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

31 Horror Movies in 31 Days: Cemetery Man

Cemetery Man (1994)

Directed by Michele Soavi

Starring Rupert Everett, François Hadji-Lazaro, Anna Falchi

Every night in the small Italian town of Buffalora, Francesco Dellamorte kills the recently deceased. The cemetery watchman is duty bound to kill the living dead when they rise from their graves after seven days in the ground. The local government has no problem believing Francesco battles zombies all night, the mayor is even quite grateful. But he won’t assign anyone to help or relieve Francesco of his obligations. With only his mentally handicapped assistant for company, Francesco is stuck in an endless cycle of killing the dead. But he meets a woman who changes everything and they fall in love, only for her to die. And then die again at his hands. But then Francesco sees her alive again, except it’s a different woman. And he meets another woman that looks just like his lost love. Francesco doesn’t know what to make of this, but it’s all part of his journey through love and death.

There’s no description of Cemetery Man that will really do it justice. The script is based on a novel by the creator of Italian comic book hit Dylan Dog, Tiziano Sclavi. Is it a reflection on life, love, and death? Is it a slapstick/existential horror comedy about a man in Sisyphean cycle? Is it an art house zombie film? It’s all of those things and more. To me, Cemetery Man is a stylish meditation on the mundanities of life and the inevitability of death. But I’m not even sure that’s right. The movie allows for multiple interpretations.

Director Michele Soavi isn’t all that interested in providing answers. He lays on the symbolism thick and loves mixing it up with a great deal of physical comedy. The whole movie is very dreamlike. The seemingly inescapable nature of Francesco’s life, the hazy focus of every daylight shot, and the Three Stooges inspired shticks all make for an unreal narrative. Instead of feeling unfocused, Cemetery Man earns a unique style that’s both entertaining and contemplative. It’s like the screenplay for Evil Dead 2 got mixed with a philosophy thesis paper and an Italian culture midterm.

The makeup and practical effects are fantastic. The zombies look so wonderfully wretched, finding an odd beauty in decay. They have a dirtier look because of their recent exit from the grave. Some even have bits of shrubbery and plant roots in them. Francesco also sees the Grim Reaper, who appears in full daylight to speak with him. The Reaper looks absolutely ethereal through costume, makeup and a little puppetry. Cemetery Man is all around an awesome show of practical effects craftsmanship.

Rupert Everett does well as Francesco, ably conveying the numbness of his existence while also pulling off the longing and frustration. François Hadji-Lazaro is hilarious as Gnaghi, Francesco’s mentally handicapped assistant who only says “Gna”. The slapstick and physical comedy is relegated to Hadji-Lazaro’s part and he pulls it off splendidly. Anna Falchi doesn’t really have the material the other characters get, so her acting leaves a little to be desired. However, she does manage to play three different parts in addition to appearing full zombie and fully naked. So, she definitely has the guts to tackle a lot in one movie.

Cemetery Man is so beautiful, imaginative, and fun. If you don’t mind a lack of answers and a lot of eroticism (from both Everett and Falchi), this movie is a real gem.

9 out of 10

31 Horror Movies in 31 Days: Pontypool

Pontypool (2009)

Directed by Bruce McDonald

Starring Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, Georgina Reilly, Hrant Alianak

Shock jock Grant Mazzy is at a pretty low point in his career. The disc jockey took a job hosting the morning drive time show of a small town radio station in Pontypool, Canada. What looks to be just another dark, snowy morning progresses into something far more sinister when Mazzy, producer Sydney, and board operator Laurel-Ann start getting reports of a strange affliction. People are babbling, repeating random phrases with no discernible pattern, and then chewing through the mouths of anyone close by. The crew gets more and more frightened as the reports and come in with an alarming frequency. There’s something happening out in Pontypool all around them and these people have to keep broadcasting, even when the infected finally find them.

