31 Horror Movies in 31 Days: Re-Animator

Re-Animator (1985)

Directed by Stuart Gordon

Starring Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale

Miskatonic University Med student Dan Cain finds a roommate to help with the rent, but he’s a little eccentric. The new roommate is a transfer from the Zurich University Institute of Medicine, Herbert West. The new guy immediately ruffles the feathers of Dr. Hill, whom West accuses of stealing a theory of his now dead mentor. West also recruits Dan to help him in his life’s work: finding a cure for death. They work on a reagent West developed and test it on many cadavers only to find the side effects are quite alarming. The formula or the dosage never seem to be correct, for each re-animation comes back more violent and mindlessly homicidal. Once Dr. Hill discovers their work, West makes a decision that changes their entire experiment for the disastrous.

Any self-respecting horror fan knows Re-Animator and its reputation. Director Stuart Gordon and Jeffery Combs make a great pair in bring H.P. Lovecraft’s story to life. The movie has its fair share of scares and gore, but there’s also some pitch black humor running through out. Combs plays Herbert West with a sense of grandiose intelligence and abysmal social skills. The performance makes so many situations that could become trite into works of comic oddball brilliance. His delivery alone when talking to Dan about his cat’s death and subsequent re-animation is gut bustingly funny.

Oddly enough, that exchange and the fight scene with the undead cat are probably the tamest things you’ll see in Re-Animator. The film makes a concerted effort to top your expectations and then set them on fire. I can’t think of another movie that shows a zombified head performing oral sex. It’s not the main draw of Re-Animator, but it’s definitely a good example of the film’s combination of gross out terror and absurd humor.

The special effects are disturbingly great. The various states of death, decay, and re-animation look so very lifelike while being used in the most absurd ways. The real accomplishment is Dr. Hill’s severed head that just keeps living. The makeup is excellent and combined with some clever angles it looks pretty convincing even when he’s giving the big villain monologue.

The cast is filled with great performers. Jeffrey Combs is the star in every sense; this movie wouldn’t be quite the same without him. His Herbert West has a fragile ego and is mostly crazy, becoming the source of most of the film’s laughs. He is intense and unhinged but his performance never goes into parody or camp. David Gale portrays Dr. Hill with an oily nuance. The doctor is mostly professional and polite with streaks of a dark side. However, once he’s a decapitated zombie Gale lets his freak flag fly. Re-animated Dr. Hill has all the characteristics hinted at while he was alive and amplified, making him the perviest intellectual predator around.

The traditional leads in the film are ably played by two good actors. Barbra Crampton and Bruce Abbott turn in fine performances, but Crampton really has more to deal with in the movie. Abbott is the grounded, audience entrance character and Crampton is the long suffering girlfriend who has to fend off the sexual advances of a zombie. One of those roles isn’t as simple as the other.

Re-Animator has a special place in horror cinema for being astonishingly disgusting and uproariously dark. It’s got a star making performance by Jeffrey Combs and shows that Stuart Gordon is seriously talented. No doubt about it, Re-Animator is a classic.

10 out of 10