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From Beyond The Grave [1973]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

From Beyond the Grave is an anthology film adapted from four short stories by R. Chetwynd-Hayes, strung together under the pretext of an antique dealer who owns a shop called Temptations Ltd. and the fate that befalls his customers who try to cheat him. First up is "The Gate Crasher" with David Warner who frees an evil entity from an antique mirror; then "An Act of Kindness" featuring Donald Pleasence; followed by "The Elemental;" and "The Door."

From Beyond The Grave was the directorial debut of Kevin Connor who would go onto become a modest name in genre cinema. It was actually one of Connor’s best films and he demonstrates exceptional directorial style. Particularly good are the seance scenes in the first episode where Connor conducts some inventive 360-degree pan shots with a candle that explodes between a flickering flame and a jet in the foreground. The murders in this segment are vividly staged, with Connor creating some marvelously sinister images of David Warner standing about in bloodstained clothes and a totally wrecked apartment. --Sally Giles


Excellent compendium of horror
Review date: 2008-11-04 Rating: 8 out of 10

Bought this about 2 years ago and if I ever need frightening I will always put this on, this compilation has 4 stories all interwieved by the excellent Peter Cushing as the owner of an antique shop ,
The first story has David Warner buying a mirror and finding a ghost in the mirror from the past wanting dead bodies to eat a 5/5 story for me ,brilliant.
2nd story stars Donald Pleasence, Diana Dors and Ian Bannen, this involves Ian Bannen pretending he`s a war hero and has weedelling his way into the affections of Pleasences real life daughter Angela with dire consquences.
Story 3 is the worst where Ian Carmichael is haunted by a sort of invisible gremlin,this one is why i`ve given this review 4 stars.

The last story is where the saint (Ian Ogilvy) has bought a door and along with it brings another ghost/zombie, again another 1st class story.
I would recommend this to anybody.

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Reviews


Death by Temptation
Review date: 2008-08-26 Rating: 10 out of 10

Amicus is a film studio that made their name from making portmanteau movies such as this. That is several small morality tales with an interlinking back story. The first film they made in this style was the excellent Dr Terror's House Of Horrors, and this was their final effort, and also the best one in my opinion.
Peter Cushing plays a sinister shopkeeper of a seedy old Antiques shop,not the strongest back drop for the stories to be set. Fortunately, all the stories are so strong that this matters little.
First off we meet Edward Charlton(David Warner) who purchases a haunted mirror from the shop, the occupant of which, is very demanding. Next up, we come to hen pecked Christopher Lowe(Ian Bannen) who seeking respect outside the marital home where he gets none, steals some war medals from the shop, to impress an old soldier selling matches on the street. Lowe is then introduced to the soldiers daughter, who offers him happiness, but at what price?
Then we meet Reggie Warren(Ian Carmichael) who buys a snuff box, swapping the price with another to cheat the shopkeeper. Travelling home on the train he is informed by a wacky medium, wonderfully played by Margaret Leighton, that he has an elemental on his shoulder. The only course of action seems to be an exorcism. Finally, William Seaton(Ian Ogilvy) buys an ornate door from the shop, a door that turns out to be a gateway to another room inhabited by a wicked alchemist who kidnaps Seaton's wife. All bar one of the customers attempt to cheat the shopkeeper. Will any survive? Well, you'll have to watch to find out.
All four stories are excellent, the second a remarkable piece of urban nightmare, the third is of a more humourous slant, but is still very enjoyable.
If you enjoy Anthology films such as Creepshow, or any of the Amicus efforts, do not hesitate to buy this, as it is one of the finest examples of its kind. I'd even go so far as to compare it in terms of quality to the daddy of them all, Ealing's Dead Of Night.

