From Beyond is perhaps one of my
favorite HPL stories. It is among the few stories that really expertly blend
science fiction with weird horror. Often it is this story I think of more than
the mythos stories that defines Lovecraft in my mind.
Told from the first person, From Beyond
is a story about scientific exploration into the power of the mind. But
sometimes there is a deep price for such breakthrough research. Tapping into
the unlocked power of the pineal gland (perhaps a satirical dig at the ideas of
Descartes), scientist Crawford Tillinghast discovers an unseen dimension hidden
within the world we see and experience. This pocket universe is inhabited by
strange unfathomable creatures. This is a theme that Lovecraft would continue
to explore in many more stories. Many would say his later explorations were
much better crafted and written. They are correct, but it all had to start
somewhere, and while not as well written, From Beyond holds a more influential
spot in HPL's career.
From Beyond is melodramatic and filled
with the style so infused in his early writings, but that is no reason to write
it off completely. He explores some new and interesting ideas of science and
philosophy that he had not previously addressed. It is this fusion of
scientific horror that Lovecraft would be so fondly loved for.
The influences of this story can be felt
in many different media, from rock and metal songs adapted from it, to the
splattery scifi horror film From Beyond, adapted by Stuart Gordon. Unseen
dimensional creatures even show up in an episode of Stargate and Charles Stross
often incorporates into his novels a machine he calls "the Tillinghast
resonator" that allows humans to see these hidden entities. This story may
even be the ultimate inspiration for interdimensional aliens and an infamously
controversial crank phone call.
But most importantly, From Beyond, for
me, starts the true dive into Lovecraftian fiction that this experiment is all
about. I set out to read all of Lovecraft's works in order. For me, this is
where it really starts.
If you want to experience the true start
of our plunge into Lovecraft and his interdimensional horrors, you can check
out the full text here: HPL's From Beyond
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| Illustration by Jeff Powers © 2013 |
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