"It ate him... bit off his head... like a gingerbread man!" Dr. Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs) is mystified by the powers of creatures coming from The Resonator in From Beyond. The second HP Lovecraft adaptation from writer/director Stuart Gordon didn't blow up cult audiences nearly as much as Re-Animator upon its initial release. Yet, this feature adaptation is far closer to Lovecraft than most other versions of his stories out there. It's a bizarre, disorienting and - above all - goopy take on the legendary sci-fi/horror author. One that's clamoring for a dissection right here on Decades of Horror 1980s!
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 129 – From Beyond (1986)
From Beyond did not ignite much attention when originally released. Shocker that a sci-fi horror story of BDSM, goopy mutation and body unraveling wasn't a mainstream hit. Yet, one can't help but be charmed now by Dr. Katherine McMichaels (Barbara Crampton) trying to find out about this gap between humanity & alternative dimension aliens. Dr. Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel) comes into our realm to show her. Thought the good doctor may not want the type of experimentation Dr. Pretorious is showing off. Hopefully, the pineal glands stay inside foreheads this time.
Here to describe all the bizarre horror of From Beyond is Doc Rotten, Thomas Mariani, and Christopher G. Moore. Thomas starts off by giving the apt adjective of "goopy." Doc has so much appreciation for the way Jeffrey Combs runs downstairs. Christopher takes a pause to mention how Lovecraftian this film is in comparison to Re-Animator and several other adaptations that followed. Unfortunately, Cthulhu doesn't show up to emphasize all this horror. Instead, there's plenty of goop to talk about! Just... make sure it doesn't get on your shoes.
We want to hear from you – the coolest, most gruesome fans: leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at thomasmariani@decadesofhorror.com or docrotten@decadesofhorror.com.
Special thanks to Neon Devils for their awesome song Bone Chillin!
The Evil Dead (1981)