Re-animator will take you
on a trip through the deranged mind of H.P. Lovecraft
Lovecraft novels
do not often translate well to
the big screen, but Re-animator hits the mark. All this and zombies too.
Review by: The Zombie Master Lee
Roberts September 9, 2006
Release:
1985 Written by: Dennis Paoli Directed
by: Stuart Gordon
Starring: Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West Bruce
Abbott as Dan Cain Barbara Crampton
as Megan Halsey David Gale as Dr. Carl Hill Robert
Sampson as Dean Alan Halsey
Not only do I love movies, but I also love a good read. There is
nothing like ending a long day with a brain relaxing escape into
another person’s fantasy world.
One of my favorite authors is H.P. Lovecraft. His intellectual ability
to mix horror and sci-fi has been unmatched. The problem is that his
stories have shown to be very difficult to transfer to film. In other
words, most of them “suck”. But
Re-Animator breaks the mold.
Loosely based on H.P.
Lovecraft’s “Herbert West: Re-Animator”,
this film starts by not only introducing us to Herbert West (expertly
portrayed by Jeffrey Combs) but also introducing us to the type of film
we are about to see. It seems that Mr. West has a
“re-animation” fluid that, when injected into the
brain, brings the dead back to life. (You must commend someone who
creates a zombie on purpose)
Herbert ends up at Miskatonic
Medical University where he meets up with Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) who
has a room for rent. Through a basement altercation with a dead,
re-animated, then dead again cat we soon discover that Herbert West is
the epitome of a mad scientist.
After bringing Dan Cain into the fold of his madness Herbert is
confronted by Dr. Carl Hill (David Gale) who longs to have the magical
serum and to take credit for all of Herbert’s work. Of
course, Mr. West will have none of this and during a slight
disagreement Dr. Hill loses his head, literally. Again giving the
audience another look into madness, Herbert West decides to re-animate
the severed head and body of Dr. Hill.
What follows in is a gory, twisted, and
over the top classic that defies all reality and yet is a blast to
behold. Stuart Gordon (director) does a great job in creating the
atmosphere of the Lovecraftian world. Lovecraft had the ability to grab
and suspend your idea of reality and draw you into his. Stuart Gordon
does a great job of transforming Dennis Paoli’s screenplay to
do the same thing.
Re-animator has
everything a good horror movie needs: a great horror actor (Jeffrey
Combs), a fast pace, lots of blood and gore and some gratuitous nudity
to top everything off. I recommend Re-Animator to anyone who loves
horror.
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