From Beyond the Grave
Encyclopedia
From Beyond the Grave is a 1974 British
anthology
horror film
from Amicus Productions
, directed by horror director Kevin Connor
, produced by Milton Subotsky
and based on stories by R. Chetwynd-Hayes
It was the last in a series of anthology films from Amicus and was preceded by Dr. Terror's House of Horrors
(1965) Torture Garden
(1967), The House That Dripped Blood
(1970), Asylum
(1972), Tales from the Crypt
(1972), The Vault of Horror
(1973).
Originally filmed as The Undead, it is also known as The Creatures, Tales from Beyond the Grave, and Tales from the Beyond.
The Gatecrasher - Edward Charlton (Warner) purchases an antique mirror for a knockdown price, having tricked the Proprietor into believing it is a reproduction. When he takes it home, Charlton holds a séance at the suggestion of his friends, and falls into a trance. He finds himself in a netherworld where he is approached by a sinister figure. The figure appears to stab him, and Charlton awakes screaming.
Later, the figure's face appears in the mirror and orders Charlton to kill so that he can "feed". Charlton butchers people until the apparition is able to manifest himself outside of the mirror. The figure then explains that Charlton must do one more thing before the figure can walk abroad and join the others like him. The figure says he will take Charlton "beyond the ultimate", and persuades Charlton to kill himself by impaling himself on a knife.
The mirror stays in Charlton's flat for years after his death, until the latest owner also decides to hold a séance. Once the séance starts, Charlton's hungry spectre appears in the mirror.
An Act of Kindness – Christopher Lowe (Bannen) is a frustrated middle management drone trapped in a loveless marriage with Mabel (Dors.) Bullied by his wife, and shown no respect by his son, he befriends Jim Underwood (Donald Pleasence) an old soldier now scratching out a living as a match and shoe lace seller.
In an effort to impress, Lowe tells Underwood that he is a decorated soldier. To back up this lie, he tries to persuade the Proprietor to sell him a Distinguished Service medal. When the Proprietor asks that Lowe provide the certificate to prove he had previously been awarded the medal, Lowe steals the medal. Underwood is impressed by the medal, and asks Lowe to come to his house for tea. Once there he meets Underwood’s daughter, Emily (Angela Pleasence). Over time Lowe is seduced by Emily's frankly rather creepy charms, and they start an affair.
Emily then produces a miniature doll of Mabel, and holds a knife to it. She asks Lowe to order her to do his will. Lowe agrees that she should cut the doll. When she does, a drop of blood appears from its mouth. A disturbed Lowe dashes home to find Mabel dead. Underwood and Emily then appear at Lowe’s home, and walk in to the sound of the wedding march.
Later, Emily and Lowe are married. Lowe's son (played by the future writer John O'Farrell
) and Jim Underwood attend the wedding. When the time comes to cut the cake, Emily asks all present whether they wish her to. They all agree and Emily brings the knife down, but rather than cut the cake, she cuts into the head of the decorative groom on top. Blood pours out of it, and Lowe falls on to the table, dead. Underwood and Emily explain to Lowe's son that they always answer the prayers of a child "in one way or another".
The Elemental – Reggie Warren (Carmichael) is a somewhat pompous business man who enters Temptations Ltd and puts the price tag of a cheaper snuff box in the one he wants to buy, whilst out of sight. The Proprietor sells him the box at the altered price, bidding him farewell with a cheery "I hope you enjoy snuffing it."
On the train home, an apparently batty old clairvoyant/white witch, Madame Orloff (Margaret Leighton) disturbs Warren whilst he reads his paper, advising him he has an Elemental on his shoulder. Warren dismisses her, but has cause to call on her services when his dog disappears and his wife Susan (Porter) is attacked and choked half to death by an unseen force.
Orloff exorcises the Elemental from Warrens' home, and all seems well—even the dog returns. Later though the Warrens hear noises up stairs, and Reggie heads up to investigate. He is knocked down and falls to the foot of the stairs, unconscious. When he awakes, he finds Susan possessed by the elemental. She/It says Reggie tried to deny her life, and kills him before cackling and having a smashing time walking through the front door.
The Door – William Seaton (Ogilvy) is a writer who purchases an ancient ornate door from the Proprietor. He is unable to meet the Proprietor's asking price, but agrees a reduced price with him. When the Proprietor goes to the back of the shop to note Seaton's details, he leaves the till open. After Seaton leaves, the Proprietor starts counting the money in the till.
