From Beyond... Pineal Envy
Added 11/8/2009
From Beyond: 6 out of 10: All the ingredients are here for a kick ass movie. First of You have Stuart Gordon director of the superlative Re-Animator and Dagon. In addition From Beyond is also a HP Lovecraft adaptation.
Moreover, there is the cast... Jeffrey Combs is a Lovecraft movie staple and a fine actor. Scream Queen Barbara Crampton famous for the greatest receiving head scene in cinematic history (Re-Animator again and the head in question was decapitated and alive) and is tied with Michelle Johnson as the quintessential blonde sex symbol of the eighties.
Heck the movie even has Dawn of the Dead hero the always-watchable Ken Foree.
There is nudity, bondage, brain eating, slime and silly monsters.
It simply does not gel as a movie.
Pacing and the script seem to be the enemy of the good here. For a movie with so many gladdening elements, it can be a true slog. From Beyond seems to drag just when the getting is well getting good.
The monsters are neither terribly scary nor funny they are just slimy puppets of various sizes. There is no sense of fun in the film and it certainly does not get one involved enough to care about the characters fates.
Barbara Crampton spends too much time in large oversized glasses and a tight bun in her hair and buy the time she lets her hair down (and her bondage gear on) Jeffery Combs is bald, naked and making guttural sounds.
As for the story... well I have seen the film twice and I have still no real idea what is going on. (Something to do with monsters from another dimension and the pineal gland) From Beyond is certainly worth a watch for fans of Gordon, Lovecraft or Crampton but I cannot help feel that this was a colossal missed opportunity.
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JUST AS I REMEMBERED
Added 8/11/2009
I saw this film years ago and enjoyed it. It may not be indicative of 'great cinema', but it is a great example of both imaginative special effects and one of several of the odd characters of which only Jeffrey Combs is capable of creating.
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The Pineal Gland Gone Awry!
Added 7/29/2009
It took a little while to figure out where this movie was coming from, and perhaps more importantly, where it was going. The opening sets up the spooky mansion, mad scientist & assistant, weird experiments--and a noisy next door neighbor lady & her little dog sneaking around--and a sort of funny, madcap scene. So one might think, Ah-oh, a comedy! But is it Lovecraft?
It is...and it isn't.
The script brings in a lot of 80's motifs: Kinky sex, a racially mixed cast, drugs, decadence, etc. The really funny thing is that, while having little to do with HP, it all ties in & works.
What really is "Lovecraftian" about the film is the theme. It asserts that the pineal gland in the forehead (often metaphorically associated with The Third Eye), if scientifically stimulated, acts as a bridge between our world and a dimension inhabit by psychically destructive worm and snakelike creatures that can enter our world and wreck havoc. The effects are quite good, you can relate to the actors, and there's plenty of chills `n thrills.
The Call of Cthulhu: The Celebrated Story by H.P. Lovecraft
Dagon
The H.P. Lovecraft Collection, Vol. 5: Strange Aeons
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From Beyond
Added 5/24/2009
A young scientist discovers that other dimentions lie beyond our own. A machine he invents proves it. Is it Hell he uncovers? You be the judge.
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repulsive, detestable, complete garbage
Added 3/19/2009
this movie was a waste of time to watch and a waste of my money to buy it.
it is a unacceptable movie which reflects the serious mental problems the creators and the producers have !
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It is a Classic
Added 8/13/2009
Before horror movies did CGI, there was Re-Animator. It has everything a good Friday night Horror flick could want. It is in every Top 5 Zombie movie list for a good reason. If you enjoyed Brain Dead (AKA Dead Alive), you'll really enjoy this.
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Cats Can't Tango With A Broken Back
Added 4/29/2009
Herbert West is no ordinary doctor. He's brilliant and obviously knows quite a bit about the field of medicine, but something is peculiar about him. He acts strangely and tends to keep to himself while getting absorbed into his work. Throughout his research, Dr. West may have finally perfected his serum. A serum that brings the dead back to life. The consequences of the serum are hectic, as expected. The sooner the serum is injected into a fresh corpse in comparison to one that's been lying around for a few hours, the better the results. Based on the H.P. Lovecraft tale, Herbert West-Reanimator, West finds himself at a medical college when his stint in Switzerland ends a bit abruptly. There he meets Dan Cain, a student at the college who is held in high regard, and Dan's girlfriend, Meg, whose father is the dean to the medical college. When Dan puts a notice up looking for a roommate in his dorm, West comes knocking. Things seem to be a constant downward spiral from there as West continues his research and the bodies begin to pile up.
Re-Animator is one of the few cult classics that I'll stick up for. I usually wind up feeling like most classic horror films that are recommended or held in such high regard aren't good at all or are extremely overrated. This film is a lot of fun though. It's definitely got its campy qualities with a headless corpse stumbling around the third act of the film, but it doesn't feel out of place for a film built around a concoction that's injected into the brain to bring corpses back from the dead. The music, especially the opening theme, tends to get a bad wrap because it blatantly rips off (or pays homage, depending on how you look at it) the Psycho score. While the similarities are crystal clear once they're heard, I honestly didn't mind it. It's kind of hard to imagine this film with different music, so I have no complaints.
The Herbert West role really fits Jeffrey Combs like a glove. His attraction to weird and quirky roles pretty much began with films like this one. As West's unusual personality is revealed throughout the film, you can't help but get a sense of uneasiness as his character traits unravel before your very eyes. The best example is when West brings Dan's cat Rufus back to life. After it's been killed for the second time, Dan is shocked to discover it's Rufus and turns to look at West. West points at the cat and tells Dan to, "Look out!" Dan quickly turns his attention back to poor Rufus, who's still lying there motionless. West begins to burst into maniacal laughter as Dan looks on in horror. With the upcoming remake on the horizon, it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Herbert West especially with Jeffrey Combs confirmed for a cameo.
While Re-Animator could definitely be considered cheesy and campy at times, its strengths outweigh its flaws. The story is simple, but tends to unfold nicely and the acting is solid (David Gale as Dr. Hill is up for debate though). The film is pretty much exactly what you would expect a horror film to be like from the eighties; gory, cheesy, tons of nudity and sex, and a few creative twists along the way. And when it comes to horror, what else could you really ask for?
Rating: 7.5/10
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Not your typical horror flick
Added 4/18/2009
Ok, Here's the deal.
This is one hell of an original movie that is not your typical horror flick. Herbet West is a psychotic genius madman scientist who is able to reanimate the dead. He transfers after a mishap in his independent research lab in Switzerland to a medical school in the states. He quickly begins his experiments in the basement of a fellow medical student, where he succeeds in reanimating a dead cat (Who names their cat roofus anyways?). The madman quickly moves to the morgue and then killing humans for the sake of experimentation and an answer to blackmail. This movie is truly not your typical blood bath, yet features plenty of blood to satisfy any gorehound. Herbert West has found the answer to reanimating the dead with his glow in the dark serum, which is never really explained. Most of his experiements are greatly flawed and end in a bloody mess. At times this is very much over the top with its sick and twisted humor and even galavanting into headless sodomy. From a walking clumbsy corpse carrying its own head in a metal tray yearning for blood to decapitating a head with a shovel, the over the top gore is as intense as it is comical. The film progresses at a fairly fast pace and the ending leaves you wanting to see the sequel immediately. This is as good as it gets.
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