2023-12-03 18:42
Now Playing: The Lost Continent (1968) Pros: Haunting imagery; Good, nuanced performances
Cons: Seems like two very different films spliced together; Sub-par creature effects
Thanks to Gi… Read More
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Films From Beyond The Time Barrier Blog
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Celebrating overlooked and under-appreciated genre films, B-movies and TV (sci-fi, fantasy, horror, mystery-thrillers, and the occasional western) from the 1930s through the 1980s.
2023-11-07 23:45
Back in the mid-20th century, some naive prognosticators painted a rosy picture of AI-guided robots that would eventually do all of humanity’s drudge work, freeing us to smell the flow… Read More
2023-10-31 14:28
Films From Beyond's house has been transformed into the House of Hammer for Halloween. To paraphrase an old saying, "When all you have is a Hammer, everything looks like a horror movie."… Read More
2023-10-13 04:14
As far as genre movies go, we normally think of the 1950s as a high water mark for sci-fi. The Cold War, the Bomb and the Red Scares in the U.S. led to a veritable invasion of giant radioact… Read More
2023-09-22 03:33
Now Playing: Island of Terror (1966) Pros: Effectively builds tension through to a nail-biting climax; Clever, unexpected ending; Stars Peter Cushing (enough said)
Cons: Set-up of a complet… Read More
2023-08-21 23:18
Now Playing: The Dark (1993) Pros: Great, engaging cast; Impressive production values for a low-budget movie, especially its night time cinematography, sound design and original music
Cons:… Read More
2023-07-29 21:07
Now Playing: The People (1972) Pros: Gentle, cerebral sci-fi that subverts TV movie expectations
Cons: Some character interactions and motivations seem implausible and forced
This is the… Read More
2023-07-13 17:17
Now Playing: The Queen of Spades (1949) Pros: Great, atmospheric sets, costumes, cinematography and direction; Edith Evans is perfect as the dour, fussy old Countess
Cons: The second act la… Read More
2023-06-27 21:35
Now Playing: The Astronaut (1972) Pros: Good, affecting performances by Monte Markham and Susan Clark as two lonely people caught up in a government conspiracy
Cons: The rationale for the c… Read More
2023-06-20 20:10
Now Playing: Night Slaves (1970) Pros: Establishes an eerie, mysterious atmosphere in the first half; Solid cast headed by James Franciscus and Lee Grant
Cons: Reveal comes too early in the… Read More
2023-06-08 20:11
For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Monsterpalooza is the monster mother of all West Coast horror conventions, attracting thousands of fans each spring with innumerable exhib… Read More
2023-05-21 03:43
Now Playing: Todd Tarantula (2023) Pros: A wild, surreal ride through the dark underbelly of Los Angeles; The actors have obvious fun with their odd, quirky characters; Impressive debut per… Read More
2023-04-28 07:10
Now Playing: Beyond the Time Barrier (1960) Pros: Creative location shooting and use of repurposed state fair exhibit halls; A fairly unique explanation for its dystopian settingCons: Gets… Read More
2023-04-14 14:58
Now Playing: Devil on the Mountain (aka Sasquatch Mountain, 2006) Pros: A quartet of grizzled character actors led by Lance Henriksen steals the show from the younger cast members; Features… Read More
2023-04-02 16:05
Now Playing: The Cry Baby Killer (1958) Pros: Generally solid acting; several good moments of suspense and psychological drama; good jazz score
Cons: One of the more interesting characters… Read More
2023-04-02 16:00
All good things must come to an end, but this first-ever blogathon at Films From Beyond has been such a wonderful experience that I will definitely bring it back next year!
