------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Rating : 6.5/10
Directed By : Stuart Gordon
Jeffrey Combs (Abominable)
Bruce Abbott (The Prophecy II)
Barbara Crampton (Chopping Mall)
David Gale (Bride of Re-Animator)
Supplied By : Anchor Bay Entertainment
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : Mar. 28, 2007
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| PLOT Herbert West has a very good head on his shoulders... and another one in a dish on his desk! Deep within the morgue at Miskatonic University, arrogant madman West introduces fellow graduate student Dan Cain to his startling formula for the re-animation of fresh corpses. But the secret of life and death has some very messy consequences. |
||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| THE REVIEW In RE-ANIMATOR a medical student named Herbert West. studying in Switzerland transfers to a new school in the states after the death of his Professor, a renowned Doctor named Gruber. It seems that when Herbert arrives he quickly realizes that what he had been studying with Gruber is far more advanced, this causes West to have a cocky attitude towards his peers and teachers alike - not to mention that they think he is a little weird anyway. Furthermore the strange Hebert West rents a room in the apartment of a fellow classmate....promising medical student Dan Cain. Dan along with his Girlfriend Meg believe the quite nature of West to be a little strange and initially think nothing of it - that is until one day Dan's cat turns up dead in the new roommate's freezer - in which West offer's up the explanation that he found the animal dead once he came home and had just forgotten to inform Dan about it. The story essentially becomes weirder the next night when Dan comes home to find Herbert seemingly at "war" with a newly re-animated cat. It is from here that West introduces a reluctant Cain to a serum he has produced - a green liquid, that when injected into lifeless tissue, it can rejuvenate it to live again. Herbert, when he sees it works on the once dead feline gets a far more wacky idea, and that is to re-animate the human body, he the begs Dan to join him in his mission. Even though he's rather not do so, we see a reluctant Dan Help a recently suspended Herbert back into the school to test on the bodies in the school morgue. These adventures soon turn chaotic as the re-animated start a rampage and a greedy top Professors at the school, Dr. Hill tries to ambush the two to claim the serum as his own. From the twisted mind of the legendary author H.P. Lovecraft came RE-ANIMATOR. RE-ANIMATOR is a different kind of Horror film as deep down it is essentially a zombie film, but overall it is a black comedy that has a mainstream feel too it. Another plus to add to it that the story is so off the wall that yes it is a B-Movie, but really more than that, because unlike most B-films RE-ANIMATOR is fleshed out with a solid story as well as greatly developed characters to support it. The film plays out much like a zombified version of FRANKENSTEIN, in which nerdy and strangely kooky Herbert West believes he is far more advanced in the medical field, so much so that he readily claims himself as a "Scientist" More than a Doctor. And in reality Herbert just night be what he believes, because he does indeed have a divine discovery, that being his serum - the problem is - every time he uses it, yes it reanimates but more less backfires resulting in a violent mess. In the end nothing is really resolved in this film, there is no conclusion, as the character of Herbert West never actually accomplishes what he sets out to do. He never once re-animates a dead body that isn't insane as a result.... he is basically running for his life each time he conducts an experiment. We do believe he aims to bring back someone whom will remain in the normal state in which they perished - but in sense we begin to feel that not even Herbert knows what he is trying to do. He just wants to prove everyone wrong that doubt him... in the end, all of these mishaps and misconceptions play apart of this cult film's comical charm. The performance that Jeffrey Combs gives as Herbert West, is in all honesty Combs at his very best. I have seen Jeffrey Combs in a number of roles over the years, and I can't say that he has ever owned another role with this much prominence. He is essentially on point in delivery and believability and gives off a distinct aura that is strangely mischievous, you feel the same way about him while watching as his supporting characters do. Bruce Abbott as Dan Cain, is a good counterpart to the Herbert West character. Dan Cain is really the complete opposite of West, he is clean and proper but in the end somehow becomes the perfect but reluctant sidekick. Abbott keeps the character subtle and it works, I would hate to have seen this character turn into one of those fumbling sidekick types toward the end - but in the end he is seen as almost heroic I guess. RE-ANIMATOR besides the characters and plot, also has some of the most memorable special effects as well, Who can forget the talking severed head of on Dr. Hill or the severed limbs that continue to move after being detached, it's stuff like that that make this film a classic...an undying one at that, By undying, I mean that RE-ANIMATOR just may be one of the most released films of all time, as it has been released on VHS in both rated and Unrated forms, on laser disc, the first edition DVD by Elite and then a few years later re-issued as a "millennium edition"..again by Elite Entertainment chock full of extras. Now the time has come for this release, a two disc release that launches Anchor Bay Entertainment's "The Anchor Bay Collection. Packaged in an oversized box which houses the 2 disc set, the extras included are basically all that was included on Elite's Millennium edition disc, but to top it off...packaged within the box is an exclusive neon green highlighter marker, that is shaped like Herbert West's infamous syringe! While the marker included is really nothing special, I enjoyed getting an unexpected "surprise" shall we say - and for collectors this is definitely an interesting piece to add to one's collection. The disc presented by Anchor Bay here, is probably the best available collecting wise, I am a big fan of the unique packaging and overall presentation. In closing about the film, RE-ANIMATOR is a film that creates a unique blend of Comedy and Horror, that, without question works very well together. I Admit, although the film is not absolutely perfect, it still is as entertaining from beginning to end, as it was when it was released in 1985. |
||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| GORE
METER 5.5/10 This film is gory, but in a dark humor sort of way. Heads are severed, as well as limbs, and not to mention they all continue to move afterwards....I also liked when the Dean Alan Halsey, crushes a severed head and throws it against the wall... I fount that funny for some reason. |
||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| MUSICAL
SCORE 6/10 The score is great, and seems to have been done the old fashioned way, with an orchestra. I loved all of the background tracks, one of the themes even sounds a little like the theme from Psycho to me. |
||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM Overall, this is an excellent movie. Had it not been for Jeffrey Combs' great performance in the lead, it probably would not have worked as well as it did. The stories of Lovecraft have went on to inspire many authors and filmmakers, and RE-ANIMATOR is one of the most influential of those stories and with good reason as i'm not sure but I believe it is one of the first stories to ever seamlessly combine two different genres. Unlike some Horror Comedies, RE-ANIMATOR is very coherent and interesting...it doesn't fail to be entertaining, I recommend. |
||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| STILLS | ||||
|
