Great Film overall

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Even if you're not into horror, you have to marvel at the visual effects, which are simply mind blowing (especially for its time)! Nice to see horror legends Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton together again. Jeffrey is excellent as usual. The mix of horror, satire, fantasy and even a bit of porn was an interesting concept, but it blends very well together.

As someone who has never read a single HP Lovecraft tale, or even knows much about the context of which his stories are derived from, it's always exciting to watch an adaptation of one of his works. Having seen Stuart Gordon's previous HP Lovecraft adaptation Re- Animator, I went into this film with a sense of direction, but one that can easily be pushed off course by the unknown notoriety of the beloved horror author. What I received from From Beyond was a mixed bag of two many horror genres overlapping each other, creating an enjoyable yet disjointed pyramid of horror complexities.From Beyond, which should be stated is "loosely" based on an HP Lovecraft short story, begins with scientist Dr. Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs), who has been working on a Tesla like machine called The Resonator, which allows one to see beyond the accessible reality, due to a stimulation of the pineal gland. It's all very scientific, but the pineal gland delivers melatonin, which affects light/dark, wake and sleep (which when tampered with in the case of The Resonator, enlarges it producing headaches, and a drug like addiction to be near The Resonator's pulse). In order not to be declared insane and locked away for the supposed murder of his mentor Dr. Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel), Tillinghast, Dr. Katherine McMichaels (Barbara Crampton), and Detective Bubba Brownlee (Ken Foree) must reactivate The Resonator in order to prove his sanity.Like other horror films dealing with alternate dimensions, otherworldly realities, or just plain outer space, what lies beyond the conventional eye tends to always be depraved, leaning towards the phallic, or the torturous leather bound. With Clive Barker's Hellraiser, we were introduced to the demonic S&M world of Pinhead and his cenobites, who fed off the fears and sexually deviant behavior of their victims. In Ridley Scott's Alien, the confines of space were crafted in HR Geiger's sexually twisted eye, with the alien penetrating the victims mouth in order to impregnate those aboard the unsuspecting ship. Now in Stuart Gordon's From Beyond, we are thrust (no pun intended) into the sexually depraved world of a mad scientist, one that inevitably reaches into the alternate dimension, giving us phallic, mutated body parts and leather clad sexual cravings.From Beyond is a science fiction horror film that knows where it wants to go, but has an incredibly difficult time jumping over the other films that have done what it has before. Watching the mutation of Dr. Edward Pretorius just isn't as enjoyable when it feels like a poor imitation of John Carpenter's The Thing, writhing out of the body of its victim. Don't get me wrong, the special effects of Mark Shostrom and the special make-up effects by the uncredited artist Bill Forsche is very well crafted, they just all feel like cheapened retreads. Also being set primarily in the attic of a creepy estate, and dealing with sexual depravity, From Beyond can't seem to hurdle over Hellraiser, another film which took place mostly in an attic, dealt with sexual depravity and dealt with leather clad deviants.Showcasing over the top acting by the great horror icon Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator) and a once again pitch perfect portrayal of a tough as nails cop by Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead), we are left wanting to fall away with the story HP Lovecraft left us and the horror that Stuart Gordon has produced. However, the fall is only riddled with the debris of what was once exciting and fantastic, depraved and twisted. From Beyond is an exciting premise stuffed inside a haunted house, wrapped around the pleasures of pain and torture; the pain and torture that unfortunately befalls the viewers as we are left with cold leftovers.

(Credit IMDb) Scientists create a resonator to stimulate the pineal gland (sixth sense), and open up a door to a parallel (and hostile) universe. Based on a story by H. P. Lovecraft.If you like Gordon's work, you'll like this one. If you don't, you won't. It doesn't get much more black & white than that. I found this to be a bad acid trip gone wrong, yet I was utterly engrossed by the happenings in this film. The startling effects still hold up very well. Gordon's innovative ways never fail to amaze me. Jeffery Combs is terrific as our flawed hero, but what else is new? He aces these types of parts. Ken Foree is badass in his role, whilst Barbra Crampton has a scene where she is wearing a dominatrix outfit. It will forever be entrenched in my mind for years to come with how sexy it was. Ted Sorel is one messed up hombre. Stay far away from me, man! Overall, this is a highly original, and very enjoyable horror offering. It's innovative, suspenseful, funny, and mind boggling. If you want an original horror film that will stimulate you, this movie is your ticket8/10

With all the reviews here, I won't waste your time with redundancy. But I do have a word to add.First: This is available to watch free here at IMDb. Get it while it's hot!Second: Jeffery Combs is one of my favorite actors, and I harbor deep resentment at the fact that he was never elevated to mainstream success. The emotions, thoughts, and inner conflicts of his characters flicker across his visage in a way that few actors can manage. There are many actors who can do "twitchy", and a few that can't help but come off as deranged, but the discipline Combs brings to gradual mental deterioration shows great craft.Take a bow, Mr. Combs!Third: This is a rip-snortin' roller coaster of a movie. It's funnier, smarter, sexier, and more creative than the genre, audience, or era demanded. Like "A Boy And His Dog", "Flesh Gordon", "Liquid Sky", "Eyes Of Fire" or "Sore Losers", this flick rises above every expectation the uninitiated may have for it.Old school? You bet!But on a psychologically fantastic level not affected by changing fashion and technology, this little bugger should be able to freak people out for generations to come.