FROM BEYOND

The scholar Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs) assists Dr. Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel) in his research for the development of the pineal gland, a sort of "third eye" that allows one to observe what happens beyond our dimension. Thanks indeed to the "Resonator," a special machine that, through a series of vibrations, stimulates the pineal gland, the two scientists manage to perceive incredible things. Pretorius, however, decides to use the machine to satisfy an unbridled morbid instinct and transforms into a monstrous being to then disappear into the other dimension. Accused of murder, Tillinghast manages to persuade the police that Pretorius is still alive, but the only tool to prove it and bring him back from the other dimension is precisely the magnetic resonator. The machine is activated, but the effects are devastating. A policeman dies and the scientist undergoes a horrific metamorphosis... After the commercial and critical success of "Re-Animator," director Stuart Gordon and producers Charles Band and Brian Yuzna try again, this time also based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft. "From Beyond" is a deliberately irreverent fantasy horror that becomes a "cult" in its own way, in which splatter effects (shapeless masses of flesh, genetic mutations) and sex (Pretorius takes on the form of a phallic monster with sadomasochistic impulses) follow each other at a frenetic and relentless pace. To bring these incredible events to life and, above all, the exceptional mutations of Dr. Pretorius, the producers of "From Beyond" entrusted the creation of the special effects to four separate companies in Los Angeles, and the result was certainly one of the best! Much worse, however, were the "digital" effects (but at the end of the 1980s, computer graphics were taking their first steps...). Apart from this forgivable flaw, the film is absolutely worth rediscovering, even if it is quite difficult to find for rent and almost impossible to see on TV. Curiosity: in the cast, it is also worth noting the presence of Ken Foree, unforgettable protagonist of "Zombi" by Romero.