review: FROM BEYOND

Paramount  //  Buy from Amazon.com H.P. Lovecraft's classic tale of suspense became "a grisly amalgam of sex, shock and satire" (Newsweek) in the hands of the creators of Re-animator. And now, armed with shocking never-before-seen footage and special features and on DVD for the first time, this "bloody good entertainment" (Time) has evolved into one of the most gruesomely riveting film experiences of all time! The Resonator, a powerful machine that can control the sixth sense, has killed its creator and sent his associate into an insane asylum. But when a beautiful psychiatrist becomes determined to continue the experiment, she unwittingly opens the door to a hostile parallel universe...and to the deviant behavior within the human psyche. With its victims becoming creatures who feed on - and become aroused by - human brains, the Resonator is the ultimate man-made monster. And now something's gone horribly wrong and no one can turn it off! Stuart Gordon is probably best known for his seminal entry in the b-movie genre "Re-Animator," but as much as I do love that film (and there's no denying that it is an uber-classic), I'm actually probably just as much a fan (if not more so) of another one of his films: "Robot Jox" -- DAMN I love that flick! Anyway, right after releasing "Re-Animator" Gordon created another horror/sci-fi/b-movie classic called "From Beyond" that has grown to have quite a following of its own, but until now, has never received a decent and/or North American DVD release. Thankfully, the fine folks @ MGM have not only released this film onto DVD, but gave it a high-def remastering, complete with restored footage (originally cut to get an "R" rating) and buttloads of extras and featurettes. For fans who've been clammoring for years to see this film get its just rewards on shiny silver disc, you will not be disappointed! I really enjoyed this film - hadn't seen it before watching for this review, but was pleasantly happy to see that everything that made "Re-Animator" such a true genre classic can be found in "From Beyond" as well. Great fun, definitely worth picking up! Video Wow - given a high definition remastering, the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer included on this release is phenomenal, with sharp detail, bright colors and hardly any noticable grain whatsoever! Audio The Dolby 4.0 stereo mix is solid, with dialogue, score & effects all blasting through the speakers in fine form. Extras audio commentary w/ director, producer and actors (including Jeffrey Combs!) "Reflections with Stuart Gordon" featurette "The Editing Room: Lost & Found" featurette on restoring lost footage "Interview with the Composer" featurette on Richard Band photo gallery storyboard to film comparison Closing Thoughts Classic 80s horror flick finally given a DVD release + large assortment of top-notch extras = highly recommended for fans of horror and/or b-flicks!