Seaton's wife, Rosemary (Down) thinks the door is too grand to lead to stationery cupboard, but when she touches it seems to be able to see what originally lay behind it. The Door begins to exert a strange fascination over Seaton, and he finds that when he opens it a mysterious blue room lies beyond. There, he finds the notes of Sir Michael Sinclair (Watson), an evil occultist who created the door as a means to trap those who entered through it, so that Sinclair can take their souls and live forever.
Seaton escapes, but when he tries to leave his house he finds that the door’s influence has spread, and he and Rosemary are trapped. In a trance, Rosemary is unable to stop herself from opening to the door and entering the room, where she is incapacitated by Sinclair. Sinclair carries her through the doorway, mocking Seaton by asking him to follow, as two souls are better than one.
Seaton starts to smash the door with an axe, and the room and Sinclair start to crumble. Seaton tries to rescue Rosemary, but is attacked by Sinclair. Seaton has Rosemary continue axing the door, and manages to break free. They continue demolishing the door, destroying the room and turning Sinclair to a skeleton and then dust when they break the door from its hinges. Back at the shop, the Proprietor finishes counting and finds all the money present and correct.
Between each of the segments, a shady character is seen to be casing the shop. In the end, he enters and persuades the Proprietor to hand him two loaded antique pistols. He then tries to rob the Proprietor, who refuses to hand him any money and walks towards the thief. The thief shoots, but finds bullets cannot stop the Proprietor. Terrified, the thief staggers back, is hit by a swinging skeleton, falls into what appears to be a combination of a coffin and an iron maiden, and is spiked to death. "Nasty", the Proprietor says. The Proprietor then welcomes the viewer as his next customer, and explains he caters for all tastes, and that each purchase comes with "a big novelty surprise".
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
anthology
Anthology film
An anthology film is a feature film consisting of several different short films, often tied together by only a single theme, premise, or brief interlocking event . Sometimes each one is directed by a different director...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
from Amicus Productions
Amicus Productions
Amicus Productions is a British film production company, based at Shepperton Studios, England. It was founded by American producer and screenwriter Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg.-Horror:...
, directed by horror director Kevin Connor
Kevin Connor (director)
Kevin Connor is an English film and television director currently based in Hollywood.Connor was born in London on the 24 of September 1937 and grew up during the 2nd World War...
, produced by Milton Subotsky
Milton Subotsky
Milton Subotsky was an American TV and film writer/producer. In 1964, in England, he formed Amicus Productions with Max J Rosenberg.Together they produced a number of low budget science fiction and horror films....
and based on stories by R. Chetwynd-Hayes
It was the last in a series of anthology films from Amicus and was preceded by Dr. Terror's House of Horrors
Dr. Terror's House of Horrors
Dr. Terror's House of Horrors is a 1965 British horror film from Amicus Productions, directed by veteran horror director Freddie Francis, written by Milton Subotsky, and starred Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee....
(1965) Torture Garden
Torture Garden (film)
Torture Garden is a 1967 British horror film made by Amicus Productions. It was directed by Freddie Francis and scripted by Robert Bloch. It stars Burgess Meredith, Jack Palance, Michael Ripper, Beverly Adams, Peter Cushing, Maurice Denham, Ursula Howells, Michael Bryant and Barbara Ewing...
(1967), The House That Dripped Blood
The House That Dripped Blood
The House That Dripped Blood is a 1970 British horror anthology film directed by Peter Duffell and distributed by Amicus Productions. It stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Nyree Dawn Porter, Denholm Elliott, and Jon Pertwee...
(1970), Asylum
Asylum (1972 film)
Asylum is a 1972 British horror film made by Amicus Productions. The film was directed by Roy Ward Baker, produced by Milton Subotsky, and scripted by Robert Bloch .It is a horror portmanteau film, one of several produced by Amicus during the 1960s to...
(1972), Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt (film)
Tales from the Crypt is a British horror movie, made in 1972 by Amicus Productions. It is an anthology film consisting of five separate segments, based on stories from EC Comics. Only two of the stories, however, are actually from EC's Tales from the Crypt...
(1972), The Vault of Horror
The Vault of Horror (film)
The Vault of Horror is a British portmanteau horror film made in 1973 by Amicus Productions. Like its predecessor, Tales from the Crypt, it is based on stories from the EC Comics series written by Al Feldstein and Bill Gaines...
(1973).
Originally filmed as The Undead, it is also known as The Creatures, Tales from Beyond the Grave, and Tales from the Beyond.
