Synopsis:
When medical student Dean Cain advertises for a roommate, he soon finds one in the form of Dr. Herbert West. Initially a little eccentric, it some becomes clear that West entertains some seriously outlandish theories – specifically, the possibility of re-animating the dead. It’s not long before Dean finds himself under West’s influence, and embroiled in a serious of ghoulish experiments which threaten to go wildly out of control…
Based on H.P. Lovecraft’s classic terror tale Herbert West – Reanimator and featuring a standout performance from Jeffrey Combs as the deliciously deranged West, Re-Animator remains the ground-zero of ’80s splatter mayhem and one of the genre’s finest hours.
What We Thought:
Re-Animator is a cult classic and this new Limited Edition Blu-ray set is a must own for fans. Both the Unrated and Integral versions have been through a 4K restoration and this package comes with a TON of bonus features.
I actually hadn’t seen the film in years so it was great catching up with it. I forgot how great the practical effects were and how much gore there was. It’s not a crazy slasher flick like Friday the 13th, but there is still a lot of blood. It’s a more realistic environment, well as realistic as re-animating dead bodies can be.
What makes the film so good is Jeffrey Combs’ performance. His Herbert West is everything you want in a 1980’s antagonist. He thinks he’s better than everyone else and knows more than everyone else. He uses others to push his own work. He’s a worm with glasses! You immediately don’t like him, but you respect his genius and secretly wish to see if his re-animation formula works.
The rest of the cast is solid as well. David Gale is great as Dr. Carl Hill especially when he takes on Herbert West. I won’t spoil what happens for those who might not have seen the movie, but the Hill & West interactions at the end are what makes the movie such a cult classic. Plus, let’s be honest, Barbara Crampton was a babe back in the day.
Fans of Re-Animator will go nuts over this new edition. I loved the bonus features because it talks about Re-Animator The Musical in it. There are all kinds of commentaries and interviews as well and this feels like THE collection to own. And definitely check out the Audio Commentary track with Graham Skipper and Jesse Merlin from Re-Animator The Musical along with director Stuart Gordon.
A MUST OWN FOR RE-ANIMATOR FANS!
The Nerds Templar 