Beyond and Back

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.

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.

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.

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 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!