"I 'ope You Enjoy Snuffin' It.."
Review date: 2008-05-31 Rating: 8 out of 10

A startling cast of eerie British eccentrics gathered together on one delirious slice of quaint gothic. A solid roll-call of weirdness conspiring to chill and thrill in a darkly humorous, deadly shiver-some collection of short stories by R. Chetwynd Hayes, transferred to the screen by the excellent Amicus Productions.
`FBTG' is a portmanteau movie, (ie, it's divided into segments) a cinema sub-genre, whose horror strain was begun in the UK with the (still) genuinely scary `Dead of Night' in 1945.
Peter Cushing (with an extra-ordinary accent, faintly Yorkshire, but anyone's guess..) plays the laconic owner of `Temptations Ltd', a side-street antique shop into which a desperate array of cheats and criminals venture for a `deal' , but each deservedly ends up on the losing end of their particular terrible transaction. Each customer is as tricky as they come, and try to rip old Cushing off, but each finds adjusting his price brings a greater price of it's own.
The opening gory story sees the brilliantly sinister David Warner conning old Peter into selling him a mirror for a tenth it's worth and finding out far too late, it wasn't the wisest course of action he's ever taken. Something nasty and demanding lives in the mirror, and it needs blood to facilitate it's transmutation to the real world.
Warner is excellent as a Poe-type figure descending into madness, trapped in his corpse-strewn apartment, compelled to spill blood for the thing in the mirror. `Alice Through the Looking Glass' this tale certainly ain't.
Twitchy Ian Bannen's in the next story.,(remember him in the Peter Collinson - babysitter-in-peril thriller - `Fright'?) playing a hen-pecked office clerk who invents himself an elaborate fantasy military history to impress a street shoelace salesman, (!) a sly and understated Donald Pleasence. Stealing a DSO from `Temptations Ltd' , he then finds himself embroiled with Pleasence and his spooky, wiccan offspring (played by real-life daughter, Angela). As his own home life is wretched, he finds the lavish food and unconditional respect he enjoys at the Pleasence's much more to his liking. His seduction by Pleasence's alarming daughter is incredible; "I wish to serve you. I will do anything you ask, you only have to order....." she whispers, oblivious to decades of suffrage and bra-burning, and naturally he can't resist. Needless to say it all ends badly, with a great twist (you WON'T see it coming) all seemingly overseen by a tut-tutting Cushing in his dusty emporium.
Poor old Ian Carmichael is the next to fall to `Temptation', naughtily switching the price on a snuff box, and find's himself with an evil spirit eating into his shoulder. Engaging the services of a batty medium, who trashes his house ousting the creature (known as an elemental) it seems all is well, but it's only the beginning....
This is my favourite episode. Funny and scary in all the right places, with some lightning witty lines, and acted to perfection by Ealing favourite Carmichael, Nyree Dawn Porter, superb as his increasingly terrified wife, and Margaret Leighton delightfully dotty as the avaricious exorcist. A magical segment, even in such elevated company.
The final story is probably the weakest but is still good. Ian Ogilvy (" you took him from me, YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME...!!! ") `purchases' a door which of course has a deSade type occultist and sadist inhabiting the `Blue Room' beyond it. This story also has a decent little hook, and has the desperately sexy Lesley Ann Down in horrific peril as a redeeming perk.
The film finishes with a rather clumsy culmination of the framing story, with a robber, who's been disturbed by the various `clients', finally having a violent crack at poor old `defenceless' Peter. Unwise.
`FBTG' is ace. Atmospheric, enthusiastically directed, constantly amusing while at the same time delivering delicious old-fashioned chills. It has a surprising amount of gore, for those of you interested in that type of thing, and Cushing, mad accent and all, hold's the whole thing together with a wicked twinkle.
So horror, humour and hantiques,(I am REALLY sorry!) 'FBTG' may not be a horror Rembrandt, but it's certainly an esteemed and worthwhile objet d'art.




Superb British Horror C lassics
Review date: 2008-01-14 Rating: 10 out of 10

A collection of short horror tales, wonderfully linked via Peter Cushing's Antique Shop. I love these old classics, and remember being terrified by them when I was a youngster. Truly fantastic example of the 1970s British Horror genre.

Marvellous entertainment!
Review date: 2007-11-20 Rating: 10 out of 10


'From Beyond The Grave' is a collection of humorous, but menacing tales of four dishonest people who come to a 'sticky' end for their wicked deeds. Some big names in this including Diana Dors - along with some tremendous performances. Margaret Leighton in particular is fabulous as Madame Orloff - the eccentric Psychic who is wonderful at wrecking your home and charging you for it!!

Marvellous entertainment!

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Peter Cushing
Ian Bannen
Wendy Allnutt
Rosalind Ayres
Ian Carmichael

Creators:
Wendy Allnutt (Primary Contributor)
Rosalind Ayres (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900827928
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2007-10-15
Audience rating: To Be Announced
Region code: 2
Running time: 94 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1973
Language: English (Unknown)

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