From Beyond Blu-ray offers solid video and great audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
Dr. Pretorius and his colleagues are working on a sensational experiment: by means of stimulation of the pineal gland, they want to open the human mind to higher dimensions. When the experiment succeeds, however, they are immediately attacked by terrible life forms, which apparently are floating around us all the time. When Dr. Pretorius is killed by one of them, Dr. Tillinghast is under suspect and thrown into the psycho ward due to his stories. Only the ambitious psychologist Dr. McMichaels believes him and wants to continue the experiment...
In From Beyond, invisible aliens from another realm are made visible when a couple of brainy scientists flip the switch on an advanced piece of
machinery called "The Resonator." Wait, isn't "The Resonator" that device from Gears of War that Delta Squad employed in an ultimately futile effort
to map the Locusts' underground tunnel network, only to lead them straight back to the Fenix estate for the real data and, ultimately, a
showdown on a speeding train with a really nasty bad guy living a scene from The Birds? OK, so there are two resonators. Very interesting,
although the latter might be a bit more interesting -- and certainly less grotesque, even considering Gears's reputation for violence -- than the
former. From Beyond is a really creepy, gooey, and downright strange
Horror film from the same minds that thought up Re-Animator, namely Author H.P. Lovecraft and, the film version,
Director Stuart Gordon. Like Re-Animator, From Beyond stars the reliable Jeffry Combs as a scientist
with a penchant for
getting into big trouble with very nasty and very scary results. But not as scary as General Raam on insane.
Axe me a question about the Pineal gland.
Scientists Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs) and Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel) are on the verge of a major breakthrough. In their attic they have
built a machine they call "The Resonator," an advanced piece of hardware that they believe will suddenly and rapidly enhance their Pineal glands.
When the machine is switched on, they experience the desired effect but also find more than they bargained for. The machine somehow, some
way, erases the boundaries between dimensions and pulls creatures from another realm into this. Edward is killed by the creature and Crawford is
arrested for his murder and placed under the care of the psychiatric ward for his wild claims of extra dimensional slugs and the otherworldly murder
of his colleague. He comes under the care of a young hotshot psychiatrist by the name of Katherine McMichaels (Barbara Crampton) who, after
strange test results, begins to believe Crawford's story. They, along with a former football player named Bubba (Ken Foree), return to the attic and
activate the resonator. Not only do they come to experience the pleasures of the enlarged Pineal gland, they also come face-to-face with the
hideously malformed Edward who will stop at nothing to experience the ultimate in human-alien hybrid pleasure.
From Beyond is a structurally weird, visually grotesque, emotionally draining, and sometimes fascinating picture about all sorts of ideas, like
science run amok, human mutation and otherworldly (or inter-dimensional) interaction with mankind, and sexual deviance, all mixed with light
humor. The picture
blends Horror and Science Fiction seamlessly. The Sci-Fi aspects often do what Sci-Fi does best, and that's comment on man through the prism of
something far-fetched or out of modern man's reach. Here, it's about rapid evolution, albeit with the help of an external aid, and the changes not
only
brought on in the physical -- those are certainly bad enough -- but also the mental and emotional. That Dr. Pretorius is, before his run-in with
other-dimensional beings, something of a
control freak both in the lab and in his den of sexual deviation reflects in his mutated, quickly evolved form. It's something of a classic "too big for
one's britches" idea that shows the Doctor incapable of handling the surge in power, from both his literal transformation and the dangers that come
with it.
It's a
theme that's been covered in everything from the tales of kings and dictators to superheroes who either harness their powers for good or for evil,
but
it's never been done with such thorough nastiness and visual repulsion as this.
The film's Horror attributes are more about making the movie look scary than really scaring the audience. On the visual end, From
Beyond is nothing short of one messed-up movie; the slimy, icky ooze that covers the villain and the nasty globular, fleshy, bumpy exterior is
enough to leave event he staunchest viewers running for the vomit bag. That creature finds its match for grossness when another character eats a
brain and sucks
another from a nurse's eyeball socket. This is really hardcore stuff, visually, but at least the visual nastiness is offset by those interesting Sci-Fi and
human nature themes. Otherwise, the movie proves very technically simple. The acting sometimes takes on something of a stage production vibe;
it can be exaggerated for heavy dramatic effect, but the performances never go over-the-top. This isn't a humor-laden picture; rather, the humor is
subtle beneath what comes "from beyond," a chuckle sometimes being the only thing between the visuals and one's own fragile constitution.
Jeffrey Combs, as usual, is quite good in the lead role, no matter his physical or mental state in the picture. He handles the transitions wonderfully
and the character's evolution feels deeply rooted and authentic. Ted Sorel does a remarkable thing under all that makeup and prosthetics, finding an
over-the-top tenor to go along with the vile deviance that comes with every glance and word. Finally, Barabara Crampton impresses as the femme
fatale who doesn't
master the "highly educated" aspects of the character, but she'll get the audience going with her innuendo and, later, blatant sexual overtones.
