Writer/Director, Stuart Gordon along with Producer, Brian Yuzna and the perfect cast including Bruce Abbott, Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton collaborate on what is probably the most dementedly hilarious horror/comedy of the 1980's. Based on H.P. Lovecraft's ahead-of-its-time six-part novelette, "Herbert West - Re-animator", this is an example of the kind of movie that made the mid-1980's such landmark time for this type of genre. Its gory to the extreme, and provides more comic relief for fans of morbid humor than any other film of its peculiar stature.
Stuart Gordon keeps true to Lovecraft's unique style and locations, including the fictionally infamous, Miskatonic Medical School in Arkham, Massachusetts, where this crazy film takes place. Herbert West, perfectly portrayed by Jeffrey Combs invents a serum that can resurrect organisms after subsequent brain death, but the effects are catastrophic for med student Bruce Abbott and pretty girlfriend, Barbara Crampton as the bodies turn out to be mindless, violent zombies. Stuart Gordon adds plenty of excellent additives to Lovecraft's original story including a sub-plot with actor, David Gale as an acclaimed professor who steals West's ideas on reanimation.
This is Lovecraft's already twisted story adapted into a non-stop display of madness and gore with great performances from a cast that clearly appreciates the subject matter. Jeffrey Combs is to Herbert West such as Anthony Hopkins is to Hannibal Lecter in one of the best character performances in horror movie history. Its zany, horrific and downright entertaining especially for fans of Lovecraft's bizarre cosmic science fiction. Great dialog, gallons of blood, intestines attacking like a hungry python and a talking severed head going down on poor Crampton while she's immobilized are just of the few hilarious highlights of this uproarious film. Followed by "Bride of Re-animator" and the equally effective "Beyond Re-animator". This is an absolute classic.
Stuart Gordon keeps true to Lovecraft's unique style and locations, including the fictionally infamous, Miskatonic Medical School in Arkham, Massachusetts, where this crazy film takes place. Herbert West, perfectly portrayed by Jeffrey Combs invents a serum that can resurrect organisms after subsequent brain death, but the effects are catastrophic for med student Bruce Abbott and pretty girlfriend, Barbara Crampton as the bodies turn out to be mindless, violent zombies. Stuart Gordon adds plenty of excellent additives to Lovecraft's original story including a sub-plot with actor, David Gale as an acclaimed professor who steals West's ideas on reanimation.
This is Lovecraft's already twisted story adapted into a non-stop display of madness and gore with great performances from a cast that clearly appreciates the subject matter. Jeffrey Combs is to Herbert West such as Anthony Hopkins is to Hannibal Lecter in one of the best character performances in horror movie history. Its zany, horrific and downright entertaining especially for fans of Lovecraft's bizarre cosmic science fiction. Great dialog, gallons of blood, intestines attacking like a hungry python and a talking severed head going down on poor Crampton while she's immobilized are just of the few hilarious highlights of this uproarious film. Followed by "Bride of Re-animator" and the equally effective "Beyond Re-animator". This is an absolute classic.