"From Beyond the Grave" is a good and solid horror anthology from those fine folk at Amicus; they were masters of this format and this film represents typically engaging work. It's a collection of adaptations of stories by R. Chetwynd-Hayes, and as directed by Kevin Connor ("Motel Hell"), it's got the all-important fun factor needed for a diverting genre experience. The first and fourth segments are more or less straight-up horror, while the second is truly something different and worth seeing; the third contains the most outright comedy and is pretty damn funny. As is always the case for something such as this, it's the efforts of a superior British cast that really helps to sell the material.
Peter Cushing is devilishly amusing as the proprietor of Temptations Limited, an antique shop. Visitors who purchase - or otherwise obtain - the various odds and ends in his shop succumb to a variety of fates.
His first customer is Edward Charlton (David Warner), whose tale is told in "The Gate Crasher". Edward buys a mirror for his apartment, and after he and his friends hold a séance, the evil spirit trapped inside the mirror (Marcel Steiner, who's dubbed by Robert Rietty) appears to order Edward to kill in order to "feed" him. There's a rather predictable ending here, but Warner is excellent and there's some great horror imagery.
Then along comes Christopher Lowe (Ian Bannen) in "An Act of Kindness", who finds that his simple good deed as he purchases from street peddler Jim Underwood (Donald Pleasence) has consequences that he does not anticipate. Unhappy in marriage (to Mabel, played by Diana Dors) and in life, he starts to spend more time with Underwood and his daughter Emily (who's played by Donalds' real-life daughter Angela). The denouement is a neat twist, and Pleasence is just wonderful.
In "The Elemental", customer Reginald Warren (Ian Carmichael) meets a crazy old lady on a train (portrayed with memorable scene stealing gusto by Margaret Leighton) who tells him that he's got an "elemental" on his shoulder, an elemental being some sort of hostile spirit. Warren comes to believe this when his wife Susan (Nyree Dawn Porter) is assaulted by something unseen, so he brings in Leighton to work her magic. This segment is truly delightful, a combination of humour and excitement.
Finally, in "The Door", William Seaton (Ian Ogilvy) buys an elaborate door for his abode, but when he sets it up, he finds that it's capable of transporting him to a different time and place, where an evil spectre (Jack Watson) is looking for sacrifices. The art direction & set decoration are superb in this portion of the film, and Watson makes for a suitably depraved villain.
Things wrap up with Cushing having a surprise in store for a man (Ben Howard) who means to rob him.
All in all, lovers of the omnibus horror format should have a fine time with this one.
Seven out of 10.
Peter Cushing is devilishly amusing as the proprietor of Temptations Limited, an antique shop. Visitors who purchase - or otherwise obtain - the various odds and ends in his shop succumb to a variety of fates.
His first customer is Edward Charlton (David Warner), whose tale is told in "The Gate Crasher". Edward buys a mirror for his apartment, and after he and his friends hold a séance, the evil spirit trapped inside the mirror (Marcel Steiner, who's dubbed by Robert Rietty) appears to order Edward to kill in order to "feed" him. There's a rather predictable ending here, but Warner is excellent and there's some great horror imagery.
Then along comes Christopher Lowe (Ian Bannen) in "An Act of Kindness", who finds that his simple good deed as he purchases from street peddler Jim Underwood (Donald Pleasence) has consequences that he does not anticipate. Unhappy in marriage (to Mabel, played by Diana Dors) and in life, he starts to spend more time with Underwood and his daughter Emily (who's played by Donalds' real-life daughter Angela). The denouement is a neat twist, and Pleasence is just wonderful.
In "The Elemental", customer Reginald Warren (Ian Carmichael) meets a crazy old lady on a train (portrayed with memorable scene stealing gusto by Margaret Leighton) who tells him that he's got an "elemental" on his shoulder, an elemental being some sort of hostile spirit. Warren comes to believe this when his wife Susan (Nyree Dawn Porter) is assaulted by something unseen, so he brings in Leighton to work her magic. This segment is truly delightful, a combination of humour and excitement.
Finally, in "The Door", William Seaton (Ian Ogilvy) buys an elaborate door for his abode, but when he sets it up, he finds that it's capable of transporting him to a different time and place, where an evil spectre (Jack Watson) is looking for sacrifices. The art direction & set decoration are superb in this portion of the film, and Watson makes for a suitably depraved villain.
Things wrap up with Cushing having a surprise in store for a man (Ben Howard) who means to rob him.
All in all, lovers of the omnibus horror format should have a fine time with this one.
Seven out of 10.