From Beyond (DVD)
Starring Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Ken Foree, Ted Sorel, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon
Directed by Stuart Gordon
Distributed by MGM and Fox Home Entertainment
Before I write another word, please, go over to your home video library and throw away every single bootleg or old VHS tape of From Beyond you have. You’re not going to be needing them any longer. Thanks, I’ll wait.
*whistles* OK then!
Finally. That’s the word that immediately jumps out at me when thinking about the Stuart Gordon horror kink classic From Beyond coming home to waiting (and boy, have we been waiting) fans. Ever since the movie came out in 1986 we’ve been clamouring to get our grubby little hands on an unrated cut of this flick, you know — the one that was rumored to have all that eye sucking goodness. Hold on to your collective asses, folks. The search (and the wait) is finally over.
Ah, those wacky mad scientists. They’re always fucking with things. Meet Dr. Edward Pretorius (Sorel). Old Eddie’s got a lot of stuff on his mind, and the mind is exactly where Pretorius finds his playground. You see he’s invented a device called The Resonator. A machine that in theory would be able to harness the powers of the human sixth sense. Unfortunately said device also ends up killing the good doctor and sends his assistant, Crawford Tillinghast (Combs), packing to a mental asylum. Man, talk about the shit hitting the fan, eh? Of course we never learn to leave well enough alone so before you can say “Humans are such easy prey” another psychiatrist (Crampton) decides it would be a good idea to continue Edward’s experiments.
Her results are a bit different as she ends up unleashing another dimension full of beasties who feed on and become aroused by human brains. Yes, what we have here is a genuinely deadly mind fuck film. Thank God Buford ‘Bubba’ Brownlee (Foree) is around to set things straight. Well, sort of. As you can imagine all types blood spattered erotic mayhem ensues which contributed to making From Beyond into one of the most sought after films in our genre.
First off, kudos to all those responsible for finding these deleted scenes and cutting them back into the movie (there’s an entire featurette titled The Editing Room which details the trials and tribulations of doing so). They work perfectly and look as if they’ve always been there. On top of that, the print of this movie is the best I’ve ever seen. The colors literally jump off the screen at you. Expect your own pineal gland to be stimulated!
In addition to the aforementioned five minute long Editing Room featurette there are some other cool things to be found here. First up, The Director’s Perspective, a nine minute interview with Stuart Gordon and company regarding the film’s genesis, its problems with everyone’s favorite band of elderly butchers, the MPAA, and of course the discovery of the thought to be lost footage. While this is some great stuff, sadly it represents the meat of the supplemental material. You just cannot help but want more. From there we have a four minute look at From Beyond‘s score with composer Richard Band, a five minute long photo montage, and a segment featuring storyboard to film comparisons of four different scenes. That’s it.
Right about now I was feeling a little let down in terms of extras. Thankfully the commentary with director Gordon, producer Brian Yuzna, and stars Barbara Crampton and Jeffrey Combs does a lot to patch that little wound. By the time it was over I have to say the experience felt quite satisfying.
Here’s the bottom line, despite my kvetching about wanting more bonus material, this DVD would be worth the purchase if only for the look and cut of the film alone. MGM and Fox took the time to go the extra mile for fans in terms of delivering From Beyond in the best fashion possible, and they have more than succeeded. Run to your stores. Click the link below. BUY THIS NOW!
Special Features
4 1/2 out of 5
Special Features:
3 1/2 out of 5
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