Plot
Four customers purchase (or take) items from Temptations Limited, an antiques shop whose motto is "Offers You Cannot Resist". A nasty fate awaits all of them—particularly those who cheat the shop's Proprietor (Cushing).The Gatecrasher - Edward Charlton (Warner) purchases an antique mirror for a knockdown price, having tricked the Proprietor into believing it is a reproduction. When he takes it home, Charlton holds a séance at the suggestion of his friends, and falls into a trance. He finds himself in a netherworld where he is approached by a sinister figure. The figure appears to stab him, and Charlton awakes screaming.
Later, the figure's face appears in the mirror and orders Charlton to kill so that he can "feed". Charlton butchers people until the apparition is able to manifest himself outside of the mirror. The figure then explains that Charlton must do one more thing before the figure can walk abroad and join the others like him. The figure says he will take Charlton "beyond the ultimate", and persuades Charlton to kill himself by impaling himself on a knife.
The mirror stays in Charlton's flat for years after his death, until the latest owner also decides to hold a séance. Once the séance starts, Charlton's hungry spectre appears in the mirror.
An Act of Kindness – Christopher Lowe (Bannen) is a frustrated middle management drone trapped in a loveless marriage with Mabel (Dors.) Bullied by his wife, and shown no respect by his son, he befriends Jim Underwood (Donald Pleasence) an old soldier now scratching out a living as a match and shoe lace seller.
In an effort to impress, Lowe tells Underwood that he is a decorated soldier. To back up this lie, he tries to persuade the Proprietor to sell him a Distinguished Service medal. When the Proprietor asks that Lowe provide the certificate to prove he had previously been awarded the medal, Lowe steals the medal. Underwood is impressed by the medal, and asks Lowe to come to his house for tea. Once there he meets Underwood’s daughter, Emily (Angela Pleasence). Over time Lowe is seduced by Emily's frankly rather creepy charms, and they start an affair.
Emily then produces a miniature doll of Mabel, and holds a knife to it. She asks Lowe to order her to do his will. Lowe agrees that she should cut the doll. When she does, a drop of blood appears from its mouth. A disturbed Lowe dashes home to find Mabel dead. Underwood and Emily then appear at Lowe’s home, and walk in to the sound of the wedding march.
Later, Emily and Lowe are married. Lowe's son (played by the future writer John O'Farrell
John O'Farrell
John O'Farrell is a British author, broadcaster and comedy scriptwriter.-Early life:O’Farrell grew up in Maidenhead, Berkshire the youngest of three children, attending Courthouse Primary School and then Desborough Comprehensive...
) and Jim Underwood attend the wedding. When the time comes to cut the cake, Emily asks all present whether they wish her to. They all agree and Emily brings the knife down, but rather than cut the cake, she cuts into the head of the decorative groom on top. Blood pours out of it, and Lowe falls on to the table, dead. Underwood and Emily explain to Lowe's son that they always answer the prayers of a child "in one way or another".
The Elemental – Reggie Warren (Carmichael) is a somewhat pompous business man who enters Temptations Ltd and puts the price tag of a cheaper snuff box in the one he wants to buy, whilst out of sight. The Proprietor sells him the box at the altered price, bidding him farewell with a cheery "I hope you enjoy snuffing it."
On the train home, an apparently batty old clairvoyant/white witch, Madame Orloff (Margaret Leighton) disturbs Warren whilst he reads his paper, advising him he has an Elemental on his shoulder. Warren dismisses her, but has cause to call on her services when his dog disappears and his wife Susan (Porter) is attacked and choked half to death by an unseen force.
Orloff exorcises the Elemental from Warrens' home, and all seems well—even the dog returns. Later though the Warrens hear noises up stairs, and Reggie heads up to investigate. He is knocked down and falls to the foot of the stairs, unconscious. When he awakes, he finds Susan possessed by the elemental. She/It says Reggie tried to deny her life, and kills him before cackling and having a smashing time walking through the front door.
The Door – William Seaton (Ogilvy) is a writer who purchases an ancient ornate door from the Proprietor. He is unable to meet the Proprietor's asking price, but agrees a reduced price with him. When the Proprietor goes to the back of the shop to note Seaton's details, he leaves the till open. After Seaton leaves, the Proprietor starts counting the money in the till.
Seaton's wife, Rosemary (Down) thinks the door is too grand to lead to stationery cupboard, but when she touches it seems to be able to see what originally lay behind it. The Door begins to exert a strange fascination over Seaton, and he finds that when he opens it a mysterious blue room lies beyond. There, he finds the notes of Sir Michael Sinclair (Watson), an evil occultist who created the door as a means to trap those who entered through it, so that Sinclair can take their souls and live forever.
