Though never appreciated in his own time, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, aka HP Lovecraft, is considered the grandfather of modern horror. His works, particularly his Cthulhu mythology, have inspired writers like Stephen King, Alan Moore, William S. Burroughs, and Neil Gaiman. Over the years, numerous film adaptations have been made of his work, ironic since Lovecraft wasn’t a fan of cinema. Flash forward years later when Chicago-based theater director Stuart Gordon was looking to make a new Frankenstein-type film. At a friend’s suggestion, he read Lovecraft’s Herbert West-Reanimator and wanted to adapt it either for theater or television. Having met producer Brian Yuzna, Gordon was convinced to move to Hollywood and adapt the story to film. With a roughly $1 million budget, a cast of relative unknowns, and a first-time director, it was a tall order. Then, 1985 saw the release of what would become the highly regarded cult classic, Re-Animator.
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At Miskatonic University’s Medical School, Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) is a young medical student with a promising future. Things are going well for him and his fiancee Meg (Barbara Crampton) until they meet student Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs). West ends up taking the spare room Dan is renting out, though Meg is unsure about West and fears him. It isn’t long before West catches the ire of Dr. Carl Hill (David Gale), and the two instantly become foes. Turns out West has been developing a reagent serum that can reanimate the dead, but with catastrophic results. After an incident where Dean Halsey (Robert Sampson), Meg’s father, is accidentally killed and reanimated, Hill tries to blackmail West. Hill wants to steal West’s work, prompting West to decapitate him with a shovel, then reanimated his head and body. Newly reanimated, Hill steals West’s reagent and commences with his sinister plans.
For being a low budget horror film made by mostly first timers, Re-Animator has a lot going for it. Much like Evil Dead II, the film is a perfect blending of shocking horror, over-the-top gore, and black comedy. Adding onto that, this film pushes boundaries to where, just when you think it won’t go there, it does. There are so many scenes that’ll either make you wince, laugh, or even both, oftentimes questioning your own sanity. In addition, for a cast of mostly unknowns, everyone delivers a fantastic performance, each actor playing well off one other. Bruce Abbott makes for a likable and charismatic lead, and he has fantastic chemistry with the always lovely Barbara Crampton. David Gale makes for a great villain, having a quality that’s eerily similar to horror icons like Boris Karloff. However, I would argue that the real star of Re-Animator is Jeffrey Combs.
As Herbert West, Combs’ mix of charisma, dry comedic wit, and quirky charm makes him an instant scene stealer. His character shows such determination in his research that you actually go along with him and believe in his work. At the same time, the film makes it clear that he’s insane in his ruthless determination to get results. Along with the cast, Gordon’s first time directing is top-notch, almost framed and blocked like a filmed theater production. The practical effects, given the low budget, are impressive and among some of the best 80’s practical effects. Admittedly, there are some character decisions and plot inconsistencies that don’t make sense, but much of that is pretty unimportant. This film shows how with determination, passion, and talent, you can still make a great film without a huge budget. Overall, Re-Animator is an entertainingly dark horror comedy that deserves its cult classic status.
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