Let's be realistic.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Petty much as in the title. I remember watching this when it first came out when I was 14, but couldn't really remember anything. At the time it was seen as something new and different to the offered horror fare. An intelligent horror based on the weirdness of H.P Lovecraft. As it started I was looking forward to an adaptation of Lovecraft full of 80's nostalgia, and something interesting though maybe dated. The premise is interesting enough, and something really good could have been crafted for the screen but unfortunately it never really gets past silly and gory. By the time Jeffrey Combs is running around sucking people's brains out through their eyeballs it becomes just over indulgent silly nonsense that takes itself way too seriously but is more comical than anything else. The effects are great, but unfortunately this doesn't save the ultimately boring narrative.

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.

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.

(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