Edward Pretorius

Dr. Edward Pretorius is a fictional character created for the 1986 film adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's short story "From Beyond". He is the main antagonist in the film, with most of the action taking place in his mansion. He is played by actor Ted Sorel.
==Biography==
Edward Pretorius is a brilliant scientist who, with the help of his assistant Crawford Tillinghast, invented an electrical device called the Resonator, which stimulates the pineal gland of anyone in its proximity. This allows them to see and be seen by a variety of creatures that move through the air, invisibly to normal humans.
Pretorius is a cruel, hedonistic man whose main goal is to find new ways to stimulate himself, hiring women to participate in sadomasochistic activities. Believing that the ordinary five senses aren't enough for him, he tries to use the Resonator as a means to experience new sensations. His first successful experiment led to him being decapitated by an invisible predator, with Tillinghast blamed for his death and confined to an asylum, as the authorities wouldn't believe his story.
However, it turns out that Pretorius' mind had been assimilated by the creature, and his consciousness transferred to its amorphous body, invisible and incapable of interacting with humans unless the Resonator is turned on.
When Tillinghast returns to Pretorius' house, accompanied by his psychiatrist Dr. Katherine McMichaels and policeman Bubba Brownlee, he uses the Resonator again and proves to them that the creatures are real, but is shocked to see Pretorius alive in front of him.
At first, Pretorius appears exactly as he looked like in life, but reveals his amorphous nature when Tillinghast touches him. In his subsequent appearances, he shows up increasingly deformed and monstrous, with an eyestalk protruding from his forehead to represent the hyperstimulated pineal gland.
Pretorius enjoys his new existence and is delighted by the chance of experiencing what he comes to regard as the ultimate pleasure: dominating someone completely by assimilating their minds. He becomes obsessed with trying to consume McMichaels and Tillinghast. However, when he does finally consume the latter, his body is torn apart as Tillinghast's mind fights against Pretorius' in an effort to save McMichaels, who manages to escape as the bomb she planted earlier detonates and kills the composite creature.
==Gallery==
EdwardPretorius1.jpg|Human
EdwardPretorius3.jpg|Mutated
==Behind the Mythos==
Edward Pretorius was created specifically for the film and is not present in the original story, in which his role is fulfilled by Tillinghhast himself. The presence of Pretorius allows the film version of Tillinghast to be portrayed in a more positive light, as a protagonist who uses the machine reluctantly.
The character Edward Pretorius might be an homage to Dr. Septimus Pretorius from the 1935 horror film Bride of Frankenstein, who is similarly portrayed as an older, more reckless scientist who serves as a villainous mentor figure to a sympathetic Henry Frankenstein.
Although his name is spelled "Pretorius" in the credits, the sign on his house reads "Pretorious Foundation".
Category:Other Supernatural Beings
Category:Deceased (In Mythos)