Many thanks to… Read More
2023-04-01 15:50
Happy April Fools’ Day, and welcome to Day 2 of the blogathon! Today is the day for practical jokes, but don’t worry, we won’t bait you with a tantalizing link to a notab… Read More
2023-03-31 18:04
It’s been over 12 years in the making... I started Films From Beyond in November 2010, and I’m only now getting around to hosting my first blogathon! I’m gratified that t… Read More
2023-03-24 18:40
It’s time once again for Films From Beyond to turn its attention to great TV of the past, inspired by Terence Towles Canote’s Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathon at A Shroud of T… Read More
2023-02-24 18:07
Now Playing: Killers from Space (1954) Pros: Features a mildly intriguing Cold War spy plot with an overlay of alien invaders Cons: The film is talky and slow-paced; the alien make-up is la… Read More
2023-02-14 19:45
Love means never having to say you're sorry for liking old sci-fi and horror movies Read More
2023-01-28 16:06
Now Playing: A Cold Night's Death (TV movie, 1973) Pros: Establishes a dark, moody atmosphere and nicely ratchets up the tension; the leads are absolutely believable as two men trying to ho… Read More
2023-01-21 17:04
Now Playing: The Love War (TV movie, 1970) Pros: The two leads give it their all despite a weak script and cut-rate production valuesCons: Like I said, weak script and cut-rate production v… Read More
2023-01-16 18:13
Somewhere on this blog I’ve mentioned it before: Roger Corman, the man many call the “King of the B’s,” claims he never made a B movie in his life. To his way of thin… Read More
2022-12-20 16:00
Best wishes for a wonderful, joyous holiday season!Coming soon: The first ever Films From Beyond-hostedblogathon will be announced in January 2023! Alan was pretty sure this wasn't the Maria… Read More
2022-12-09 17:00
Now Playing: Prototype (TV movie, 1983) Pros: Intelligent, poignant script; Great, nuanced performances, especially by leads Christopher Plummer and David MorseCons: Certain plot elements… Read More
2022-11-19 08:00
Now Playing: Village of the Giants (1965) Pros: Interesting cast made up of former child stars, future stars and sons and daughters of acting royalty; Striking images; Catchy musicCons: Var… Read More
2022-11-14 04:28
Years before Raymond Burr became a good guy defending the innocent as Perry Mason and fighting crime as Ironside, he gave new meaning to the word heavy in a string of crime pictures and film… Read More
2022-10-31 16:37
Happy Halloween from the house where Films From Beyond dwells! Read More
2022-10-28 15:30
Now Playing: Alone in the Dark (1982) Pros: Great cast led by Donald Pleasence, Jack Palance and Martin Landau; Good building of tension; Lots of sly black humorCons: Casting two familiar a… Read More
2022-10-14 20:48
I’ve said it on this blog before and I’ll say it again: I’m not a big fan of the endless hordes of plague-spawned zombies that have shambled their way across movie and TV s… Read More
2022-09-23 17:09
Now Playing: Ulysses (1954) Pros: Kirk Douglas’ energetic performance; Beautiful cinematography, costumes and production designCons: Stiff acting by most of the cast; Unnecessary chan… Read More
2022-09-16 16:00
It’s blogathon time again! This post is part of the 9th annual Rule, Britannia Blogathon hosted by Terence Towles Canote at his A Shroud of Thoughts blog. After you’ve explored t… Read More
2022-08-11 23:03
The Island of the Fishmen (1979) is like an Italian fish stew (Zuppa di Pesce) with a little bit of everything thrown into the pot: a shipwreck, sketchy prisoners, an uncharted Caribbean isl… Read More
2022-08-04 21:32
This third installment of Frightful Fish People takes us to the scenic Venice area of westside Los Angeles, with its famous beach, canals, boardwalk, murals, street performers… and oc… Read More
2022-07-14 15:00
Much like the first entry in the series, The She-Creature, the Monster of Piedras Blancas is a prehistoric humanoid reptilian amphibian (or amphibious reptilian, or whatever) that likes to h… Read More
2022-07-07 20:38
Last year I created a series of posts on Amazing Animal People of Sci-fi, Fantasy & Horror. For the first post on Lota, the panther woman from the Island of Lost Souls, I observed that… Read More
2022-06-10 15:00
Now Playing: The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961) Pros: A prescient story of superpower miscalculations leading to global catastrophe; Believable, complex characters portrayed by a top-notc… Read More