Pontypool is a zombie movie of the most interesting variety. It’s more akin to a plague movie like 28 Days Later or The Crazies than a traditional zombie movie. What’s really unique is that the movie deals with a disease of language. The infection spreads through terms of endearment, slowly turning people into babbling maniacs that chew off the mouths of strangers. Essentially, these characters are in a business that relies on the massively broadcasted spoken word and they have to report on an epidemic that spreads the same way.

The setting also helps give the movie its own identity. This is a zombie outbreak as seen by the people who have to report the news. It’s a bottle episode, a siege movie, and a zombie drama all in one. They only know what the AP feed, police scanner, and call in listeners tell them. So, Pontypool ultimately becomes a movie that tells more than it shows. Usually that’s a difficult way to make a compelling narrative, but director Bruce McDonald and his cast ably execute the concept.

There really aren’t many special effects, but the blood effects that are used look good. Pontypool is more about using mood and mounting tension to scare you senseless. While you only see the verbally infected occasionally, it’s not seeing them that is far more terrifying. The audience only knows what the people in the station know; what little info that comes in from newswires and callers. The movie becomes a reverse Orson Wells War of the Worlds; you see how an unprecedented catastrophe is perceived from within a radio station.

The cast is small but fiercely talented. Stephen McHattie gives a genuine show stopping performance as Grant Mazzy; the surly and reluctant voice of reason. Pontypool is really centered on the character and there isn’t a moment McHattie doesn’t keep you enthralled. He’s cranky and cynical, but also playful and caring. Lisa Houle gives a strong performance as Sydney Briar, the morning show’s producer. She gets the chance to play off McHattie a lot and they have great chemistry together (the two actors are married). All the supporting actors also do quite well.

Pontypool is smart, compelling, and god damn terrifying. It defies the convention by telling all and rarely showing. The leading man is on fire and makes you believe every minute of a word-zombie apocalypse. Find this movie now, you won’t be disappointed.

By the way, make sure to stick around after the credits. There’s a stylish little epilogue waiting for you.

9 out of 10

31 Horror Movies in 31 Days: Night of the Creeps

Night of the Creeps (1986)

Directed by Fred Dekker

Starring Jason Lively, Steve Marshall, Jill Whitlow, Tom Atkins

Chris and his friend J.C. are having a hard time fitting in at college. The frats are unwelcoming, the school work is difficult, and alien slugs are everywhere. Woken from a frozen slumber inside the university science building, the slugs from space start invading everybody’s face. They burrow deep into the head and turn people into the marauding undead. With the help of a haunted detective and Cynthia, the girl of his dreams, Chris is going to have to find a way to survive the night besieged by creeps.

Along with The Monster Squad, Night of the Creeps is another horror-comedy gem from Fred Dekker. There are so many honest attempts at multiple genres with a lot of respect. But, there are very few moments in this movie that takes itself seriously. Creeps is an homage to B movies, a sci-fi thriller, and a zombie movie all in one. There are even elements of slasher films and noir. Naturally, the movie feels like it’s being pulled in about eight different directions at once. But somehow it works and the movie becomes this joyous explosion of genre love.

The special effects are certainly showing their years, but still look pretty good. The alien getup looks uncomfortably close to a baby with a deformed head, but with skin texture akin to a thick blanket. On the other hand, the slugs have remained thoroughly disgusting and convincingly slimy. The zombies look pretty great, especially whenever their heads are split open and there’s just an alien slug hanging out. The effects remain mostly grossly enjoyable.

There aren’t a lot of great performances in Creeps, but there are two worth mentioning. Jill Whitlow gives her character something very few supporting women have in horror: depth. Her Cynthia is independent, smart, sensual, and able to handle a flame thrower on her own. Tom Atkins hams it up hard by fully committing to the detective being a true blue noir character. He spits out cheese ball lines like a champ and treats everything seriously. His performance adds so much humor to the film.

Night of the Creeps is silly, disgusting, and a raucous good time. The kitchen sink approach to storytelling makes the film ludicrously fun. It’s one of the reasons you wonder why Fred Dekker didn’t have a bigger career.

8 out of 10