From Beyond The Grave (1974) – Episode 116 – Decades of Horror 1970s

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“Ay, customers, come in, come in. I’m sure I have the very thing to tempt you. Lots of bargains. All tastes catered to. Oh… and a big novelty surprise goes with every purchase. Do come in… any time. I’m always open.” Oh boy! A novelty surprise? Wait. Is this a trick? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they meet the proprietor of Temptations Ltd., the sinister shop found in From Beyond the Grave (1974).

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 116 – From Beyond the Grave (1974)

An anthology of four short horror stories revolving around a British antique shop and its mysterious owner.

IMDb

• Director: Kevin Connor
• Writer: Robin Clarke, Raymond Christodoulou; based on stories by R. Chetwynd-Hayes
• Cinematographer: Alan Hume
• Cast
  • “Temptations LTD” (Connecting Story) 
    • Peter Cushing as The Proprietor of Temptations Limited
    • Ben Howard as Burglar
  • “The Gate Crasher”
    • David Warner as Edward Charlton
    • Wendy Allnutt as Pamela 
    • Rosalind Ayres as Prostitute – Edward’s first victim
    • Tommy Godfrey as Mr. Jeffries
    • Marcel Steiner as The Face
  • “An Act of Kindness” 
    • Ian Bannen as Christopher Lowe
    • Diana Dors as Mabel Lowe
    • Donald Pleasence as Jim Underwood
    • Angela Pleasence as Emily Underwood
    • John O’Farrell as Stephen Lowe
  • “The Elemental” 
    • Ian Carmichael as Reginald Warren
    • Margaret Leighton as Madame Orloff
    • Nyree Dawn Porter as Susan Warren
  • “The Door”
    • Ian Ogilvy as William Seaton
    • Lesley-Anne Down as Rosemary Seaton
    • Jack Watson as Sir Michael Sinclair

From Beyond the Grave is the last of the Amicus horror anthologies, or portmanteaus if you will, and Decades of Horror has covered six of seven such films. Jeff is predisposed to like  From Beyond the Grave because it is directed by Kevin Conner, the same man that directed Motel Hell, one of his favorite films. Doc is impressed by cinematographer Alan Hume’s work and goes into some of his other credits. The penalties doled out by the proprietor of Temptations Ltd. seem a bit severe for the sins committed in Bill’s view, but he still has fun with From Beyond the Grave. Chad loves Margaret Leighton’s portrayal of Madame Orloff and the other members of the Grue-Crew adamantly agree. 

Possibly the least familiar of the Amicus horror portmanteaus, From Beyond the Grave still receives a high recommendation from the Decades of Horror 1970s Grue-Crew. It might be the last, but in their opinion, it is not the least.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror 3-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In three weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule will be Lisa and the Devil (1973), a Mario Bava film.

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