From Beyond – 88 Films

Director: Stuart Gordon
Screenplay: Dennis Paoli
Starring: Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton and Ken Foree
Country: United States
Running Time: 86 min
Year: 1986

Stuart Gordon’s a fairly underrated name in cult horror pictures, but big horror aficionados will know him, without a doubt for his ‘85 classic Re-Animator, which introduced horror icons Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton to the world. It’s one of my personal favourites and something that I’ve revisited time and time again over the years, mainly due to the fantastic practical effects, the utterly hilarious nature of the film and I try my best to recommend it to anybody who hasn’t seen it. When I heard that 88 Films were releasing Gordon’s follow-up to the Lovecraftian classic, From Beyond, I was utterly stoked to finally check it out.

It’s difficult to decide where to start with From Beyond, as it’s quite the film. Following scientist Edward Pretorius and his assistant Crawford Tillinghast (played by Combs) after they test the Resonator, a machine that gives its users the ability to see invisible creatures floating around them. When the machine goes haywire, Pretorius is killed in a freak accident and Crawford is held accountable and placed in a psych ward. After that, Barbara Crampton’s Katherine McMichaels alongside the excellent Ken Foree as Bubba Brownlee take Crawford back to the house with the Resonator to prove his innocence.

It’s an absolutely bonkers film and if this set-up doesn’t convince you of that, hopefully some of the images showcased throughout this review do. There’s body-horror that’s akin to David Cronenberg’s The Fly and John Carpenter’s The Thing, although I’d argue it’s gooier than both films combined. There’s psychosexual content that reminded me of Cronenberg’s Videodrome and Clive Barker’s Hellraiser (which would release a year later) and even shades of Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness (also released the next year). To say that the film had strong influences and ended up influencing some of the horror greats would be a massive understatement and although it’s never brought up in the same manner as Gordon’s Re-Animator, I feel like it absolutely deserves to be.

Running at a tight 86 minutes, From Beyond rarely wastes a moment of the audience’s time and offers one of the more restrained Lovecraftian narratives out there, until it gets crazy. Again, fans of body-horror will be utterly in love with some of the incredible practical effects here. I audibly found myself going “ew!” throughout my viewing with a friend, which is always a great sign. It’s gross, it’s sleazy and it’s gooey, which will either sell you on the film or sway you away from it. Thankfully, I’m a sucker for icky cinema so it delivered for me on all fronts.

I don’t know if I could say it’s better than Re-Animator, purely for how much that film holds a place in my heart, but From Beyond is arguably a better film in most ways. Combs’ performance in this channels a young Bruce Campbell, while still feeling like what you’d expect from one of Combs’ performances. Crampton in particular is excellent, specifically in the latter half of the film which asks her to go to some challenging places. Foree’s great as always, I’d struggle to find a film starring him where he isn’t the best part. It’s a delightful, delightful time that any horror fan needs to add to their watchlist immediately if they haven’t seen it.

Film:

From Beyond released on 4K UHD Blu-ray and standard Blu-ray December 9th via 88 Films. I viewed the Blu-ray version of the film and thought it looked absolutely fantastic. Sourced from the 4K restoration on the UHD disc and previously released in the States by Vinegar Syndrome, the image quality is absolutely fantastic here. I can only imagine HDR making the vibrant colours even more striking, but for those who purchase the Blu-ray, you’re in for a great time. Audio wise, there’s three tracks, a 2.0 track, a 4.0 track and a DTS HD MA 5.1 track. I watched the film with the 2.0 mix and it sounded great, although the other tracks sound great too from my quick checks of each track. Optional English subtitles are included. Overall, this is a great Blu-ray presentation. The following extras are included:

