Beyond and Back (1978) User Reviews

Sunn Classic is at it again!

[Galop_Inferno · 4/10 · 16 December 2021]

I've been on a tear of these pseudoscience "documentaries" as of late, and while some of them are outrageous but still entertaining, most are downright dumb.

And I believe all right. I believe this is a massive load. While not as painfully Christian as, say, anything by the likes of Pure Flix/Pinnacle Peak, Beyond and Back is really quite entertaining in its overacted, extremely riffable VHS quality that I'm watching on YouTube.

I was in this POS!!!

[samtzu-2 · 4/10 · 16 March 2022]

I was a student at UofU in Salt Lake City when this was being filmed and I was a "day" extra. All background. In one scene I was a Dr. Holding a clipboard speaking to a nurse in the background. In another, I was a junkie getting advice from a Dr as I'm being lead to the exit. I think I made $50 off this. The main actress on that day was an older woman who looking like she had a bad hangover and was about two minutes away from having the D. T.'s.... never so it, but it was super weird... several local 'celebrities' were very proud to be in it.... I was just earning some bucks....

Not bad but the scenes get very repetitive

[Hessian499 · 7 February 2004]

As others have stated, Beyond and Back is a film that deals with the phenomena of those who have had near death experiences, and also talks some about seances and past life regression. While it deals with an interesting subject and has passable production values, the retelling of the near death experiences get to be somewhat tiring after a while. There are about eight experiences reported, and except for the last one dealing with an attempted suicide the stories are all presented the same way, so you almost want to say "here we go again" when a new case is presented. The narrator does an average job explaining everything, but he seems to be trying to imitate Raymond Burr most of the time. Not a great film, but not bad either and is worth watching for anyone interested in psychic phenomena. The video is long out of print and the best way to find it is at an online auction house, which is where I got my copy.

This movie f***ed up my life.

[runway6 · 1/10 · 23 July 2008]

My parents allowed me to see this crappy documentary for some reason when I was a small child. I was traumatized by it and never again got out of bed without looking back to see if my body was still lying there! Still, every time I get out of bed, the thought occurs to me. So don't let your kids watch it! That is, if you can even get your hands on it, which I strongly doubt!

By the way, the storyline that affected me most was about a guy who entered the hospital with a chest cold, then left his body and encountered evil satanic nurses. Nice. I can't believe I can remember some crappy documentary from 1978 and that it affected me so much.

I think this movie contributed to an extreme fear of death in me from a young age, and I'd have been vastly better off never having seen it. I am no longer as impressionable of course, in fact I'm a callous skeptic, but I cannot erase the emotional damage caused by this stupid 70's documentary. Lame, I know.

pseudoscientific sensationalism about near-death experiences

[Tracer · 2/10 · 18 May 2001]

I remember seeing this film when I was a young pre-teen lad, wide-eyed with wonder and gullible to anything that sounded good. And, at the time, the idea of real "proof" that there was life after death sounded really, really good.

This film is nothing more than a dramatization of 5 or 6 different people's reported Near-Death Experiences (NDEs), narrated by an impressive-sounding guy with a beard. Except for the attempted-suicide's NDE at the end, all the NDEs had a common theme of floating in the room they were near-death in, then travelling through a dark tunnel with a bright light at the end. Of course, we never got to hear the stories told by people who had NDEs that differed from this, because those stories wouldn't make a good movie. One of the guys said he saw lasers and other high-tech devices "20 years before they were invented" in his NDE, but conveniently didn't report this story until AFTER such things were invented.

The attempted-suicide story at the end was tacked on, I'm sure, as a way to discourage people in the audience from intentionally putting themselves through near-death experiences of their own. The suicidee described a horrific NDE with skeletons and snakes and hot subway tunnels, implying that you go to "hell" if you attempt suicide, even though all the other NDEs they describe sound more like going to "heaven."

Near-Death Experiences are assuredly nothing more than hallucinations brought on by oxygen-starvation in the brain.

True events! I know. Been there & Back.

