Dr. Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel) and his assistant, Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs) invent a machine that allows anyone within its field to see (and touch) a world that is normally hidden from us. Unfortunately, that means the creatures in it can see them. Their trial ends in tragedy, with Predtorious dead and missing his head, and Tillinghast in the local asylum. Wiz-kid psychologist Dr. Katherine McMichaels (Barbara Crampton) gets permission to take Crawford back to the lab, under the scrutiny of policeman Bubba Brownlee (Ken Foree), to reenact the experiment. Unfortunately, it works, and they all are brought into contact with things that no one should ever see.
The concept that the universe is fundamentally cruel and outside our understanding, and that we only survive by doing little, knowing less, and not being noticed, is at the heart of the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. Humanity is of no importance in the great scheme of things, and that may be the one bit of good luck we have. It’s dark and scary out there, and even a brief introduction to a small part of what really exists would drive us mad.
Now that’s creepy stuff. And perfect for horror stories. But few Lovecraft-based films have hit the right tone or come close to giving form to that idea. Most have been bumbled retreads of standard movie-monster rampages, with a few Lovecraftian terms tossed in (how many movies mention The Necronomicon?). But since Lovecraft’s stories rarely managed to live up to the central concept either, it is hard to blame the filmmakers. Ah, but that was before Stuart Gordon came along and proved that it could be done.
Gordon found the right mix of twisted humor and blood for the Lovecraft-inspired Re-Animator (1985), which, while brilliant, had only a minor connection to the author (and that’s a good thing as even he admitted the four stories this is based on were nothing to brag about). Re-teaming with its stars, Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton, producer Brian Yuzna, and most of the crew, Gordon has nailed that creepy “there are things it is best not to know” feeling in the much more Lovecraftian From Beyond. This may be the only Mad Scientist flick that manages to make a persuasive argument for giving up science and hiding out on a farm somewhere. In most, it isn’t the knowledge that’s the problem, but the foolishness of those seeking it that causes the problems. Not that there isn’t plenty of foolishness at work here (there are three characters who could claim the title “mad scientist,” plus an extra one who is petty and vicious), but even if everything was done perfectly, it would be far better if no one ever embarks upon the line of research that has obsessed Dr. Pretorius. (Fans of classic horror may notice that the good doctor shares a name with the eccentric monster-maker in Bride of Frankenstein.)
That makes this sound like an unsettling morality play. Nothing could be further from the truth. Gordon has pulled out all the stops to make From Beyond a joyride of gore, nudity, sadomasochism, violence, retribution, and dark humor. There’s a giant, man-eating worm that sucks off hair and a few layers of skin, and there are flying barracudas that do pretty much what the swimming ones do. There are ax-attacks, brains sucked through eye sockets, and a shape-changing rubber demon with a breast obsession. And there’s Barbara Crampton, first in a ripped nightgown, and then in S&M gear. If you can’t find something to enjoy in that list, you’re not trying.
The cast is small, and most of the movie is set in one house with a limited number of rooms, but that’s not a disadvantage. It seems both homey and claustrophobic. The few moments outside of that environment are weaker; the story doesn’t need an expansive venue. Combs, who is the man to call if you are looking for a whacked-out scientist, is at his freaky best, skating the line between dramatic neurosis and twitchy humor as only he can. Crampton proves she’s a pro just by keeping up with him. The third star, Ken Foree, best known as the zombie-killing SWAT-team member in Dawn of the Dead, has a tricky role as both straightforward comic relief and the voice of reason, and pulls it off flawlessly.
There are a few moments when the special effects fail to keep up with the filmmaker’s imagination (it’s obvious at one point that the actor is sticking his head through a hole in the floor and his body is a fake, and a flying creatures obviously…can’t), but that’s a minor complaint. Only two serious problems mar this gleeful production: It is not available in the U.S. (I saw it in ’86 in as good a shape as anyone ever has, but my most recent viewing was via a Chinese DVD that had obviously been “mastered” from a VHS tape and had Chinese subtitles burnt in), and close to seventeen minutes were cut before it was initially released to please the MPAA. Here and there, I can see where those minutes fit in. However, there are reports that the missing film has been found and we may be getting an “extended edition” in the near future. Until then, get a hold of the Chinese disc (I’m assuming it is a legal release, but I have nothing to back that up), and revel in a type of movie that no one else ever made.
Also known as H.P. Lovecraft’s From Beyond.
Stuart Gordon’s other genre work as a director: Dolls (1987), The Pit and the Pendulum (1990), Daughter of Darkness (1990), Robot Jox (1990), Fortress (1993), Castle Freak (1995), Space Truckers (1996), Dagon (2001), and King of the Ants (2003).