From Beyond's high definition transfer isn't half bad. Shout! Factory's 1.78:1-framed image reveals what are often clear, nicely defined details.
To be sure,
there's a bit of softness to the image, and parts of the film show the results of some noise reduction, but generally the transfer produces some satisfying
skin and clothing textures, even if they're not quite as precise and filmic as some might wish to see. It nicely reveals the creature makeup as well; every
slimy bump and fleshy texture shows off the detailed design; this will greatly please fans. The color palette isn't exactly vibrant, but neither is
the movie by its nature; there are some nice touches of color amidst an otherwise slightly dull, listless palette, such as bright red lipstick or some colorful
accents seen
on McMichaels' blanket in chapter eleven. There's a sudden shift in contrast during the brain eating scene and some light noise scattered around, but the
image is otherwise free of major blemishes. This may not be the absolute best the film could ever look, but fans will be hard-pressed not to call this the
current home video standard for this particular film.
From Beyond brings to Blu-ray a good DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. There's a nice presence to the humming machinery to
open and an increased verve to the effect once the machine is switched on, yielding a convincing room-filling presence and gentle but critical surround
support. Music is typically solid, reflective of the average multichannel lossless soundtrack; there's a fine general presence, nice spacing, rock-solid clarity,
and just the right amount of surround support. The track delivers some impressive action/horror type sound effects in its most intense scenes, scenes
that the track nicely enhances by pulling the listener into the frightening presence of the creature. Dialogue is even and accurate, playing consistently
from the center. This is a pleasant, all-around impressive soundtrack from Shout! Factory.
From Beyond contains a wealth of extras, headlined by a pair of audio commentary tracks and several interview featurettes. A DVD copy of
the film is also included.
Audio Commentary: Director Stuart Gordon, Producer Brian Yuzna, and Actors Barbara Crampton and Jeffrey Combs open with a
discussion of shooting locales and the weather on the set, not a good omen when a track resorts to the weather at the outset. Fortunately, the
commentary gains steam though it does feature its share of the
participants talking and laughing over one another. Ultimately, the foursome delivers a fine track, not sharing a whole lot of information that's not in
the more digestible featurettes, but of course die-hard fans will want to give this one their undivided attention.
Audio Commentary: Screenwriter Dennis Paoli narrates the film, sourcing comments from the Lovecraft story but also expanding on the
film by discussing the changes from the original tale while also speaking on the fascinating intricacies of the plot both on paper and in the film. This is
a much more satisfying commentary than the previous; it's a must-listen for fans.
Multiple Dimensions -- A Look at the Film's Extensive Make-Up & Creature Effects with Special Effects John Buechler, Anthony Doublin, John
Naulin, and Mark Shstrom (HD, 23:42): As the title implies, this supplement offers viewers a detailed examination of the film's creatures and
slimy gore, beginning with a short description of Lovecraft's prose and moving quickly onto a look at the practical makeup creation and
implementation.
Also included is the story of a severe injury on set.
Paging Dr. McMichaels -- An Interview with Actress Barbara Crampton (HD, 13:45): The actress recalls her work on the film, which she
calls "her favorite Stuart Gordon role." She speaks on working with the cast, the film's tone, adding her own flair to the end scene, and more.
A Tortured Soul -- Interview with Actor Jeffrey Combs (HD, 17:46): Combs covers the extensive makeup required for the shoot,
shooting in Italy, making the brain eating scene, and much more.
An Empire Productions -- Interview with Executive Producer Charles Band (HD, 5:02): A discussion of the film's special effects, the
benefits of shooting in Italy, the picture's style, and more.
The Director's Perspective (HD, 8:51): A look at the politics of Horror, sourcing a movie from the original short story, casting, the film's
visual style, the ratings battle, and audience and critical reaction.
The Editing Room "Lost an Found" (HD, 4:45): The story of finding trimmed footage and cleaning up the film.
Interview with the Composer (HD, 4:33): A brief chat with Composer Richard Band, who talks up working in the genre and on the
picture specifically.
From Beyond might be the ultimate in grotesque Sci-Fi/Horror. It's something of an offensive film, visually, going about as far as a movie
probably should with its truly gross, but also very well-done, makeup. Fortunately, there's more to the story than just visual nasties. The film can be,
and often is, quite smart and serious in its exploration of complex themes through horrific imagery. It's certainly only for the strongest-willed of
audiences who can handle the visuals the film has to offer. Shout! Factory's Blu-ray features good video and audio. A very nice, mostly thorough
collection of extras are included. Recommended to fans, but newcomers need be prepared for what this one has to offer.
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Scream Factory, the horror-thriller offshoot of independent film distributor Shout Factory, has revealed that it is planning to bring to Blu-ray director Stuart Gordon's (Re-Animator) From Beyond (1986), starring Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton and Ted Sorel.