2022-05-26 23:09
Now Playing: The Fast and the Furious (1954) Pros: Classic hard-boiled dialog; Dorothy Malone as a kidnapped socialite with Stockholm Syndrome is very good.Cons: The racing action is mostly… Read More
2022-05-20 19:06
Now Playing: Fate Is the Hunter (1964) Pros: Haunting, character-driven story; Great cast; Excellent widescreen cinematographyCons: Plot implausibilities and a slow-burn mystery may send so… Read More
2022-04-23 22:11
Now Playing: The Flesh and the Fiends (1960) Pros: Atmospheric direction and cinematography; Masterful actingCons: A false note somewhat spoils the ending The Flesh and the Fiends tells the… Read More
2022-04-02 20:53
Now Playing: Devil Girl from Mars (1954) Pros: Briskly paced; cool spaceship design; the Devil Girl appeals to the adolescent in all of usCons: The scary robot is underutilized; tries to cra… Read More
2022-03-18 16:00
Now Playing: The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) Pros: A couple of the supporting characters are lively; the black humor works well for the most partCons: Slow and talky for much of the runni… Read More
2022-02-25 17:00
Now Playing: The Brain from Planet Arous (1957) Pros: Intriguing premise inspired by sci-fi pulp magazines; John Agar gets to laugh maniacally playing a scientist possessed by an evil alien… Read More
2022-02-14 16:00
Once upon a time, the relentless marketing campaign we call Valentine’s Day was not content to just colonize the adult world, but insinuated its way deep into the nation’s school… Read More
2022-02-02 00:37
It’s not easy being a Universal monster. Some of them have been performing for over 90 years. First there were theater revivals, and then the Shock Theater TV package made them stars o… Read More
2022-01-20 16:00
Now Playing: Winter Kill (TV movie; 1974) Pros: Solid cast of familiar ‘70s character actors led by Andy Griffith as a no-nonsense small town policemanCons: Drags in places;… Read More
2022-01-06 19:35
Now that the blog is entering its 12th year (!!), I thought it was high time to do something different. I double-checked the archives, and sure enough, I’ve not done any book reviews u… Read More
2022-01-01 16:55
- "I thought the new year always started out as a baby!"- "These days, ya gotta go big or go home!"Here’s wishing you an amazing and colossal New Year, and stay tuned to this blog for… Read More
2021-12-23 17:38
Enjoy the holiday season, and we'll see you in 2022! When Santa upgraded his sleigh, the reindeer retired to Palm Springs.Holiday celebrations on Metaluna were disrupted when a fight broke o… Read More
2021-12-16 19:04
Now Playing: The Man Who Wouldn't Die (TV movie; 1995) Pros: Roger Moore and Nancy Allen are good as unlikely partners trying to stop a madman; Provides enough satisfying twists an… Read More
2021-11-23 23:20
Now Playing: Shield for Murder (1954) Pros: Fine performances by Edmond O’Brien and Carolyn Jones; Memorable dialog.Cons: O’Brien as an older, cynical cop is an unlikely boy… Read More
2021-11-12 16:00
Now Playing: Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961) Pros: Robert Towne as an inept secret agent and Betsy Jones-Moreland as a glamorous gangster’s moll deliver some chuckles.Cons: The ru… Read More
2021-10-31 15:00
from Films From Beyond and the House of the Frankensteins!Here at Films From Beyond, we love the classic Universal Frankensteins, but we embrace all of Dr. Frankenstein’s creations reg… Read More
2021-10-23 00:07
This post is part of The Third Annual Hammer-Amicus Blogathon, co-hosted by Barry at his Cinematic Catharsis blog and Gill at RealWeegieMidget Reviews. Don't forget to check their sites for… Read More
2021-10-08 23:03
It’s that time of year again, when monsters of all shapes, sizes and descriptions claw, bite, slash, stomp, strangle and create general mayhem in Halloween marathons on innumerable cha… Read More
2021-09-24 04:36
Now Playing: Night Creatures (aka Captain Clegg, 1962) Pros: Solid cast; Typically fine Hammer production values; Michael Ripper almost steals the show as a gleeful undertaker.Cons: The mars… Read More
2021-09-06 15:00
Now Playing: I Bury the Living (1958) Pros: Brilliantly builds mood and tension; Top notch performances; Great visual design and music score.Cons: The pat, conventional ending spoils the moo… Read More
2021-08-21 07:56
Now Playing: The Earth Dies Screaming (1964) Pros: Presents a pretty effective human drama that plays out against the backdrop of an alien invasion; Adds an extra layer of horror on top of k… Read More
