31 Days of Horror: Days 21 – 23 – “From Beyond” (1986)

I watched the latest episode of “The Walking Dead” on Day 21 and the final presidential debate on Day 22, so I didn’t have time for horror movies on these days.  On Day 23, I watched Stuart Gordon’s “From Beyond,” a very entertaining mad scientist creature feature.

Mad scientists Dr. Pretorius and Dr. Tillinghast have built a device known as the Resonator that stimulates the brain’s pineal gland and thus enables anyone within range to see creatures that exist beyond our perceptible reality.  The only problem is that the Resonator gives the creatures the same ability and when they see the two scientists for the first time one bites the side of Tillinghast’s face and another eats Pretorius’s head.  Tillinghast is blamed for Pretorius’s murder and locked in an insane asylum, but Dr. McMichaels, the psychiatrist treating him, believes his story and wants to learn more about the Resonator.  She has him released under her supervision, and she and Tillinghast rebuild the device.  Creatures appear, including a mutated Pretorius, and things quickly get out of hand.

Gordon, best known for the mad-scientist classic “Re-Animator” (1985), does creature features and mad scientist movies better than anyone currently working in horror, and  in “From Beyond” he was clearly reveling in his appreciation for both subgenres.  Part of what makes this movie so enjoyable is the interplay among the three mad scientists.  Tillinghast, played by Jeffrey Combs also of “Re-Animator” fame, is the least mad of the three, and throughout the movie he struggles to restrain the mutated Pretorius and prevent McMichaels from descending even further into madness as she becomes more and more obsessed with the Resonator.  The other reason to watch “From Beyond” is the creatures.  They start off as small wormlike beings that seem to swim through the air, but as the movie progresses they get much larger.  At one point, Tillinghast has to be pulled from the mouth of a giant worm, leaving him bald and scarred.

This was another very enjoyable 80’s horror movie that I had neglected for far too long.  Watching it reminded me that although Stuart Gordon has continuously made good horror movies since the mid 80’s (“Dagon” (2001) and his episodes for the “Masters of Horror"  (2005, 2007) are the most recent examples), he is underappreciated.  This is probably  because none of his movies have received wide theatrical releases or acquired the cult status of movies like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” or “Halloween.”  As a result, only  hardcore fans recognize the name Stuart Gordon, whereas people with only a passing interest in the genre are familiar with John Carpenter and maybe Tobe Hooper, despite the fact that no one really cares about their recent work.  There is, however, a cover story about Gordon in the current issue of “Fangoria,” which I hope will inspire new interest in his work.