[eshelman-3 · 10/10 · 17 February 2008]

On May 25th 1971, I died for about 20 minutes. I was in considerable pain, & it was just like someone had taken hold of a bedsheet at the top, & slowly pulled it up over my face & completely off my body. Suddenly, I was watching the nurses & doctors from above, as they worked to bring me back to life. I thought that it was of no use, I wasn't in that body any more. I turned my back on the hospital room & looked upward. Spread out before me was a flat oval plain that looked like a highly polished piece of wood, with 3 steps leading up to it. On either side of the steps were beautiful flowers. As I stepped up to the last step, all I could see was a reflection in the shiny surface. There was so much sunlight that all I could see was His reflection. It was Jesus, or God. Everything else was hidden by snowy white clouds. I heard his voice telling me I was ready to go, but I had a choice. I could either go to HEAVEN or go back to my life on earth. I glanced back towards the hospital room & there, instead, was my husband holding our newborn son in one arm & holding onto our daughter's hand. They all said, "Don't go". I said, "I can't leave Gene to raise our children by himself". "So be it", He said & I instantly was back in my body. I groaned as the pain hit me once again! The nurses almost fainted, as they had already called the time of death!!! I had every nurse & doctor for 2 days stopping by my room to talk to me about my "death". So all I can say is, "Be good & praise God, thanking him for everything you have while here on earth."

Life After Death Docudrama.

[AaronCapenBanner · 6/10 · 24 August 2013]

Brad Crandall returns as presenter/host once again, (most suitable he is too, great booming voice!) this time making his entrance in an eerie cemetery, before telling us about the near-death experiences of several people, shown here in re-enactments.

A Schick Sunn Films docudrama, one of many made in the 1970's, is surprisingly eerie and even moving in places, though exactly how much research was done to verify these people's claims is debatable. Some of this is undeniably hokey, even amateurish, but it has a sincerity about it that won me over, not to mention it creates a nice eerie mood.

Some reviewers even claim it prevented them from killing themselves, thus inspiring them to not give up on life, which is wonderful.

Only available on a rare VHS, and based on a book by Ralph Wilkerson, it deserves an HD release, but for now can be found on YouTube.

A eye-opener....

[GOWBTW · 9/10 · 10 May 2019]

I was only a 4 year old when the movie came out. I was curious about a few things. Death is a scary thing. It has a choice to be pleasant or painful. Hearing reports of people who have seen Jesus is one thing that it's pleasant. A painful death is painful caused by the person's act of selfishness. When a person commits suicide, they would see their lives flashed before their eyes. The woman who ran off the road got a second chance. Don't throw your life away over unfaithfulness. Move on, find a faithful companion. And the ones who had died naturally or unnaturally, got the experience of it and found it was pleasant. Before the show "1000 Ways to Die", this movie was a bit of a reminder to respect your life and don't be foolish. Too many people are obsessed with death, and they are the ones who will get the painful results. This movie is a major keeper for me. I'm fortunate to see it and learn how to understand life, and respect it. 5 stars!

A Film That Proved a Lifesaver for Me

[skeeter_sanders · 2 May 2008]

I saw "Beyond and Back" only once -- in May 1978 during its initial theatrical run. But the film proved to be a lifesaver -- literally.

It saved my life. I went to see it at a time when I was very lonely and despondent and was contemplating suicide. I was 25 years old at the time and was depressed over what at that time had been an inability to find love in my life -- that is, the love of a companion, having fallen in love with someone fir the first time in my life, only for that love to go unrequited.

I won't spoil it for those who have never seen "Beyond and Back," but suffice it to say, it convinced me that suicide is not a viable option.

Ironically, I recently saw a clip of "Beyond and Back" on YouTube exactly 30 years to the day after I saw it in the theater. It's really cheeky by today's production standards, but it's still worth watching, even if only as a vintage 1970s period film.

I was more at peace after watching this movie

[Christmas-Reviewer · 7/10 · 24 July 2009]

Life after death. Is there such a thing? Nothing has ever been proved but this movie might give you some asemblance of peace knowing that there "could be". The movie is very one sided about LIFE AFTER DEATH but that is fine with me. To me the interviews that people tell about there near death experience is very inspiring. It gave me hope. The older I get the more people I wish that were still around me. This film gives me hope that I will one day see them again!

What is great is that there is more than one interview with people that have had near death experiences. They share a similar story and it can't be just a coincidence!

I highly recommend watching this movie. You will find a sort of peace of mind. . This company that has made this movie was called SUN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES. If you know who has the home video rights to this then maybe you can get them to re-issue the movie!

a great film but where is it?

