CLEANING OUT THE DVR: FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE (1975) ** ½

(DVR’ed from Turner Classic Movies on October 25, 2017)

From Beyond the Grave was the final Amicus anthology horror movie.  It was the directing debut of Kevin Connor, who would go on to direct The Land That Time Forgot and Motel Hell.  None other than Peter Cushing stars in the “Wraparound Segments” (***) as a mischievous shopkeeper who sells cursed antiques to any customer who tries to cheat, steal, or chisel him. 

The first story is “The Gatecrasher” (***).  David Warner buys a mirror from Cushing for way below asking price.  Much to his horror, the ghost of a Jack the Ripper-like killer lives in the mirror and compels Warner to go out and find him fresh victims. 

This sequence kicks off with a terrific séance scene where the camera rotates around the table to all the participants while a candle flickers in the foreground.  The shots of the ghostly Ripper appearing in the fog-shrouded mirror are also well done.  Although it kind of runs out of steam as it reaches its predictable conclusion, it’s hard not to love a horror story that manages to graft Jack the Ripper into The Little Shop of Horrors.  (The Ripper even says, “FEED ME!”)

The second tale is “An Act of Kindness” (** ½).  It revolves around a henpecked husband (Ian Bannen) who befriends a kindly old street merchant, played by Donald Pleasence.  Touched by his generosity, the peddler invites him to his flat for tea and to meet his weird daughter Emily (played by Donald’s real-life daughter, Angela).  Eventually, he forms a bond with Emily who offers him a way to get rid of his wife for good.

Despite a pair of fine oddball turns by the Pleasences, this entry is slight and a bit underwhelming.  The voodoo angle that occurs as the story is nearing the homestretch is kind of clunky, and the ending feels sort of rushed.  Diana Dors is quite good though as Bannen’s shrew of a wife, although she is a bit underused. 

“The Elemental” (***) stars Ian Carmichael as a customer who switches price tags on a snuff box in Cushing’s shop.  While traveling on a train, a dotty old psychic (Margaret Leighton) warns him he has an “elemental” (an invisible impish demon) on his shoulder.  He brushes her off, but when the elemental tries to kill his wife (Nyree Dawn Porter), he calls on the psychic to perform an unorthodox exorcism. 

Although this story is played (mostly) for laughs, it all works very well.  Leighton is a hoot as the batty clairvoyant.  It often looks like Carmichael is on the verge of cracking up during her hysterical histrionics.  Naturally, things revert back to horror for the twist ending.  While the turn of events is completely predictable, it in no way undermines the fun.

The final story, “The Door” (**), finds Ian Ogilvy buying a haunted door from Cushing.  Sometimes when he opens the door, it leads to a 17^th century dungeon where he goes to hang out to read a spell book.  Things become problematic when the sorcerer who originally opened the portal shows up to collect Ogilvy’s soul. 

This segment is the simplest, and ultimately weakest of the lot.  At least the finale is strong.  I especially liked the bit where every time Ogilvy damaged the door, it damaged the sorcerer’s face.  It also has the novelty of containing the only happy ending in the collection.

All in all, this is a solid collection of horror stories.  While it offers a modicum of fun, it doesn’t quite top Amicus’ other anthologies like The House That Dripped Blood, Tales from the Crypt, or Asylum.  Still fans of the genre (and Cushing) should be pleasantly entertained.

AKA:  The Creatures from Beyond the Grave.  AKA:  The Creatures.