It's unfortunate, but From Beyond can't help but be compared to the superior Re-Animator. Both films are directed by Stuart Gordon, star the same two leads, and are influenced by Lovecraft, so it's hard not to make comparisons. While on paper they seem similar, the movies themselves are quite different in terms of quality, unfortunately. From Beyond seemed not to try hard enough to create some type of structure to keep the story afloat, whereas Re-Animator perfectly meshed the horror/comedy genres and created some fantastic scenes with sound structure. Basically, From Beyond felt too silly and campy for its own good, you can attribute that to both the direction and the acting. The slim and ick-factor are both here, but the typical charm and enjoyment factors aren't.The overall idea is creepy in itself (unknown dimensions), but the execution of the story seemed to be lacking. The opening moments reveal the protagonist, but then the following 80 minutes nothing really comes from it. The story seemed to go absolutely nowhere, and in fact I could hardly tell you what it was trying to accomplish. And, of course, there were all those sexual undertones, where they necessary to the story, who knows? Maybe I failed to grasps the film's overall message of sexual exploration and all that, but what was given was scarce and more importantly lame.Like I said, it's hard not to compare this film to the vastly superior Re-Animator. While the special effects here are fantastic (I love the 80s gore effects), they can't save From Beyond from being dull and joyless. Not a disastrous movie but the movie doesn't even close to reaching the heights of other 80s sci-fi classics.

From Beyond (1986) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Fun "B" movie has scientists Dr. Pretorius (Ted Sorel) and Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs) creating a resonator, which is a machine that allows a sixth sense to where you can see things that you normally couldn't. Soon Tillinghast is in a mental hospital but Dr. McMichaels (Barbara Crampton) talks the police into letting her taking him back to the house where the machine is to see what really happened. Along with a cop (Ken Foree) the three soon come face to face with the monsters.FROM BEYOND was director Stuart Gordon's follow-up to RE-ANIMATOR and while this film doesn't come close to that one, it's still highly entertaining and a nice twist on the mad scientist movies of the 1950s. There's no doubt that this here is a homage to all those old monster-on-the-loose movies but of course the big difference here is that we're given all sorts of blood, goo and slime. Adapated from a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, FROM BEYOND isn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination but it's certainly a fun little film.I think the greatest thing in the film are the special effects, which are downright amazing considering the budget and time that they were working with. The "fish" creations look a little cheesy today but the highlights are certainly the main creature that begins to take form as the Pretorius character but slowly begins to ooze into something else. The sequence where the doctor's face pretty much comes apart looks remarkable as does the full figure monster that begins to eat people. The effects are never nasty nor do the cross the bad taste line. Instead they're just fun and make you wonder how they were created like a good magic trick.Another major plus is that the four lead actors are all extremely good and make you care for their characters (or hate them in the case of Pretorius). The real stand out is Crampton who is just delightful getting to play several different types. She's very believable as the "serious" doctor but she's also quite good during the possession scenes and especially one where she uses her sexuality. Combs is a wizard at playing these type of nerdy characters and he does this part with ease. It's always fun getting to see DAWN OF THE DEAD's Foree and he too gets a lot of good moments throughout the film.FROM BEYOND has a nice cast, some great special effects and director Gordon holds the film together quite nicely. This isn't the type of film that was made for Oscars or to be looked at as some sort of high art. If that's what you're looking for then it's best to go somewhere else but if you just want to sit back and enjoy a slime-full monster movie, this is the film for you.

Dr. Edward Pretorius (Sorel) and his assistant Dr. Crawford Tillinghast (Combs) have developed a machine they call "The Resonator". When the machine is turned on it enhances all the senses including a sixth sense in the brain that reveals nasty floating creatures from another dimension. Pretorius is obsessed with feeling it all until a massive creature devours him by biting off his head before a terrified Crawford. Crawford is the suspect by the police. He is turned over to a cop named Bubba Brownlee (Foree) and psychiatrist Katherine McMichaels (Crampton) who takes an unwilling Crawford back to the house to see if his story is true. Once there, they test the machine and discover a mutated Dr. Pretorius is now part of the other dimension and is a hideous hybrid. McMichaels is so turned on by the machine she looses all perspective and can't get enough. From most of the cast and crew of "Re-Animator" comes this inspired take on another H.P. Lovecraft story. Director Stuart Gordon tells the story with a similar approach to "Re-Animator", even though some of the black humor is missing. The solid storyline isn't terribly scary, but it is a lot of fun and the effects are top notch. Gordon has a very unique style combining the high tech gore with old fashioned charm that makes for a refreshing horror film. The cast is very good with Combs and Crampton returning from "Re-Animator" and it is nice to see "Dawn of The Dead's" Ken Foree in the role of the cop. With a juicier role this time, Barbara Crampton is great as Katherine. She loses control of her senses and Gordon delivers yet another weird sexual scene when Katherine is sexually turned on by the machine. She gets into a leather dominatrix outfit and has thoughts of torturing Crawford until Bubba breaks it up. Ms. Crampton is a delight to look at and is hotter than anything in this scene. Crampton has the most chilling scene in the film as her whimpering cries turn to an all out "I've gone mad" laugh at the films end. Interesting, bizarre and well made, From Beyond should please most horror fans.

(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