Seaton escapes, but when he tries to leave his house he finds that the door’s influence has spread, and he and Rosemary are trapped. In a trance, Rosemary is unable to stop herself from opening to the door and entering the room, where she is incapacitated by Sinclair. Sinclair carries her through the doorway, mocking Seaton by asking him to follow, as two souls are better than one.
Seaton starts to smash the door with an axe, and the room and Sinclair start to crumble. Seaton tries to rescue Rosemary, but is attacked by Sinclair. Seaton has Rosemary continue axing the door, and manages to break free. They continue demolishing the door, destroying the room and turning Sinclair to a skeleton and then dust when they break the door from its hinges. Back at the shop, the Proprietor finishes counting and finds all the money present and correct.
Between each of the segments, a shady character is seen to be casing the shop. In the end, he enters and persuades the Proprietor to hand him two loaded antique pistols. He then tries to rob the Proprietor, who refuses to hand him any money and walks towards the thief. The thief shoots, but finds bullets cannot stop the Proprietor. Terrified, the thief staggers back, is hit by a swinging skeleton, falls into what appears to be a combination of a coffin and an iron maiden, and is spiked to death. "Nasty", the Proprietor says. The Proprietor then welcomes the viewer as his next customer, and explains he caters for all tastes, and that each purchase comes with "a big novelty surprise".
Cast
- Peter CushingPeter CushingPeter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
as Antique Shop Proprietor - Donald PleasenceDonald PleasenceSir Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE, was a British actor who gained more than 200 screen credits during a career which spanned over four decades...
as Jim Underwood - Angela PleasenceAngela PleasenceAngela Pleasence is an English actress. She is the daughter of actor Donald Pleasence and his first wife, Miriam Raymond. The surname for both daughter and father has occasionally been miscredited as "Pleasance"...
as Emily Underwood - Ian BannenIan BannenIan Bannen was a Scottish character actor and occasional leading man.-Early life and career:Bannen was born in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, the son of Clare and John James Bannen, a lawyer. Bannen served in the British Army after attending St Aloysius' College, Glasgow and Ratcliffe College,...
as Christopher Lowe - Diana DorsDiana DorsDiana Dors was an English actress, born Diana Mary Fluck in Swindon, Wiltshire. Considered the English equivalent of the blonde bombshells of Hollywood, Dors described herself as: "The only sex symbol Britain has produced since Lady Godiva."-Early life:Diana Mary Fluck was born in Swindon,...
as Mabel Lowe - John O'FarrellJohn O'FarrellJohn O'Farrell is a British author, broadcaster and comedy scriptwriter.-Early life:O’Farrell grew up in Maidenhead, Berkshire the youngest of three children, attending Courthouse Primary School and then Desborough Comprehensive...
as Stephen Lowe - Nyree Dawn Porter as Susan Warren
- David WarnerDavid Warner (actor)David Warner is an English actor who is known for playing both romantic leads and sinister or villainous characters, both in film and animation...
as Edward Charlton - Marcel Steiner as Mirror Demon
- Ian OgilvyIan OgilvyIan Raymond Ogilvy is an English film and television actor.-Early life:He was born in Woking, Surrey, England, the son of advertising executive Francis Ogilvy and actress Aileen Raymond .He was educated at Sunningdale School, Eton College and at the Royal Academy of...
as William Seaton - Ian CarmichaelIan CarmichaelIan Gillett Carmichael, OBE was an English film, stage, television and radio actor.-Early life:Carmichael was born in Hull, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The son of an optician, he was educated at Scarborough College and Bromsgrove School, before training as an actor at RADA...
as Reggie Warren - Lesley-Anne DownLesley-Anne DownLesley-Anne Down is a British film and television actress, former model and singer.Down achieved fame as Georgina Worsley in the ITV drama series Upstairs, Downstairs...
as Rosemary Seaton - Jack WatsonJack Watson (actor)Jack Watson , was an English actor who appeared in many British films and television dramas from the 1950s onwards....
as Sir Michael Sinclair - Margaret Leighton as Madame Orloff
- Wendy Allnutt as Pamela
- Rosalind AyresRosalind AyresRosalind Ayres is an English actress. Active since 1970, Ayres may be best known by a wide audience for her role was in the 1997 film Titanic, in which she played Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon....
as Prostitute/Edward's first victim - Tommy GodfreyTommy GodfreyTommy Godfrey was an English film and television actor, mostly playing working-class Cockney characters.His television credits included Love Thy Neighbour, Mind Your Language, The Avengers, Bless This House, Till Death Us Do Part, Z-Cars, Softly, Softly, The Goodies and On the Buses.His film...
as Mr. Jeffries