"We
based the Pretorious character on the Marquis de Sade. He's delighted
when he finds himself as a monster, as he now has this incredible new
range of possibilities."
Stuart Gordon Director
Stuart
Gordon followed up the success of his classic Re-Animator with the somewhat
overlooked chaos that is From Beyond (1986). Based on a short story
by H.P Lovecraft, From Beyond concerns the sadistic Dr. Pretorious who
when he isn't searching for a sixth sense with his scientific machine,
The Resonator, enjoys tying woman up in his S&M room and beating them
senseless (turns out the poor bastard is impotent).
When
the good doctor discovers a new dimension with his machine he is rewarded
by having his head eaten off by beasts that are invisible to the human
eye but are a reality when the Resonator is turned on. His horrified
assistant (played by the always great Jeffrey Combs) is lured back to
the mansion to show the nosy Dr McMichaels (played by the jaw dropping
Barabara Crampton, the chick who the severed head eats out in Re-Animator)
what went down and soon the Resonator is back in business showing off
strange flesh biting creatures and the return of a thrilled and mutated
Dr. Pretorious.
It seems the Resonator
stimulates the pineal gland allowing for the beautiful Barbara
Crampton to walk around all sexed up, and for Jeffrey Combs pineal
gland to pop out of his head like a skinny snake causing him to
eat brains and suck eyeballs out of nurses heads. The continuing
emergence of the deformed Dr. Pretorious is both thrilling and
hilarious, each return shows off a newly evolved gooey beast which
becomes more surreal as the film reaches its bizarre climax.
There
is so much to recommend in From Beyond, this flick has it all - great
effects from Mark Shostrom, bizarre lighting and direction from the
Stuart Gordon team, Barbara Crampton slithering around in a tight leather
dominatrix suit and showing her breasts, my man Ken Foree (the brother
from Dawn of the Dead of course!), and the exceptional Jeffrey Combs
as Dr. Pretorious' shaky, not quiet sane sidekick.