2021-08-02 17:24
Predictably, the Pentagon’s UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) task force report that was released at the end of June was a big, fat nothingburger (see my “Unidentified Flying H… Read More
2021-07-14 01:47
Now Playing: Grave of the Vampire (1972) Pros: At various points the film pays effective homage to classic vampires as well contemporaneous ones like The Night Stalker.Cons: Logic lapses an… Read More
2021-07-02 20:06
Way back in February 2020, I wrote about how grateful I was that my parents looked the other way when, as a pre-teen, I stayed up on Friday and Saturday nights to watch my beloved sci-fi fli… Read More
2021-06-18 07:35
Forget Covid-19. Forget the latest mud-slinging in Washington, D.C. Forget the NBA and NHL playoffs. I’ll tell you what’s really on people’s minds these days: UFOs. After… Read More
2021-06-04 00:07
I just want to reiterate that, although I run a blog devoted to lean-budgeted genre movies from the hazy past, roughly ranging from the 1930s to the 1970s, I am not some close-minded old cod… Read More
2021-05-21 18:02
Now Playing: Night of the Big Heat (aka Island of the Burning Damned, 1967) Pros: Competently directed and acted; Decent attempt at adult science fiction.Cons: Budget limitations result in a… Read More
2021-04-24 20:11
On their honeymoon somewhere in the American southwest, Dr. John Beck (Stewart Moss) and his wife Cathy (Marianne McAndrew) decide to take a tour of some caverns before hitting the ski slop… Read More
2021-04-13 16:33
On a dark and stormy night in a remote village in Cornwall, a woman decides to take a shortcut home through a church cemetery. To her horror, something claws its way out of a nearby grave an… Read More
2021-04-02 05:23
Now Playing: Master of the World (1961) Pros: Vincent Price and Charles Bronson give solid performances; The Albatross airship is impressive in exterior shots; Presents some intere… Read More
2021-03-26 03:53
Under treatment for amnesia, Jane Marvin (Beverly Garland) is administered sodium pentothal to help her recover her memories. In a hypnotic state, Jane recalls that her name is Joyce Hatten… Read More
2021-03-19 15:27
Now Playing: "O.B.I.T." (Episode of The Outer Limits; first aired November 4, 1963) Pros: Great script that explores sophisticated themes; Its message still resonates almost 60 yea… Read More
2021-03-13 22:44
Beautiful Leonora (Barbara Shelley), recently married to a dissolute playboy with a wandering eye, is summoned by her weird old uncle (Ernest Milton) to return to the ancestral home to disc… Read More
2021-03-08 00:53
Now Playing: Dark Places (1973) Pros: Joan Collins is deliciously evil as a fortune-hunting seductress; Effective spooky atmosphere.Cons: Christopher Lee and Herbert Lom are wasted in mundan… Read More
2021-03-02 18:06
The mutant humanoid underground dwellers known as The Mole People are slaves to a lost civilization of Sumerian albinos living in caverns beneath a remote mountain in Asia. They do the heav… Read More
2021-02-27 16:56
Mad endocrinologist Dr. Sigmund Walters (John Carradine) has been experimenting with transmuting animals into higher orders of species with glandular transplants. When he decides that he ne… Read More
2021-02-23 23:39
For millennia, human beings have been alternately in awe of and frightened by wild animals. Without our clever brains, we frail, awkward, slow, thin-skinned humans would have been slashed, s… Read More
2021-02-14 16:00
At first glance, B-movie mad doctors would not seem to be a natural subject for a Valentine’s Day post. As I pointed out in "The Best Laid Plans of Not-so-nice Madmen," most mad doctor… Read More
2021-01-26 04:43
Now Playing: The Snow Woman (Kaidan yukijorô,1968) Pros: Beautiful, haunting cinematography and production design; Enhancements to the original folk tale add to the drama and… Read More
2021-01-12 05:28
Now Playing: Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988) Pros: The gloriously looney script is peppered with tongue-in-cheek sight gags and one-liners; Roddy Piper strikes the right serio-comic note as a… Read More
2020-12-31 17:53
"Alright 2020, put 2021 down nice and easy and show me your hands! You're done here, finished, kaput!"Here's wishing you a happy and healthy New Year! Read More
2020-12-22 19:38
Have yourself a merry holiday season (as much as possible), and may the new year be everything you're hoping for!"Where did you get this Elf on the Shelf?""James, have you finished stringing… Read More
