From Beyond the Grave is a 1974 Anthology Film from the British Amicus Productions, directed by Kevin Connor, produced by Milton Subotsky, and based on stories by R. Chetwynd-Hayes.
It was the last in a series of horror 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 Horror), Tales from the Crypt (1972) and Vault of Horror (1973).
Four customers purchase (or take) items from Temptations Limited, an antiques shop whose motto is "Offers You Cannot Resist". A nasty fate awaits those who cheat the shop's proprietor (Peter Cushing).
- In "The Gatecrasher", Edward Charlton (David Warner) purchases an antique mirror for a knockdown price, having supposedly 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 (Marcel Steiner). 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.
- In "An Act Of Kindness", Christopher Lowe (Ian Bannen) is a frustrated, middle-management drone trapped in a loveless marriage with Mabel (Diana 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 support this lie, he tries to persuade the proprietor to sell him a Distinguished Service Order medal. When the proprietor asks that Lowe provide the certificate to prove he previously had 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. But there is far more to this peculiar relationship than meets the eye.
- In "The Elemental", Reggie Warren (Ian 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, while 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" and rings up a 'no sale' through the till. On the train home, an apparently batty self-professed psychic, Madame Orloff (Margaret Leighton), disturbs Warren while 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 (Nyree Dawn Porter) is attacked by an unseen force.
- In "The Door", William Seaton (Ian 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 (Lesley-Anne Down) thinks the door is too grand to lead to a stationery cupboard, but when she touches it she 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 finally opens it, a mysterious blue room lies beyond. There, he finds the notes of Sir Michael Sinclair (Jack 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.
Between the segments, a shady character (Ben Howard) 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 toward 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".
Tropes from beyond the grave:
- Abusive Parents: In "An Act of Kindness", Christopher and his wife Mabel are so wrapped up in their Awful Wedded Life that they almost completely ignore their son, and he ends up becoming collateral damage in their arguments. The Karmic Twist at the end is that Jim and Emily Underwood are actually there to answer the son's prayers and not Christopher's.
- Apothecary Alligator: At the start of "The Elemental", the proprietor of Temptations Ltd. is carrying a small stuffed crocodile and does not put it down throughout the transaction, which serves to emphasize the peculiar nature of the shop and its contents, and the possibly magical nature of the proprietor. In the final scene, when the proprietor begins Breaking the Fourth Wall, the crocodile can be seen hanging from the ceiling in the classic style.
- Artifact of Doom: Two of the antiques deceitfully obtained prove to be this. The mirror in "The Gatecrasher" contains an apparition that compels Charlton to kill so it can feed and eventually manifest outside the mirror. The eponymous door in "The Door" was created by the evil occultist Sir Michael Sinclair as a means to trap those who entered through it, so that Sinclair can take their souls and live forever. (The other two items, the medal and the snuffbox, are not directly linked to the fate of their possessors.)
- Asshole Victim: Each story shows with its respective doomed protagonist trying to cheat Cushing's character in some way, establishing them as thoroughly unlikable. Subverted, however, in "The Door", which ends with the reveal that William did not steal from the antique shop's till, and is thus completely innocent. For this reason, his is the only story to end happily. Aesop Collateral Damage is in full effect, however, and many innocent people do die in this movie as a result of other people's crimes against the antique shop proprietor.
- Awful Wedded Life: In "An Act of Kindness", Christopher and his wife Mabel are trapped in a desperately unhappy marriage. She nags and belittles him every chance she gets, while he he's a classic Henpecked Husband who responds passive-aggressively or with tantrums. From the few clues dropped, it appears to have been a Wartime Wedding that did not work out as either of them expected, but divorce in middle class '60s/'70s Britain would have been social death.
- Ballistic Discount: At the end of the film, a robber 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 toward the thief. The thief shoots, but finds bullets cannot stop the proprietor.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: In the final scene, the proprietor breaks the fourth wall and attempts to sell something to the audience; the camera escapes and the shop door closes.
- Cake Toppers: A wedding cake topper is used for Sympathetic Magic in "An Act of Kindness".
- Demonic Possession: In "The Elemental", an invisible demonic entity known as an elemental attempts to possess businessman Reggie Warren, but is defeated by Madame Orloff's exorcism. However, it turns out that the exorcism has driven it from Reggie's body but not sent it back to Hell. It possesses Reggie's wife Susan, and then beats Reggie to death with a poker for foiling its first attempt to acquire a host. Susan then leaves the cottage to wreak more havoc.
- Disposable Sex Worker: In "The Gatecrasher", Edward's first sacrifice is a streetwalker he picks up and takes home.
- Evil-Detecting Dog: When Warren arrives home with the invisible elemntal on his shoulder in "The Elemental", his dog whines and refuses to come near him. He later runs away. When Madame Orloff arrives to perform the exorcism, one of the first questions she asks is if their dog has run away, and goes on to explain that animals and children can sense elementals, and sometimes even see them.
- Evil Sorcerer: The eponymous door in "The Door" was created by the evil occultist Sir Michael Sinclair as a means to trap those who entered through it, so that Sinclair can take their souls and live forever.
- Five-Finger Discount: The thief played by Ben Howard has a habit of filching anything that isn't nailed down. While casing the shop, he unscrews the bell on a bicycle parked outside and pockets it.
- Glory Days: In "An Act of Kindness", Lowe longs for his army days. However, his attempts to invoke this drag him into Phony Veteran territory, and that leads him down a very dark path.
- Henpecked Husband: In "An Act of Kindness", Christopher Lowe is completely under the thumb of his wife Mabel, who nags him from the moment he gets home and mocks him for his life not turning out the way she thinks it should have. He responds either passive-aggressively or with tantrum-like outbursts. His desire to be free of her leads him down a destructive path.
