The Resonator: Miskatonic U

I'm fascinated with Full Moon Features from a low budget movie production standpoint but I'll admit that their production choices are about as antithetical to what I prefer, as they can get. Flatly lit, uninspired camera work, bad acting, and basic After Effects level VFX. When I turned on The Resonator I fully expected to turn it off after five minutes, like I do with pretty much every post 90s production from Full Moon but instead, I was hooked. If you can get past all of the above mentioned flaws (and believe me, I don't blame anyone for not wanting to) there's actually a good story here with a lot of heart. An unofficial (and I'm sure unauthorised but what ya gonna do? It's in the public domain.) sequel to From Beyond, the cast give it their all and the creature work is actually pretty on point, probably by newcomers who have a lot of passion and something to prove. Unfortunately, they don't stick the ending but the effort was enough to make me take note. Is it a recomend? Only for the most diehard cheesy horror movie fans or filmmakers looking for some low budget inspiration. Anyone else will probably throw tomatoes at the screen, as well as at me if I told them to go watch it.

You have to forgive just how small the budget must have been and it's short enough. I thought the main character Crawford looked ridiculous in his first school uniform scene ~ do you get mature students in American universities? A few other glaring plot holes but easily forgivable and entertaining enough.

If you are a Lovecraft fan, you will like it for what is is, and not be shocked at what it is... But, why in the hell is Miskatonic University in California?!

I have to admit that I was pretty thrilled when I first heard about this project back in 2020, I believe it was, and since I always loved the 1986 classic Lovecraftian horror movie "From Beyond", of course I was very much looking forward to getting to see this 2021 version from writer and director William Butler.

Then they released the cover teaser, and I must admit that my expectations dropped down quite a bit, because it seemed like something quite inferior in comparison to the 1986 classic. But still, I kept hope and waited for the release of "The Resonator: Miskatonic U".

And now I finally got to watch it. And I must admit that I am finding myself sitting here with the sense of being torn and conflicted. On one hand, I do like the continuation of the story told in "From Beyond" and the whole concept of the storyline, but on the other hand then "The Resonator: Miskatonic U" feels like something that was intended as a pilot episode for a series and not a feature movie.

Storywise, then "The Resonator: Miskatonic U" does keep up with the classic "From Beyond", so there is a good sense of continuity and connection to the 1986 classic. The storyline told here, though, and let's be honest, just seemed like a copy/paste job of "From Beyond" with a few tweaks here and there. So that was somewhat disappointing that writer William Butler didn't create something new to expand upon the 1986 movie.

The acting in "The Resonator: Miskatonic U" was good. The only performer that I was familiar with here was Michael Paré, and he wasn't even in the lead role. But they had managed to get together a good ensemble of actors and actresses for the various roles and characters.

Visually then "The Resonator: Miskatonic U" was somewhat of a bag of mixed nuts. Some of the special effects were good, while others were really downright laughable and even couldn't even match the effects in the 1986 "From Beyond" movie. I must admit that I had expected a lot more in the visual effects department from a project such as "The Resonator: Miskatonic U".

Continuing on with the visuals, then writer William Butler opted to put in an alien-like female brought about from the other dimension, which wasn't seen in "From Beyond". A nice touch, I will say. However, the design of the creature was just too much similar of the work of H. R. Geiger than it was something you'd see in a Lovecraft tale.

I was entertained by what I saw in "The Resonator: Miskatonic U", sure, but this was by no means something that blew me away. It didn't live up to my expectations, that's for sure, but it was still watchable and entertaining enough for what it.

And I just loved the nod that writer and director William Butler put in there towards the "Re-Animator" franchise. That was simply the cherry on the cake here.

My rating of "The Resonator: Miskatonic U" lands on a six out of ten stars.

The really bad reviews must be written by people completely unfamiliar with Full Moon. If you know Full Moon & have appropriate expectations, this is certainly one of their more enjoyable features in recent years IMO. Its not a bunch of silly nonsense played as a big joke like the bulk of Full Moon's current catalogue. The story is told straight, with effects that stay in line with the original film and also includes some direct tie ins. The main problem with this movie is the overly attractive fashion model style cast. The movie could gain a few more levels of credibility & seriousness if it would have just cast real looking people, instead of eye candy. I'm sure plenty of the Full Moon fanbase won't take any issue with the hot girls in schoolgirl uniforms though.