From Beyond

"Humans are such easy prey."

1986 1h 25m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 702

HorrorScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The Resonator, a powerful machine that can control the sixth sense, has killed its creator and sent his associate into an insane asylum. When a psychiatrist becomes determined to continue the experiment, she unwittingly opens the door to a hostile parallel universe.

“Humans are such easy prey.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

fuboTVSubscription

MGM+ Amazon ChannelSubscription

Cast

Jeffrey Combs
Crawford Tillinghast
Barbara Crampton
Dr. Katherine McMichaels
Ken Foree
Buford 'Bubba' Brownlee
Ted Sorel
Dr. Edward Pretorius
Carolyn Purdy-Gordon
Dr. Roberta Bloch
Bunny Summers
Neighbor Lady
Bruce McGuire
Jordan Fields
Del Russel
Ambulance Driver

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Stuart Gordon
Writers: Dennis Paoli, Brian Yuzna, Dennis Paoli
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 28% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Stuart Gordon, shot by Mac Ahlberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Richard Band. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lee Percy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Stuart Gordon directs. Mac Ahlberg behind the camera. Richard Band scores. Lee Percy cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, Italy. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $4.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Earned back only 28% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
440 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
5International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Italy.
6Directed by Stuart Gordon, shot by Mac Ahlberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Richard Band. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Lee Percy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton and Ken Foree carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Humans are such easy prey.".
11IMDB entry: tt0091083 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Mac Ahlberg
Original score: Richard Band
Editing: Lee Percy
Production design: Giovanni Natalucci
Costume design: Angee Beckett
Makeup / hair: William Butler
Sound: Gary Bolger
Stunt coordinator: Remo De Angelis
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,500,000
Box office: $1,261,000
Return: 28% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: From Beyond (1986)

Awards

Sitges Film Festival best special effects award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Stuart Gordon

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-06-19
★ 6/10
The problem with turning a short story into a movie is frequently that there just isn't enough story to pad out ninety minutes. That is certainly the case with this. A pair of scientists - "Tillinghast" (Jeffrey Combs) and "Pretorius" (Ted Sorel) have developed the "Resonator". This is a device that allows people to see reality in a sort of 3-D, with that added dimension not normally visible. Thing is, that is where some pretty malevolent beasties live and having had a glimpse of the world we live in, they want to come visit. A bit of carnage ensues and soon "Tillinghast" and psychiatrist "McMichaels" (Barbara Crampton) are trying to find away to contain and return their monstrous visitor to his own realm before the body count spirals any further. The special effects here are quite effective - and for about half an hour the story itself is quite decent. There has to be more to the multi-verse than can be seen to the naked eye, etc. Sadly, though, the middle half hour just lacks for substance and it never really gets it's head of steam back for the denouement that is quite well stitched together, and actually quite entertaining, but a but lacking in jeopardy or menace. The acting really isn't much better than you'd see supporting a standard episode of "Starsky & Hutch" but that's not so important. It's the scary visuals that work here. Not especially scary, but creatively developed with a minimum of ketchup and soap. Not great, no - but it's enjoyable enough.

Production companies