- Here We Go Again!: At the end of "The Gatecrasher", one of the new tenants of the flat decide to hold a seance in front of mirror, as Edward's face appears in the glass...
- I Have Your Wife: Evil occultist Sir Michael Sinclair, from "The Door", found the secret of immortality; constructing his own personal room behind an ornate door, Sinclair lures those who come into possession of the door to the room to murder them and take their souls in order to extend his life. Targeting young William Seaton and his wife Rosemary, Sinclair kidnaps Rosemary to lure in Seaton, plotting to harvest them both, as "two souls are better than one".
- Immortality Immorality: Evil occultist Sir Michael Sinclair, from "The Door", found the secret of immortality; constructing his own personal room behind an ornate door, Sinclair lures those who come into possession of the door to the room to murder them and take their souls in order to extend his life.
- Immune to Bullets: At the end of the film, the thief uses the proprietor's own antique pistols to rob him. The proprietor refuses to hand over any cash and advances on the thief. The thief fires, but discovers the bullets have no effect on the proprietor.
- Iron Maiden: After failing to rob the proprietor, 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.
- Jack the Ripper: The spirit that possesses Edward in "The Gatecrasher" is strongly implied to that of Jack the Ripper. This is made much more explicit in the short story on which it is based.
- The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday: The shop keeper (Peter Cushing) sells cursed antiques to four different customers, all (but one) of whom end dead before they could return them. In the final scene, Cushing breaks the fourth wall and attempts to sell something to the audience; the camera escapes and the shop door closes.
- Mirror Monster: In "The Gatecrasher", Charlton buys a mirror at Temptations Ltd., cheating the proprietor by claiming it is a reproduction when it is really an antique. 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.
- Nice to the Waiter:
- In "An Act of Kindness", Christopher Lowe is always generous to the match seller outside the train station because he is a decorated ex-serviceman. Tellingly, his wife Mabel regards the man as nothing more than a beggar.
- In "The Door", William is nice to the antique shop proprietor, enthusiastically chatting about what he'd like to do with the door in question once he gets it home, and - in marked contrast to Edward at the beginning of the movie - not trying to undervalue it in hope of a better deal. However, when he leaves, the proprietor begins to worry that William may have stolen from the till. He hasn't, it turns out, and subsequently, William is the only one of the film's four protagonists to survive the movie.
- Nosy Neighbor: In "The Gatecrasher", Charlton's downstairs neighbour Mr. Jeffries knocks on his door to complain about the red liquid dripping down through his ceiling. He goes on to complain about the large number of young ladies Charlton has been bringing home, and the noise they have be making, and the hammering that has been going on at all hours of the night. Unfortunately for poor Mr. Jeffries the penny does not drop before Charlton uses a knife to rid himself of the problems a nosy neighbour can bring.
- Phony Veteran: In "An Act of Kindness", Lowe is a little ashamed of his service in the Pay Corps during the war, and instead claims to have been attached to the infantry. He later claims to have been decorated during the North Africa campaign and steals a Distinguished Service Order to prove it.
- Portal Door: In "The Door", he door begins to exert a strange fascination over Seaton, and he finds that when he finally opens it, a mysterious blue room lies beyond. There, he finds the notes of Sir Michael Sinclair (Jack 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.
- Psycho Knife Nut: In "The Gatecrasher", the ghost that confronts Edward in his vision is carrying half a dozen knives in his belt, and uses one of them to stab Edward. Later, under his influence, Edward commits all his murders with a knife.
- Rain of Blood: In "The Gatecrasher", Charlton's downstairs neighbour notices a red drop fall on the page of the book he is reading. Looking up, he sees a red stain spreading on his ceiling and slowly dripping. Not realising what the liquid is, he goes upstairs to complain to Charlton about his housekeeping. As the liquid is blood dripping from the bodies Charlton has concealed under his floorboards, this ends badly for poor Mr. Jeffries.
- Soul Jar: In "The Door", Sir Michael's soul is mystically connected to the door he enchanted to allow him to reach across centuries and take others souls in order to live forever. Seaton realizes that the only way to defeat Sir Michael is to destroy the door, and when Rosemary hacks at the carved face on the door with an axe, the same cuts appear on Sir Michael's face.
- Sympathetic Magic: In "An Act of Kindness", Mabel complains that someone in the street took her photo. Later, a gloved hand is seen cutting a lock of hair from her head while she is on the bus. It is later revealed that is Emily who has been collecting personal items of Mabel's in order to work sympathetic magic against her.
- See Soul Jar above for another example.
- Too Dumb to Live: Charlton's downstairs neighbor Mr. Jefferies in "The Gatecrasher" notices red liquid dripping from his ceiling, and instead of telling the authorities, goes to Charlton to complain about the mess. Charlton kills him.
- Unwanted Spouse: In "An Act of Kindness", Christopher and his wife Mabel are trapped in a desperately unhappy marriage. She nags and belittles him every chance she gets, while he he's a classic Henpecked Husband who responds passive-aggressively or with tantrums. From the few clues dropped, it appears to have been a Wartime Wedding that did not work out as either of them expected, but divorce in middle class 60s/70s Britain would have been social death.
- Voodoo Doll: In "An Act of Kindness", Emily 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.
- What Did I Do Last Night?: Following the first murder he commits under influence of the mirror in "The Gatecrasher", Charlton wakes up in his flat with no clear memory of what he is has done. There is no body, but his clothes, the couch and the wall are all covered in blood.
- Your Soul Is Mine!: Evil occultist Sir Michael Sinclair, from "The Door", found the secret of immortality; constructing his own personal room behind an ornate door, Sinclair lures those who come into possession of the door to the room to murder them and take their souls in order to extend his life.
