31 Horror Movies in 31 Days: H.P. Lovecraft's: Necronomicon

H.P. Lovecraft's: Necronomicon (1993)

Directed by Brian Yuzna, Christophe Gans and Shusuke Kaneko

Starring Bruce Payne, Richard Lynch, Jeffrey Combs, Belinda Bauer, David Warner, Maria Ford

Horror author H.P. Lovecraft is visiting a rare monastery that houses a copy of the fabled Necronomicon. He reads the text, only to find it’s filled with stories that have yet to happen and some that already have. As Lovecraft delves further into the text, the monks begin to suspect he knows too much. Machinations start coming into place to keep Lovecraft from ever passing on the Necronomicon’s knowledge.

The framing device is H.P. Lovecraft’s efforts to research the Necronomicon, a book featured heavily in the mythology of his work. Three full segments are very loosely based on Lovecraft stories, but with more added sex and eroticism that would have made the author extraordinarily uncomfortable. The best segments of the four are “The Drowned” by Christophe Gans and the Lovecraft wrap around by Brian Yuzna. Gans (Brotherhood of the Wolf, Silent Hill) is a very capable director and he pulls together a great segment inspired by “The Rats in the Walls”. Bruce Payne does well as a recently widowed man visiting his family’s old coastal hotel, only to discover what killed his ancestor many years ago. The segment uses both action and tone to build tension until the explosive finale.

Brian Yuzna’s framing story segment is a lot of fun for one reason: Jeffrey Combs. Combs finally gets to play the man who is partially responsible for his career. As Lovecraft, Combs chooses to play him more inquisitive and adventurous than the real deal. But his performance is the reason you keep watching the segment as it sets up the other stories. No matter the faults with the wrap around, Combs is always worth it.

The other segments aren’t bad; it’s just that they have their own particular problems. Yuzna’s other segment, based on “The Whisperer in Darkness”, is genuinely disturbing. Its ending is very dark and rather vicious to a pregnant woman, but that’s not the problem. The special effects, both cheap and now old, look awful. Creature puppets are rubbery and prosthetic makeup falls short of the images it’s supposed to represent. Shusuke Kaneko’s segment is based on “Cool Air’ and it’s good. The story just doesn’t have the same sick fun of the others. It does, however, have a fine performance by the always game David Warner.

Necronomicon is a decent anthology and a lot of fun if you’re a Jeffrey Combs fan. As long as you can deal with the segments not being completely faithful to Lovecraft’s originals and as long as you don’t mind early 90’s budget special effects, the movie is an entertaining collaborative effort.

7 out of 10

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