Plot: What’s it about?
Dr. Pretorious (Ted Sorel) and his assistant Crawford (Jeffrey Combs) have invented a way to unlock the powers of the sixth sense, a massive breakthrough. A device called the Resonator stimulates the pineal gland and in the process, brings about that sixth sense, in essence opening a doorway into another world. The first opens the wrong door however, as a hideous creature from another dimension crosses over, then decapitates Dr. Pretorious. Crawford is shaken by the experience and sent to an institution, until Dr. McMichaels (Barbara Crampton) shows up with interest in the project. She wants to learn about the Resonator and what it can do, regardless of the risks involved. With the help of Crawford and a police officer named Leroy (Ken Foree), she wants to open the door again, but what lurks on the other side?
The call of fans has finally been heeded, as MGM gives us a proper release of Stuart Gordon’s From Beyond, in an uncut edition no less. If you’ve seen the film on Monsters HD, then you’ve seen this extended version and the added material isn’t all that substantial, but the extra gore is always welcome. From Beyond is a great ride, a wild movie that has humor, gore, atmosphere, and anything else we could want. Stuart Gordon’s direction is spot on, keeping the movie on the rails at a brisk pace, but never rushing the story in the slightest. His cast is impressive too, with Barbara Crampton, Jeffrey Combs, and Ken Foree on deck, with Combs in his usual memorable turn. A movie that makes you laugh, scares you, and grosses you out, From Beyond has it all and MGM’s disc is impressive. A director’s cut, new transfer, and some nice supplements, not much else we could want, so I give From Beyond a most high recommendation.
Video: How does it look?
From Beyond is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. I’ve seen several import discs of this movie, but none even hold a candle to this presentation. The image here is much cleaner and much sharper than the others, hands down. The print looks great, with minimal grain and no other signs of wear to mention. I wouldn’t call the visuals razor sharp, but detail is high in most scenes, though some softness does creep in at times. No issues with color, as hues look bright and natural, while contrast performs well and black levels appear accurate throughout. This movie is over two decades old, but it looks great here and fans should be thrilled.
Audio: How does it sound?
The 2.0 surround option is solid, but overall an unremarkable soundtrack. I doubt anyone expects high end audio dynamite out of this movie though, to be honest. The audio needs of the material are well covered, the music sounds good and lively, while the surrounds see action when called on. A number of scenes do put the speakers on notice, so there is a good amount of surround activity, though nothing too impressive. The dialogue sounds clear and never hard to understand, so no problems there. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The first and best of the supplements is an audio commentary track, as director Stuart Gordon is joined by producer Brian Yuzna and stars Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton. These four never cease to insightful memories to share, from how the project began to anecdotes from the shoot and beyond. I had a blast with this session, as you can tell all four love this movie and enjoyed working on it, as they have so many great stories and memories to share. As far as featurettes, we have one that tells how the director’s cut was restored and interview pieces with Stuart Gordon and composer Richard Band. This disc also includes a still photo montage, as well as storyboard to film comparisons.