[dtucker86 · 28 September 2001]

When I was a kid, I really enjoyed the various documentaries made by Sunn Classic Pictures such as The Mysterious Monsters, The Bermuda Triangle, In Search Of Historic Jesus, and The Lincoln Conspiracy. I think that this one was my favorite. I have always been a firm believer in life after death and I love how this film explored the possibility. People don't realize that Ernest Hemingway had a near death experience when wounded in WWI and used it in his book a Farewell To Arms. I was fascinated by all the accounts this film covered. The one part that I remember scared me was the hellish experience of the suicide at the end. There was a doctor named Maurice Rawlings who researched NDEs and he said that all suicide survivors he talked to had experiences like that. I have been trying to find this film for a long time. Could anyone reading this please help me?

I too saw this as a child and have searched for it.

[oc_realtor · 8/10 · 30 August 2006]

How funny that someone else had my same experience.

I too remember seeing this as a child and I have remembered this movies for years when others I have seen just recently have been long forgotten.

This was one of about 1/2 a dozen moves that really had an impact on me as a child.

I don't think of it often, but every once-in-awhile I do an internet search to see if I can find it.

It definitely made me wonder as a child. Would love to buy it or rent it again if ever it comes out on DVD or video.

I think there was a sequel as well?

Nice look at the subject (life after death)

[libertypatriot1791 · 6/10 · 13 June 2012]

The Movie posed some good questions that cannot even to this day be answered. The blind man who (saw) what was happening in the room after he died. The wife who saw her dead husband standing in the clothes he was buried in (while she was still in the hospital recovering). is this movie campy or cheesy... yes it is, but you have to realize back in 1978 this was a ground breaking subject that nobody dared to tread, but this film did. Some people say this is nothing more than oxygen deprived brains having hallucinations, conveniently and arrogantly avoided the questions posed by this film. hallucinations does not fit how a blind man watched the people work on him (While he is DEAD)and point out misplaced items at the scene does it?? Its worth watching if you are honestly interested in the subject.

A movie that impacted me for a lifetime.

[dj_white_rice · 28 November 2004]

Beyond and Back is one of the few movies that impacted me for years to come. I saw it with my mother back in 1978 or 1979 at a local theater. Since that time I have had an enormous desire to see it again. Unfortunately the producer of the film, Sunn Classic Pictures Inc. became defunct shortly after several of its top managers left to the expanding Tri-Star Pictures. Recently however, several of the original management members reacquired Sunn Classic Pictures Inc. and are in the process of redeveloping the company so there is a possibility that this movie will return on VHS or DVD. I recently contacted Sunn Classic Pictures Inc. to try and find out if the possibility is a real one.

It was only 14 years old the last time I saw this movie almost 25 years ago, but as I mentioned it made a bigger impact on my than any other movie I have ever seen, even to the point of encouraging me to try and obtain a copy now as an adult.

The movie as others have mentioned in their reviews was somewhat of a documentary with interviews of people who claimed to have died and then come back from the dead. The movie took the stories and then reproduced them into visual representations of what occurred and how the experience would have been observed from a first hand perspective.

One scene I can still recall is of a younger man who had died in the hospital and then while dead left his body thinking he was alive and o.k. only to look back and see his body dead on his hospital bed. After walking around the hospital out of his body he eventually ends up returning to his body at which point life returns to his body.

Some reviewers have said the movie is to long. Personally I don't recall the overall length of the film, I only that in many ways this movie helped reaffirm my beliefs in life after death regardless of whether one ultimately ends up in heaven or hell.

This movie primarily tries to take you on a journey with the question of whether life ultimately ends when the physical body dies. Those who have seen this movie or may see this movie in the future and who enjoy it may also be interested in the books by Mary K. Baxter called an "A Divine Revelation of Hell", "A Divine Revelation of Heaven", or "A Divine Revelation of the Spirit Realm".

