ferbs54 Review of From Beyond the Grave

From Beyond the Grave (1974)

"The Love Of Money Is The Root Of All Evil"

[7/10 · 3 December 2010]

"From Beyond the Grave" (1973) is one of seven horror anthology pictures released by Hammer rival Amicus over an eight-year period. The last of the bunch, it had been preceded by "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors," "Torture Garden," "The House That Dripped Blood," "Asylum," "Tales From the Crypt" and "Vault of Horror." This time around, the tales are based on the works of British author R. Chetwynd-Hayes (1919-2001), and the obligatory framing story takes place in a seedy antique shop called Temptations, Ltd. ("Offers you cannot resist"). Thus, we follow the fates of four customers who, in one way or another, try to pull "fast ones" with the shop's proprietor, played by the great Peter Cushing. In "The Gatecrasher," one of the best of the quartet, a man (David Warner) buys an antique mirror that houses a blood-lusting demon of sorts. Director Kevin Connor gives this segment some surreal and disorienting touches, some effective shock cuts, and one great swivel shot around a seance table. Impressive work! In "An Act of Kindness," a henpecked husband (Ian Bannen), seeking escape from his termagant wife (Diana Dors, in full bloat), befriends a street peddler and his daughter (real-life father and daughter Donald and Angela Pleasence), only to find that the pair has a hidden agenda or two. This tale features a rather otherworldly performance by Ms. Angela, especially while singing the creepiest little dirge you've ever heard! In "The Elemental," Margaret Leighton plays what must be the wackiest British psychic since Margaret Rutherford's Madame Arcati in "Blithe Spirit" (1945). She helps a middle-aged couple (Ian Carmichael and Nyree Dawn Porter) rid their home of the titular nasty...or does she? Leighton's memorable performance is surely the keynote of this amusing segment. Finally, in "The Door," a man (Ian Ogilvy) purchases an antique, beautifully carved door to put on his stationery bureau, only to find that the portal leads him to the lair of a sorcerer who had schemed in "the 22nd year of Charles II" (that would be 1682). This section turns quite unsettling indeed, especially when we discover that the ancient sorcerer is still alive and well and thirsting for souls. In all, a very entertaining quartet of chillers, to close out this wonderful Amicus series. Hint for savvy marketers: A boxed DVD set of all seven would be a dream purchase for all horror fans!