After picking up my shrunken heads last night and then watching Oddities
, it was time to settle in for some fun. My selection for the evening was Stuart Gordon's 
1986 classic From Beyond
.
, it was time to settle in for some fun. My selection for the evening was Stuart Gordon's 1986 classic From Beyond.
Plot/ Based on a story by H. P. Lovecraft
, scientists create a resonator to stimulate the pineal gland (sixth sense), and open up a door to a parallel (and hostile) universe.
, scientists create a resonator to stimulate the pineal gland (sixth sense), and open up a door to a parallel (and hostile) universe. 
Making a Lovecraft adaptation is always a challenge, yet, Gordon has somehow seemed to have cornered the market at making these adaptations entertaining. This flick is no exception. I really liked the creepy feel to the movie, especially considering the tough of dark humor that was thrown in. The special effects and gore were awesome, creating some of the most memorable images of the era. While you combine the imagery with an outstanding soundtrack and some strong performances by Jeffrey Combs, Ken Foree and Barbara Crampton and it is easy to overlook some of the flaws (uneven script and rushed characterizations). In all, this is one of my favorite Lovecraft adaptations and a very good flick. Yes, it screams 1980s, but it is well worth watching.
I love this movie, these days even more than Re-Animator. Gordon did a great job of stretching HPL's short short story (only 6-8 pages if I remember correctly) into a feature.
ReplyDeleteI love the practical FX, the various incarnations of the Dr. Pretorius monster in particular. Really disturbing and reminiscent of Bottin's work on The Thing.
I also think this would be a great candidate for a remake (in the right hands of course).