From Beyond the Grave Blu Ray Review (Warner Archive Collection)
From Beyond the Grave (aKa Creatures) is a 1974 anthology horror film directed by Kevin Connor (Motel Hell, The House Where Evil Dwells, The People That Time Forgot, At the Earth’s Core, The Land That Time Forgot, and McBride franchise). It was written by Robin Clarke (Music Editor for Flash Gordon, Death Wish 2, Aliens, Batman, Donnie Brasco, and 12 Monkeys) and Raymond Christodoulou (Nutcracker). It was produced by Milton Subotsky (Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror, Asylum, The City of the Dead, The Monster Club, The Beast Must Die, Cat’s Eye, The Uncanny, Madhouse, Maximum Overdrive, Sometimes They Come Back 1/2, and The Lawnmower Man) and Max Rosenberg (The Curse of Frankenstein, Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, The Skull, The Psychopath, The Deadly Bees, Scream and Scream Again, The House That Dripped Blood, Bloody Birthday, and Cat People) for Amicus Productions.
Four customers purchase (or steal) items from Temptations Limited, an antiques shop whose famous motto is “Offers You Cannot Resist”. A gruesome fate awaits for those who did the shop’s proprietor (played by: Peter Cushing from Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, The Uncanny, Shock Waves, House of the Long Shadows, Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, The Satanic Rites of Dracula, Asylum, Horror Express, Torture Garden, Dracula A.D. 1972, and Horror of Dracula) wrong. “The Gatecrasher” is about Edward Charlton (played by: David Warner from The Omen, In the Mouth of Madness, Scream 2, Time After Time, TRON, The Company of Wolves, Waxwork, Ice Cream Man, Necronomicon: Book of Dead, and Body Bags) who purchases an antique mirror for a bargain. He is tormented by a mysterious figure (played by: Marcel Steiner from Arabian Adventure and The Madness Museum) who convinces him to do brutal and unthinkable things. Is Edward losing his mind or this is all real?
“An Act of Kindness” is about Christopher Lowe (played by: Ian Bannen from Braveheart, The Inglorious Bastards, The Devil’s Backbone, and Fright) who’s trapped in a nightmare marriage with Mabel (played by: Diana Dors from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Theater of Blood). He meets stranger Jim Underwood (played by: Donald Pleasence from Halloween franchise, American Rickshaw, Escape from New York, Dracula, Tales That Witness Madness, Raw Meat, You Only Live Twice, and The Great Escape) who is a former war veteran. Christopher Lowe is desperate to impress his new friend so he steals a Distinguished Service Order (DSO) medal. Jim Underwood responds to seeing the courageous award and invites him to his place to meet his daughter Emily (played by: Angela Pleasence from Symptoms, Your Highness, Gangs of New York, and The Godsend). Christopher Lowe falls for Emily but he doesn’t realize the sacrifices he just just made for it. Is it too late to escape?
“The Elemental” is about Reggie Warren (played by: Ian Carmichael from The Lady Vanishes, The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins, and Ghost Ship) who is a egotistical salesman who cons his way into a killer deal for a snuff box. He is forced to use a psychic known as Madame Orloff (played by: Margaret Leighton from Frankenstein: The True Story, Space: 1999, and Great Expectations) after tragedy strikes his wife Susan (played by: Nyree Dawn Porter from The House That Dripped Blood and To Die… To Sleep… Perchance to Dream) and his dog through something unnatural. What has Reggie got himself into? “The Door” is about writer William Seaton (played by: Ian Ogilvy from Puppet Master 5, Death Becomes Her, Witchfinder General, and She Beast) who takes advantage of the generous shop owner after purchasing an ornate door. Seaton’s wife, Rosemary (played by: Lesley-Anne Down from Countess Dracula, In the Devil’s Garden, Munchie Strikes Back, and Beastmaster 3) is curious about the new addition to their home. All hell breaks loose and everything starts to fall apart for them as this new guest brings terror to their peaceful home. Home sweet home turns into a living nightmare, can this couple survive the night? A shady character (played by: Ben Howard from Running Scared, The Final Option, and A Bridge Too Far) is casing Temptations Limited and it’s proprietor for a big pay off. Is it the wrong place at the wrong time for the criminal????
This is one of the better later horror anthologies from the legendary Amicus Productions! Several of these segments could have easily been turned into a full length feature. Honestly, this one doesn’t really have a weak link here. I thought all of them were really good and I like how they are all connected to the same shop. My two personal favorites were “The Gatecrasher” and “An Act of Kindness” but the other two weren’t far away from them. This is a nice horror spin on Karma, what comes around goes around. Most of the main characters are bad people and completely deserve what they get here so it’s very fun to watch. From Beyond the Grave has a few horror icons attached to it and they were all great in this horror anthology. Peter Cushing, Donald Pleasence, and David Warner all shine in their roles here. There’s a bit of everything when it comes to these short stories in From Beyond the Grave. It has a good supporting with all kinds of familiar faces from other known features from the past. It’s rare to find a solid horror anthology these days so I find myself revisiting films like this more and more to get my fix when I am really wanting to experience one. This has great replay value and you appreciate even more every time that you check it out. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!
Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from the Warner Archive Collection! This 1080p (1.85:1) transfer looks way better than expected for an older catalog title. I’ve owned this one in every possible format and this is the best it’s ever looked on home video. I love the atmosphere here and it’s nice variety of locations. The English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is real solid here. It really shines during the chaos in all the segments for this. The dialogue is crystal clear and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. Unfortunately, there’s no extras on the disc except for the “Theatrical Trailer”. This belongs in every Amicus Productions fan collection. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
