(dir. Stuart Gordon)
There is something
compelling about the mad scientist, be it Victor Frankenstein or Dr. Moreau, we
are entertained and frightened by the idea of someone who will do anything in
the name of science and discovery. Based on H.P. Lovecraft’s short, story
“Herbert West-Reanimator”, Re-Animator
is one of the best mad-scientist films there is. The film tells the story
of a medical student, Herbert West, who develops a serum to bring the dead back
to life. But, the imperfect serum makes the dead hostile and uncontrollable,
until West’s professor, Dr. Hill, steals the serum and finds a way to control
the lifeless bodies.
Re-Animator is undoubtedly campy, and at
times even ventures into slapstick (through it’s more restrained in this than
say Evil Dead II). But the clever
humor works in the film’s favor, creating a stark contrast to the morose
subject matter but never softening the elements of horror (a severed head has
never been so fantastically used as it is in this film). Jefferey Combs’
performance as Herbert West is the true-standout, his understated comedy works
particularly well with David Gale’s over-the-top performance as Dr. Hill.
Overall, the film plays like a throwback to the monster and mad-science movies
that Universal and Hammer made so popular before Psycho (which the film rather ironically borrows its musical cues
from). It’s a wonderfully absurd cult classic, and its offbeat tone make it one
of the most original horror films of the 80s.
Scare Factor: 2/5 Re-Animator
is a darkly funny film, but it spares no expense on gore. While the film isn’t
overtly frightening, it’s consistently entertaining and well-crafted. You can
read Lovecraft’s original story here.
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