Very thought provoking movie about life after death,

[kctkeller · 9/10 · 22 September 2006]

I can't believe I found this title here! I thought I was the only person that remembered it in the whole world! I saw this movie when I was 15 at a local theater. It is a docu-drama about people dying in various ways and experiencing a brief time as a spirit, then returning (or being allowed to return) to their body to tell about what they experienced as a spirit. It had a profound impact on me at the time and I remember being much more at ease at the thought of dying. I distinctly remember as we walked out of the theater my mother saying to me: "I'm not afraid to die". I thought about this movie for years and have never forgotten the stories. The one that stands out most for me is the story of the man that crashed and died in an airplane. He saw his dead body in the plane as he stood outside the plane in a nice suit but noticed he had on no shoes or socks. Later when he was revived he was told that he had been dressed in a suit for the casket but had no shoes or socks on because thats the way they bury people. This is of course just my recollection from 1978 and may not be exactly right. If you have a chance to get your hands on this film, I highly recommend you watch it. When someone says that this is the way it happened to them when they died and then were lucky enough to come back to tell about it, its hard to refute. I guess you'll have to make up your own mind. As for me, I'm a firm believer in life after death, whether you journey through a long tunnel and see a light at the end which gets brighter and brighter until you get to the end and meet Christ, or not. If anyone reading this comment knows where I can get a copy on VHS or DVD please let me know. [e-mail]

This movie really helps you relax and settle in for the evening

[GeneralPeters004 · 18 September 2015]

I love the whole thing....Brad Crandall is nails once again. This is a fantastic film. I wish these actors were in other movies, because they are great at these dramatizations. The construction guy falling off the roof is a funny scene, but I like the conversation between those two doctors in the hall after the guy comes back to life. "I don't know....I've never died and lived to tell about it." The army guy who dies has a great account of the afterlife and the 4th dimension, and I like the blind guy who looks like an old Jerry Lee Lewis...he complains "they're after me again doc." and said "Odds! I want odds!" He is a solid actor. And it's too bad that the names were changed to protect the anonymity because I'd like to google these actual accounts and read more about these people.

I have seen this and thought it was great!!!!!!

[dvader32_98 · 9/10 · 28 March 2005]

I saw this when I was 12 yrs old and I was very mesmerized with it. I do believe in an after life, what else would we be doing here in the first place and where do we go after we die.

I think anyone that doesn't believe in an after life better really consider reading their bible a little more.

The movie might have been old now that you look back at it, but at the time I thought it was quite awesome.

I do have to disagree with the other person that commented, I do remember seeing both sides of "heaven" and "hell" too. I remember this one guy that had died and went to "hell" and it was quite spooky from what I remember. I just hope that they release this someday soon on DVD, I would buy it that is for sure.

I hope this helped anybody that is looking and they come closer to God with watching a wonderful movie like this. I mean we are all destined to Heaven, so why not get a little sneak peek at it.

Would like to see this film again.

[lkwmb · 11 January 2002]

I remember Sunn Classic Films quite well. Actually I was in Beyond and Back, and would like to know if there is any way to get a copy of it. Sunn Classic Films' documentaries were quite good for their time (the 70s). The Lincoln Conspiracy was my favorite.

Magical SUNN

[BandSAboutMovies · 8/10 · 12 March 2021]

This Sunn Classics Pictures release isn't just a movie Roger Ebert hated. He said, "Gives turkeys a bad name. It exists on about the same cinematic level as an Army training film or one of those junior high chemistry movies in which the experiments never quite worked." He had it on his list of most hated movies on his site and it's one of the entries in his book I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie.

Sunn didn't care. They four-walled - bought their own theaters and sold their own tickets - this movie or played it in drive-ins. It mostly played in smaller towns and non-urban areas, away from critics for the most part.

Just like In Search of Noah's Ark and In Search of Historic Jesus, this is one of the Sunn films that tries to present the science behind Christian belief. Producer Charles E. Sellier Jr., the man who also made Grizzly Adams and Silent Night Deadly Night, said of the juxtaposition between revival house and grindhouse that he "believes God wants me to do the films I do, otherwise He wouldn't have made me a success."

Directed by James L. Conway, who also did Sunn's The Lincoln Conspiracy and shot by Henning Schellerup, who did adult under his other name Hans Christian, Beyond and Back is a Utah shot blast of hyperbole that goes right to your brain.

As with most films from these guys, Brad Crandall provides the narration that will either comfort you or make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. There's nowhere in between.

This is a movie filled with near death experiences and mentions of how much the soul weighs, which is for some all the explanation they need that it exists. You may scoff at the material presented as fact, you may see it as gospel or you may be like me, someone that loves the carny nature of it all.

But just remember: "The events you have just seen have been taken from actual accounts, but the names of the persons involved have been changed to preserve their anonymity. All such persons have been portrayed by professional actors and actresses."