usual light dusting of comedy. Sure, the tales are ever-so-slightly formulaic but they are boosted successfully by some genuinely original features and a very strong cast.It doesn't make sense to pick holes in an Amicus production so forgive me as I cant resist asking: who on earth would choose Donald Pleasance's terrifying, fruitcake daughter over Diana Dors?! Only at Amicus...

From Beyond the Grave is set in London where a shop called Temptations Antiques is located, Edward Charlton (David Warner) lies to the shopkeeper (Peter Cushing) & gets an old mirror for far less than it's worth but after a séance at his apartment Edward finds out that the mirror has a supernatural secret...Hen pecked husband Christopher Lowe (Ian Bannen) steals a medal from the shop in order to feel a little better about himself & impress a street beggar Jim Underwood (Donald Pleasence) who strike up a friendship but things get creepy when Jim introduces Christopher to his daughter Emily (Angela Pleasence)...After stealing a snuff box from the shop businessman Reggie Warren (Ian Carmichael) is told by a dotty old medium named Madame Orloff (Margaret Leighton) that he has an invisible spirit called an Elemental on his shoulder & he needs an exorcism to get rid off it, naturally Reggie doesn't believe her...William Seaton (Ian Ogilvy) buys a large wooden door from the shop & fits it to his stationery cupboard only to discover a ghost room behind it that some evil sorcerer uses to collect souls...This British production was directed by Kevin Connor & comes from Amicus who specialised in this type of horror anthology film having also made Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1963), The House That Dripped Blood (1971), Tales from the Crypt (1972), Asylum (1972) & The Vault of Horror (1973) & despite all the praise for From Beyond the Grave I actually think it's my least favourite Amicus anthology. The first story 'The Gate Crasher' is predictable & has a weak ending. The second story 'An Act of Kindness' is the best out of the four & has a nice dark twist at the end that is notably absent from the other three stories & is kind of weird but memorable. The third story The Elemental is more of a comedy with an outrageous turn by Margaret Leighton as a dotty medium & once again a really dull & predictable twist which ends in silly fashion. The fourth & final story 'The Door' has a neat idea with the novel notion of a ghost room but little is done with it & there's no twist here at all. All four stories run just over twenty minutes, three out of the four are rather dull & forgettable & I think the source material just needed to stronger with more emphasis on the twist endings.One area where From Beyond the Grave excels is in it's direction & style, the blue tinted room in the final segment looks great & there's even a terrific looking setting sun outside the window & a cool 360 pan around a table with a candle as the central focal point together with an atmospheric opening sequence as the camera moves through a spooky graveyard which in reality is Highgate Cemetery in London. The gore is minimal, there's a few atmospheric moments & it looks good but it lacks a certain something.The wraparound segment features Peter Cushing & he actually speaks to the audience at the end which just feels odd. The cast here is great & everyone is in top form & I just wish the stories were better.From Beyond the Grave is an OK time-waster but I don't have as much love for it as some obviously do, out of the Amicus anthologies of which I have seen all I reckon it's the worst with only the second story & a good cast going for it.