LIMITED EDITION FEATURES:
SILVER WRAP RIGID SLIP CASE WITH 2 NEW ARTWORKS BY ILANIMATION STUDIOS
O-RING SLIPCASE
4 COLLECTABLE ART-CARDS
DOUBLE SIDED FOLD OUT POSTER
4K Remaster from the Original 35mm Negative presented in 4K Ultra High Definition Blu-ray (2160p) in 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
Presented in HDR10 High Dynamic Range
LPCM Stereo
DTS-HD MA 4.0 (LCRS)
DTS-HD MA 5.1
Audio Commentary by Kim Newman and Sean Hogan
Audio Commentary by Stuart Gordon, Bryan Yuzna, Barbara Crampton & Jeffrey Combs
Optional English SDH
Don’t Bite the Pineal Gland – Jeffrey Combs on From Beyond
All Aboard the Love Machine – Barbara Crampton on From Beyond
Back From Outer Space – Ken Foree on From Beyond
Monster Unleashed – Brian Yuzna on From Beyond
Reflections with Stuart Gordon “ A Director’s Perspective”
Lost and Found
Interview with Composer Richard Band
Storyboards Intro and Storyboard Comparison
Original Trailer
Stills Gallery

Two audio commentaries are included, an archival track with director Gordon, producer Yuzna and stars Crampton and Combs. This track was recorded back in 2007 and is a fun and eye-opening listen, with Crampton and Combs being truthful about some of the difficulties of the production. Gordon and Yuzna are great here too and there’s rarely a dull moment throughout the commentary track. A great listen. The second, exclusive to this release features Kim Newman and Sean Hogan on top form, as always. Like Newman’s recent track for the 88 Films release of Eyeball with David Flint, this track is a fun listen with the pair talking about both Re-Animator and From Beyond in great deal, clearly having a blast detailing all of the anecdotes and pieces of trivia you’d expect from one of their tracks. Another great track.

Four exclusive new interviews are included for the 88 Films release, with actors Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton and Ken Foree, as well as producer Brian Yuzna. An old interview with Stuart Gordon is also included. The Combs interview runs for 30 minutes and is a lengthy, in-depth and fun interview. He recounts the experience working on Re-Animator and the process of making From Beyond. Hearing Combs talk about how he didn’t really get more offers post-Re-Animator was upsetting to hear, but given his long career in cult horror pictures, it seemed to have worked out in the end. Worth a watch for sure. The next interview is with Crampton and runs for 35 minutes and is another delightful watch. Crampton’s always a blast to listen to, and similar to Combs, she reminisces about the productions of both Re-Animator and From Beyond. Given that both of them worked with Gordon on both films, it’s charming to hear her admiration for both Combs and Gordon. She talks about the production, her positive experiences working with Gordon and it’s another great interview. Check it out! Ken Foree’s interview might be my favourite of the bunch, lasting 31 minutes and he talks about his work on George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead which didn’t end up landing him the work he’d initially hoped for, his experiences working with Yuzna and Gordon on From Beyond and more. It’s another extremely fun interview that I had a blast watching. Rounding out the new interviews is the 33 minute Yuzna interview, where he touches on how his working relationship with Stuart Gordon began, as well as the production of Re-Animator, Dolls and From Beyond. I enjoyed this one, although it’s one of the drier interviews on the disc. Still, absolutely worth a watch for those interested! The Stuart Gordon interview’s 9 minutes long and was recorded back in 2007. Gordon touches on the themes of the film, the period that the film came out in and the state of horror and the political landscape of both the 80s and the late 00s, alongside more. It’s a compelling viewing that’s highly recommended. All in all, it’s a great collection of interviews.

Lost and Found is a brief featurette highlighting the unrated home media version of the film. It runs for five minutes.

The interview with composer Richard Band is a decent watch, running for four minutes and features him explaining the process of composing From Beyond’s score.

An original trailer and a stills gallery are included, alongside some storyboards with an intro.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t provided with the retail release so I’m unable to comment on the packaging or any of the physical goodies included in the release.

88 Films went above and beyond with their release of From Beyond, jam-packed with great supplemental content, a stunning transfer and from all accounts, a lovely physical release. Highly worth it for fans of the film, body horror or Stuart Gordon. Recommended.

Disc/Packaging:

Where to watch From Beyond