From Beyond the Grave

In good old Amicus-Anthology tradition, debuting director Kevin Connor presents a nice variety of three just above average horror stories and one really terrific one. "From Beyond the Grave" certainly wasn't the production studio's best omnibus effort (that honor goes to either "Asylum" or "The House that Dripped Blood"), but it has a splendid ensemble cast (including eminent British names like Donald Pleasance, Peter Cushing, Ian Ogilvy, David Warner, Ian Carmichael,… ), a neat wraparound narrative and an overall pleasingly sinister atmosphere. All separate tales begin in the same location, namely an obscure and hidden antique shop manned by Peter Cushing. The customers at this shop then become the protagonists of the segments, and the attentive viewer quickly figures out that their own personal fate will also depend on whether or not they are honest human beings. The bought items (an army medal, an ancient mirror, a snuff box and even an medieval door) aren't necessarily essential objects in the tales, though. The first story stars David Warner ("The Omen") as an obnoxious man who becomes possessed with a murderous spirit homing in his recently purchased antique mirror. The plot of "The Gate Crasher", as this story is called, is quite mundane but it boosts a handful of grisly set pieces. The third story is a rather comical referring to "The Exorcist", with Ian Carmichael being possessed by an invisible and hugely hyperactive elemental critter (whatever the hell that may be) that is attached to his shoulder. The exorcism scenes are incredibly over-the-top and the segment isn't really meant to be scary. The fourth and final story was a bit too tacky in my humble opinion, but it nonetheless has awesomely grim scenery (the room, the portal, the axe…) and the beauty of actress Lesley-Ann Down. I'm deliberately saving story number two for last, as it is by far the most superior installment of them all. Most credit here must go to Donald Pleasance and his real-life daughter Angela, for their genuinely uncanny performances as the overly friendly yet obtrusive pair of low-class street merchants who gradually 'take-over' an unhappy married man. I can't reveal too much about the plot, but the performances of Donald and particularly Angela Pleasance truly send cold shivers down your spine. Recommended!

A superb slice of vintage British horror from Amicus productions, which although headed by two Americans Max J. Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky, Amicus was based in England at Shepperton Studios. I personally am a huge admirer of the work of Milton Subotsky, I think he gave a great deal to the British film industry and gave us the 'portmanteau' style of horror film which meant that the stories would be around half an hour long, it was impossible to tire of such a short subject! Milton himself claimed that the classic 'Dead of Night' was the inspiration behind these multi segment horror films and I think he took it to another level. I think that 'From Beyond' is the finest one they made, with atmospheric stories and great acting from the entire cast and of course the wonderful Peter Cushing as the mysterious proprietor of 'Temptations Ltd'. Peter was the actor most used by the studio, he being very reasonable by way of his fees, whereas Subotsky claimed the great Christopher Lee became too expensive!

Decent entertainment and I do enjoy short story segments because they have to get right to the point of which these stories do. This may not be premium movie watching but it is fine story-telling especially around camp fires and sleep-overs. They had done several of these at one point because they became popular as matinée movies. Remember those days? Two movies for a reasonable price and then add popcorn, drink and a candy to it. Go with a friend and its a nice day out. This is what you can expect if you catch this at home only you bring the food and the friend as they don't do these in the movies anymore. Too bad too. I miss the audience reaction to the stories an added bonus. Watch as each story presents ordinary people getting into extra-ordinary and some "horror" circumstances and how they handle it all. There is a nice little touch here too. Each segment is kick-started by a shop-keeper who sets up the episode and how it will go depending if you are an honest person or not. In other words, you wont be spared the horror but allowed a different outcome. You catch on to this toward the last two episodes but they should have made it plain from the first one. I have done so for you. Please enjoy the efforts of these people to entertain and to try to scare you....popcorn and snack with drink recommended

Amicus horror anthology film (the last of seven) starring Peter Cushing as the owner of an antique shop who sells items to different rotten people. Each of the film's stories are tied to these people. The first story features David Warner and is about a mirror which houses a creepy man (or spirit or whatever) who forces Warner to do bad things. The second story is about a man who is seduced by the daughter of a street peddler. Good lineup in this one: Donald Pleasence, Ian Bannen, Diana Dors. But it's just not that interesting despite its oddness. The third story features Ian Carmichael as a man who turns to a crazy old lady (Margaret Leighton) to get rid of an Elemental spirit tormenting him. Leighton is the whole show here. Lots of fun to watch. My favorite story in the film. The final story is about a writer (Ian Ogilvy) who buys a door through which he can step into a room inhabited by a weirdo from the past. This segment also features Lesley-Anne Down. The linking pieces with Cushing have another little story involving a shady man hanging around the shop. Overall, it's an entertaining movie. All the stories are enjoyable to varying degrees, although the second story is clearly the weakest. It's still watchable though. Cushing is pure class as always. Not the best of the Amicus anthologies but good.

Amicus are famous for the anthology films, and that's hardly surprising since they made so many. The majority of the anthologies they made are entertaining, and I don't think I've ever really seen a bad one; Asylum, The Vault of Horror and The House That Dripped Blood usually, and rightly, are the highest regarded among the films that Amicus made. From Beyond the Grave is one of the lesser known anthology films; but don't let that faze you, because this collection of four short horror tales is good fun, and while I cant say this is the best Amicus omnibus, it's definitely up there! These films usually feature some sort of creepy wraparound story, and the one here focuses on an old antique store. Not very original, but the store is staffed by Peter Cushing (complete with dodgy accent!) so I could forgive the lack of originality. Cushing antique shop owner doesn't like it when people try and rip him off, but plenty of his customers do; and they all come a cropper when they discover the terrible secret of the item they've just bought (or robbed) from his store!

These films don't usually put the best story first, and this one doesn't either. The first tale, titled "The Gate Crasher" stars David Warner and has a sort of Hellraiser feel about it, as he buys an old mirror from the antique store and it turns out to be inhabited by a ghost like thing that entices Warner into bringing it fresh blood. It's not a bad story, though I feel that more could have been made of it. Story number two is the best and focuses on a man who steals a war medal from the antique store to impress a former army man and ends up getting more than he bargained for. This tale is very strange and stars Donald Pleasance in one of his weirder roles. It's imaginative and inventive, and therefore interesting as it's impossible to tell where it's going. Story number three, "The Elemental" is a fun little story, though there isn't really a great deal of point to it. The fourth and final tale would appear to be the centrepiece and focuses on an old wooden door that gives way to an expansive blue room. This is a decent little story and we get to watch Lesley-Anne Down wielding an axe, which makes it worthwhile. Overall, From Beyond the Grave is everything an anthology should be: it's fun and interesting in the right places. There's plenty of plot holes, but also no need to pay them any mind. From Beyond the Grave comes highly recommended to horror fans!