FROM BEYOND (1986) – Episode 199 – Decades of Horror 1980s

Podcast (doh80s): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:22:10 — 37.8MB)

Subscribe: RSS

“Well, how about the hard-on I got? Is there a statistical correlation for that too?” Will you calculate the standard deviation while you’re at it? Join your faithful Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr, along with special guest Ralph Miller – as they take a goo-filled trip to From Beyond (1986)!

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 199 – From Beyond (1986)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

A group of scientists have developed the Resonator, a machine which allows whoever is within range to see beyond normal perceptible reality. But when the experiment succeeds, they are immediately attacked by terrible life forms.

IMDb

• Director: Stuart Gordon
• Writers: Dennis Paoli (screenplay); H.P. Lovecraft (short story); (adaptation by) Brian Yuzna, Stuart Gordon, & Dennis Paoli
• Music: Richard Band
• Cinematography: Mac Ahlberg
• Production Design: Giovanni Natalucci
• Selected Special Effects personnel: 
  • Mechanical and Makeup Imageries (MMI, John Carl Buechler), 
    • Ralph Miller III (animatronics)
    • Gino Crognale (modeler)
    • Mitch Devane (modeler)
  • Mark Shostrom Studio (Mark Shostrom), 
  • More Than Skin Deep (John Naulin), 
  • Doublin EFX (Anthony Doublin)
  • David Zen Mansley (designer and creator: resonator)
• Selected Cast
  • Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Crawford Tillinghast
  • Barbara Crampton as Dr. Katherine McMichaels
  • Ted Sorel as Dr. Edward Pretorius
  • Ken Foree as Bubba Brownlee
  • Carolyn Purdy-Gordon as Dr. Bloch
  • Bunny Summers as Neighbor Lady
  • Bruce McGuire as Jordan Fields

From Beyond is Chad’s pick and the first time he saw it, he was flabbergasted by the special effects, the gore, and the goo! He still loves it today, adding that the pacing delivers one flabbergast right after another and the acting – Barbara Crampton, Jeffrey Combs, and Ken Foree – is great. Bill loves the great cast and the practical effects of From Beyond but laments how the color scheme hid some of the details of the monsters. In case you haven’t realized it by now, Crystal has a definite thing for Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton. She also loves From Beyond’s memorable effects and the way the body horror progresses throughout the movie, becoming more and more gruesome. Jeff loves From Beyond too, agreeing with everyone on the excellence of the effects and the cast. Ralph, who worked on the “shrimp monster’s” animatronics for John Buechler’s MMI, loves Barabara Crampton’s impressive performance portraying her character’s arc. Ralph admits he’s a creature person and loves the creature designs as the special effects units do their best to materialize Lovecraft’s imaginings in From Beyond.  

Stuart Gordon, H.P. Lovecraft, Dennis Paoli, Brian Yuzna, Barbara Crampton, Jeffrey Combs, Ken Foree, Ted Sorel, and some of the best effects this side of The Thing! So what are you waiting for? As of this writing, From Beyond is available to stream from Tubi and PlutoTV and as PPV on Amazon and Vudu. 

This episode is a “double-tap” for From Beyond. Check out a previous 1980s Grue-Crew discussion on the film at Episode 129 of Decades Of Horror 1980s, 28 January 2018.

You can also check out our partial career overview of Ralph Miller’s special effects work in Episode 155 – Decades Of Horror 1980s, 7 May 2020. 

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. Next up is the podcast’s landmark 200th episode. The subject film has been chosen by our listeners and viewers in polls on Patreon, YouTube, and Facebook, and will be Night of the Comet (1984)! You won’t want to miss the Decades of Horror 1980s Grue-Crew’s discussion of the film whose working title was Teenage Mutant Horror Comet Zombies. What else could you ask for from an 80s horror flick?

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans:  leave them a message or leave a comment on the gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the website or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com