2020-12-09 01:23
So there it was, an artifact from the murky mists of antiquity that had somehow managed to hurtle itself through space and time to end up in my mailbox -- a **GASP!** Sharper Image holiday c… Read More
2020-11-24 17:37
So here I am, 10 years after clicking the “Publish” button for the first time on this site, and I’m still writing about my creaky old movies. Admittedly, I went on some ext… Read More
2020-11-12 23:30
Now Playing: Seven Thunders (aka The Beasts of Marseilles, 1957) Pros: Deftly mixes suspense, romance, personal tragedy and comic relief; Dr. Martout is particularly fascinating as a cool… Read More
2020-10-31 18:43
It's nice to celebrate with old friends...Sideshow Collectibles figures representing all of Universal's Frankenstein monsters (portrayed by Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Jr., &… Read More
2020-10-27 20:08
In the mid-19th century, cadavers for medical research and teaching are hard to come by. Dr. Wolfe "Toddy" MacFarlane (Henry Daniell; no relation to Todd MacFarlane), is a respected surgeon… Read More
2020-10-21 23:38
Struggling avantgarde sculptor Marcel De Lange (Martin Kosleck) is so poor, he can't even afford food for his cat. However, he is cheered by the prospect of selling a major sculpture to a we… Read More
2020-10-17 17:30
When Wolf Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone), son of the original monster-maker, moves himself and his family back to his father's old stomping grounds, he finds that he has inherited more than a… Read More
2020-10-13 20:08
Our next henchman, Jake (Wilfred Walter), is an insurance adjuster of sorts. Jake works for Dr. Feodor Orloff (Bela Lugosi), who is a psychopath and a Human Monster. Orloff, a disgraced phys… Read More
2020-10-10 18:08
Even aristocratic members of the bloodsucking undead need a little help once in awhile. Sandor (Irving Pichel) is the loyal, ubiquitous servant of the Countess Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden;… Read More
2020-10-06 20:25
This second installment of the series features Morgan (Boris Karloff), a butler employed by the highly eccentric Femm family. The Femms live in an Old Dark House in a remote corner of Wales… Read More
2020-10-04 00:20
Back in May of this year I introduced my first set of virtual monster trading cards, featuring “Accidental Monsters of ‘50s Sci-fi and Horror.” I had a lot of fun creating… Read More
2020-09-14 20:48
We’re all waiting with bated breath as the world’s finest medical and scientific minds tirelessly work to come up with a vaccine for the coronavirus. When it happens, it will ran… Read More
2020-09-05 19:28
Now Playing: Tourist Trap (1979) Pros: Adds a layer of surreal eeriness to the slasher genre; Pays clever homage to traditional horror tropes.Cons: Based on your tolerance, it may require mo… Read More
2020-08-23 20:08
Now Playing: The Premature Burial (1962) Pros: As usual for a Corman Poe adaptation, the cinematography and production design make for a sumptuous and expensive-looking B-movie.Cons: Adds a… Read More
2020-08-11 18:47
Many thanks to Paul Batters at the Silver Screen Classics blog for recognizing Films From Beyond with a Sunshine Blogger nomination. The award is a great, communal way to raise awareness of… Read More
2020-08-06 22:52
Arachnophobia is an abnormal or pathological fear of spiders. I don’t happen to share that fear, but I understand it. Spiders, especially in magnified close-up, look positively unearth… Read More
2020-07-24 18:26
Before the pandemic, the Great American Drive-in was on life-support, with only a little over 300 drive-ins left in the U.S. (down from a high of over 4000 in the late 1950s). Now that socia… Read More
2020-07-13 20:25
The condemned man stands before the court of popular opinion, his head held high, his dignity still intact. A hush falls over the assembled witnesses as the sentence is pronounced:“Wil… Read More
2020-06-25 03:22
Last year I wrote about how, in spite of societal pressures to restrict women to roles as wives, mothers and homemakers, quite a few sci-fi movies of the ‘50s bucked the prevailing nor… Read More
2020-06-08 16:24
Another monster trading card set that I recall from childhood is Topps’ Mars Attacks series that was first launched in 1962. The series depicted the Martians blitz-invading the earth i… Read More
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