Re-Animator (1985)

Purely Joyful Movie!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

I've written about the movie THE RE-ANIMATOR more than once. That's because various versions have popped up over the years since its initial release on disc. Of those the one issued by Image (I believe) was perhaps the best out there offering the movie in blu-ray format with a slew of extras. All that has changed with this new version from Arrow Video.A quick synopsis for those who've never seen the film. It tells the story of Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs), a scientists who dreams of finding a way to beat death. He comes up with a formula that does so but at the same time returns the dead to mindless creatures instead of who they once were. His research carries on with his roommate Dan (Bruce Abbott) helps him with his research and along the way jealous Dr. Hill (David Gale) finds out what is up. Planning on taking credit for the find West kills Gale and decapitates him. In a fit of curiosity he re-animates the head only to find it controls the body. Gale escapes, takes Dan's girlfriend Megan (Barbara Crampton) prisoner since he had a thing for her and a final battle follows.The movie was a breath of fresh air when it was released, a combination of horror and dark comedy that used gore to full effect but not nearly as much as it did quick witted writing. The barbs that come from West throughout the film are memorable, my favorite being "Who's going to believe a talking head? Get a job in a sideshow." Taken from a story by H.P. Lovecraft fans were pleased with the final effort. It spawned several sequels only the second of which deserved much attention.The movie did launch director Stuart Gordon's career. After this film he made FROM BEYOND, DOLLS, FORTRESS and ROBOJOX. What surprised me at the time and to this day is that Combs never rose to mega-stardom. I've yet to see a performance in anything he's done that wasn't wonderful to view. In addition to the sequels he was the star of DOCTOR MORDRID and had parts in THE FRIGHTENERS, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, roles in several STAR TREK series and the series THE 4400.So what make this particular edition of the film worth adding it to your collection even though you already own the film on blu-ray? Lots. Like lots and lots of extras, some available before but plenty to satisfy the most discerning fan.To begin with Arrow Video presents the film in a 4k restoration of both the unrated and integral versions of the film. It has newly commissioned artwork by Justin Erickson, a collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by writer Michael Gingold, a reprinted copy of the original 1991 comic book based on the film, audio commentary track by director Gordon, audio commentary track by producer Brian Yuzna, Jeffery Combs, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Abbot and Robert Sampson, RE-ANIMATOR RESURRECTS a documentary on the making of the film featuring interviews with the cast and crew, an interview with director Gordon and producer Yuzna, an interview with writer Dennis Paoli, an interview with composer Richard Band, Music Discussion with Band, an interview with former Fangoria editor Tony Timpone, an interview of Crampton with journalist Alan Jones, deleted and extended scenes, trailers and TV spots and A GUIDE TO LOVECRAFTIAN CINEMA a brand new featurette that examines the filmed works based on Lovecraft's work.I'm not a huge fan of extras on most movies since the majority are nothing more than press kit packages made for newer films. But when something like this comes along you can spend more time watching the extras and enjoying every minute of them. That's part of what makes all releases by Arrow Video so special. Not only do they attempt to offer the cleanest and clearest version of the film you can find they put together a package of extras worthy of being watched. It's what makes this version of the film the ultimate one to buy.If you've never seen the film then by all means find a way to do so in whatever way possible. I would still suggest that you seek this copy out and enjoy not just the film but the extras I've mentioned. If you're a fan already then by all means pick this edition up. If you don't you'll only be angry at yourself later for not doing so. What you can expect is a fun movie with enough scares tossed into satisfy your need for horror. I can't recommend this one enough.

I really enjoy horror movies that do not try and take themselves too seriously and have no problem adding funny moments. This is one of those movies that perfectly blends the horror and comedy elements well.The story centers around two protagonists Cain and West who try and reanimate dead tissue cells in order to bring back the dead.Re-animator is one of those movies where in your mind you are saying "it can't get any weirder", but in fact it can AND WILL. I found this film to be very enjoyable just because how unique it is. I believe if you want to see a funny horror movie that this should be at the top of your list, if not right at #1.

The Re-Animator was one of the best horror experiences I have ever had. Fantastic acting, tons of gore, little bits of humor sprinkled throughout, and a certain scene involving a severed head and a girl that just could never be shown in a movie these days. I loved all of it. The movie follows the story of Dan Cain, a medical student who is also in the tough position of dating the dean's daughter. Cain is soon joined by the strange Hubert West, a medical student from Switzerland, who has a serum that can bring the dead to life.The script is wonderfully written, with just the perfect amount of dark humor to lighten the mood just a little bit, but don't get me wrong this movie definitely had a dark tone even with it. I definitely have to give a shout out to the special effects department. A talking severed head, walking burn victims, and a zombie cat. Which all hold up to modern times CGI. With just some fake blood and some quick camera work they made a wonderful Dr. Hill. Another part of the movie that I really liked was the fact that I cared about the characters. In many horror/zombie movies I don't care if or when a character dies, because I don't feel a real attachment to them. The acting is what turned this around, the acting was impressive in every way. They allowed me to really get to know the characters and develop a sort of relationship with that you really don't find in movies of the same genre. The Re-Animator was also straight and to the point. With a run time of only 86 minutes there was plenty of time for action and little to none filler scenes. And boy will that ending keep you wondering "what just happened???" Overall The Re-Animator easily gets a 10/10, it was just perfect in every way. Funny, scary, and gory. Modern day directors should look back at movies like this as an industry standard.

Re-Animator is one of those movies I always heard about but never got around to watching. Having finally seen it (and its sequels), the only thing I can say is that I wish I would have seen the series a lot earlier!Promising medical student Daniel Cain is assigned partners with Herbert West, a peculiar young man obsessed with the idea that death is a reversible process. West has developed a re-agent that he believes will lead to resuscitation of tissue after death, although when he is given the opportunity to try it out on a perfect specimen, things do not go as planned. What follows is a descent into gory chaos that also happens to be a whole lot of fun to watch.I certainly understand why this is considered a cult classic, because while it's not for everyone, fans of over the top gore (a la The Evil Dead and Dead-Alive) will find plenty to love here. Jeffrey Combs was flawless in his performance as West, who has become a horror movie icon in his own right... It is worth mentioning that I found nothing at all wrong with the sequels, which is rare in any film genre, but especially so in horror - but that's a review for another time.