Review of From Beyond

Like any patchy horror firmly ensconced in its typically oblique premise and perfunctory reliance on style over substance, "From Beyond" expands on H.P. Lovecraft's story and applies the tacit, condensed conceit of its source to an amorphous, low-budget visual smorgasbord of gore and special effects. Although it never quite reaches the level of quality achieved with "Re-Animator", the film successfully maintains the somewhat belted thematic verve, clinical imagery and decent performances of its predecessor through slick visuals, concise and propulsive narrative pacing and an underlying commentary on science, i.e. exploring the possible link between an overactive pineal gland and the inducement of hyper-sexuality and audio-visual hallucinatory illness. "From Beyond" does veer off into no-holds-barred body horror territory (brains are consumed, some through a victim's eye sockets) for most of its running time, but does return to its underlying message, which is the looming threat of institutionalisation within the psychiatric and scientific community. Simply put, the crux of the film further expands on the previously explored dichotomy of sanity and scientific experimentation, the latter of which is encapsulated in the form of three doctors breaking the natural law for different reasons; gravitas, carnal pleasure and psychiatric remedy. In modern society, most methodical, groundbreaking innovation and audacious deviation in the name of science is derided until it is not, but when it goes beyond the realms of the senses, as presented here in the form of gross-out, metamorphic, otherworldly creatures, then prepare for the repercussions.