1985 Directed by Stuart Gordon
A dedicated student at a medical college and his girlfriend become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation of dead tissue when an odd new student arrives on campus.
I was asked by a few users on my Favorite Horror Comedies list why I had included Bride of Re-Animator but not Re-Animator and their questioning me made me question myself, even though I was pretty sure I always found the sequel to be more funny.
Interestingly enough, I shouldn't have doubted myself. I still love Re-Animator and I like it more than the sequels, and while I think it is a fun, fast-paced movie, I don't find it funny. I don't laugh while watching it, I may smile simply because I love everything about it, but it's not something I find overly hilarious.
The only word I can think of to describe Jeffrey Combs is unique. There is no…
This is a movie where I'd love to watch myself watching it because I could feel myself grinning like a goddamn idiot the entire time. It's a wonderfully campy low budget horror b-movie with some hilarious scenery-chewing performances from its entire cast (Jeffrey Combs especially) and great practical gore effects. Let's just take a look at what we have here:
- Glowing green liquid
- A soundtrack blatantly ripped from Hitchcock's Psycho
- Quotes like "You killed him!" "No, I gave him life!"
- The most traumatic/hilarious cat death since Boondock Saints
- The most obvious reanimated head effect ever
- Strong Freudian overtones
- Glowing green liquid
It's a very silly movie. If you like b-horror I really can't recommend it highly enough.
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Film #16 of the March Madness 80s Sci-Fi Movie Challenge!
letterboxd.com/naughty/list/march-madness-80s-sci-fi-movie-challenge/
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My one and only complaint is that I hadn't seen this sooner! But I guess it's better late than never! I cut my teeth on the old Black and White Frankenstein classics, if Director Stuart Gordon's flick had been available to me back in the day it would have blew my ever lovin mind!
There's enough cheese in it to feed a 3rd world country! You know it's going to be a winner when you learn in advance that it required 24 gallons of fake blood!
Jeffrey Combs nails it causing an influx of celebatory touchdown dances in his honor!
From its gore-soaked opening, to its deliriously unhinged climax, Stuart Gordon's "Re-Animator" is an ever-so-slightly tongue-in-cheek slice of horror fun. With its purposefully overwrought performance by Jeffrey Combs and its near-notorious set pieces, the film rates as a memorable and satisfying horror outing that does never takes itself too seriously.
Based on an H.P. Lovecraft story, Gordon's film focuses on the scientific goings-on at Miskatonic University involving a certain doctor and his certain serum that re-animates dead tissue. Needing test subjects for the serum, things get out of hand quickly.
The story is brought to life with solid, tone-setting performances; gooey, practical makeup effects; and buckets full of gore. Throw in the Lovecraftian roots and a score that wears its…
Downright insane and ridiculously gory! When I say "ridiculously" I mean totally bonkers, I mean getting-choked-by-intestines gory. The 80s is truly a glorious (or gore-rious, if you like) decade for practical effects. The gore is treated with such care here it almost looked like a character in the film. Surprisingly, I love it. I love it! I can't believe myself. I think Re-animator awakened something inside me. "If you're a horror director and you don't come home every day bathed in blood, then you've failed" I think Eli Roth said (something like) that. The opening credits is a beauty too, the psycho theme is capable of making anything suspenseful, even watching paint dry.
"I've always admired your beauty, my dear."
One year ago I wouldn't even dream of watching this, but now I've finally made it. Thank you Fatpie for recommending.
Hooptober 5/31
Re-Animator is fun from beginning to end, with some of the best and most outrageous special effects I've seen. There are intestines that behave like octopi, animated headless corpses, and laser lobotomies. What's not to love?
It's loosely based on an HP Lovecraft story, but one-ups the written work considerably by updating it to the present day and lightening the tone. It could technically be categorized as a horror comedy, though not the type where you laugh out loud; there are some genuinely horrific moments to be had here. The story and pace are great, with some notable performances as well. Jeffrey Combs is perfect as the single-minded, eponymous Herbert West. Bruce Abbot could well have been the…
I guess I have seen this before but it was so long ago that I barely remembered it and desperately needed to revisit it.
This really has all the ingredients that I look for in a horror film: over the top effects, weird acting, intense music, and just a little dash of WTF in the plot to keep you on your toes.
Not really sure what it was though, maybe I wasn't in the right mood, but it didn't exactly blow me away as I had hoped it would.
I think part of that is because it's a bit tonally off. It's one of those films that straddles the line between legitimately good horror/sci-fi and absurdly bad cheesefest.
That type…
I'm sure this movie has some flaws somewhere, but I don't care. At all. This one sits proudly in the top tier of '80s horror classics back when filmmakers were gleefully shredding up the genre rule book left and right, just when you thought George Romero had already overhauled everything. (See also: Return of the Living Dead, The Hitcher, etc.) The entire cast is absolutely perfect, and first-time director Stuart Gordon uses his years of theatrical experience to deliver a shocking rollercoaster ride that still packs a punch all these years (and viewings) later. Richard Band's hilarious Psycho-aping score is the perfect icing on this delicious gory cake.
mondo-digital.com/reanimat.html
Loosely based on the HP Lovecraft story, the story is about a brilliant young doctor who may have found a cure for death... and is also a little mad. He talks another student into helping him out, but a teacher and older doctor wants it for himself. Oh, chaos ensues. Jeffrey Combs is Herbert West and nobody else could ever come to my mind. He's cold, but driven and balances smart with crazy. His voice will absolutely cut you to the bone. David Gale does an amazing job as the villain, especially as just a head. Speaking of, this is one gory film with decapitations, guts flying out, limbs severed, people get totally eviscerated. I don't believe this film was…
241 Re-Animator. Wacky splatterfest. Rides that horror porno line in acting skill and nudity. #366Days #366Movies #DLMChallenge
This is EXACTLY what I want from and love about horror comedies: over-the-top, brutal kills, and witty humor to boot. This, like Raimi's Evil Dead 2, stands out from the pack of 80's horror comedies with that keen sense of tone, as well as a career-defining turn for Jeffrey Combs as the titular scientist.
Was a good film, in the way that Hitchcock films are good films. It's aged, which leads to vwers being easily distracted, and the scenes were convoluted as all heck but it was.... Not bad.
"I was busy pushing bodies around as you well know.
And what would a note say, Dan? 'Cat dead; details later'?"
Ivica_Pusticki 1,001 films
You all heard about that famous book called "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", right!? There has been…
ShockWavesHMC 200 films
As voted by the Shock Waves Horror Movie Club, the fan made top 100 horror movies of all time.
Jason Bullok 1,000 films
A list of Edgar Wright's favorite 1000 Movies per his list on Mubi on July 27th, 2016.
twitter.com/edgarwright/status/758339515421433856 mubi.com/lists/edgar-wrights-favorite-movies
