Re-Animator *** (1985, Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, David Gale, Barbara Crampton) – Classic Movie Review 2338

‘Herbert West Has A Very Good Head On His Shoulders… And Another One In A Dish On His Desk.’

Co-writer/director Stuart Gordon’s rousing, campy 1985 action horror comedy Re-Animator is based on an H P Lovecraft story called Herbert West, Re-Animator, with an added larding of sick humour plus gore aplenty.

Jeffrey Combs stars as crazy, wicked Dr Herbert West who creates a potion that raises the dead. Bruce Abbott and David Gale are doctor chums Dan Cain and Carl Hill re-animating dead tissue.

Weird, nasty, tasteless and effective, Re-Animator scores a high tally of scares, gore, splatter, nasty jokes and thrills.

Also in the cast are Barbara Crampton, Robert Sampson, Gerry Black, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon (Stuart Gordon’s wife) and Peter Kent as Melvin the Re-Animated.

There are various versions: 86 minutes (unrated), 93 minutes (R-rated) and 105 minutes (Integral).

It was shot at S&A Studios, Los Angeles, for $900,000  and grossed $2,023,414 in the US.

Re-Animator 2: Bride of Re-Animator followed in 1990, with Combs, Abbott and Gale returning, and Brian Yuzna directing.

RIP Stuart Gordon, Re-Animator director, who died on 24 March 2020, aged 72.

He directed another Lovecraft adaptation From Beyond (1986), The Dolls (1987), Robot Jox (1989), the remake of The Pit and the Pendulum (1991), Fortress (1992), Dagon (2001), King of the Ants (2003) and the David Mamet’s Edmond (2005).

Re-Animator is directed by Stuart Gordon, runs 86 minutes or 93 minutes or 105 minutes, is made by Empire Pictures and Re-Animator Productions, is released by Empire Pictures (1985) (US), is written by Dennis Paoli, William J Norris and Stuart Gordon, based on the H P Lovecraft story Herbert West, Re-Animator, is shot by Marc Ahlberg and is designed by John Carl Buechler.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2338

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