The 1980s were perhaps the best decade for high-concept, low-budget, effects-driven horror films. There are many examples, but one that has stood the test of time and become a cult classic for horror fans is Stuart Gordon’s 1984 feature Re-Animator. Based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, it tells the story of a medical student who develops a reagent that can reanimate dead bodies. Originally released in 1985, the film stars Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, David Gale, Robert Sampson, and Barbara Crampton. Last month, Ignite Films has released a newly remastered UHD Blu-ray of the film. Let’s look closer and see if it lives up to the history and the hype.
The Movie
Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) is a gifted medical student with a singular drive to solve life’s most significant problem: death. Once arriving at Miskatonic University in Arkham, Massachusetts, he immediately sets to work on this problem. He rents a room from Dan (Bruce Abbott), builds a make-shift lab in the basement, and begins experimenting with a reagent he has developed that can reanimate dead bodies.
He also quickly gains the animosity of the medical school’s dean, Doctor Halsey (Robert Sampson) and his primary instructor, Doctor Hill (David Gale). Dan finds his new roommate awkward and off-putting, but when he walks in on West reanimating his dead cat, his opinion turns toward fascination. This early scene with the dead cat sets the tone for the rest of the film. The corpse is grievously and bloodily wounded, and very obviously a puppet, and in its reanimated state, attacks both men, forcing them to kill it again. It’s a great scene of physical comedy as the men wrestle with and toss around this puppet. It requires 100% from both actors, and they both commit entirely. Once Dan’s fiancée, Megan (Barbara Crampton), daughter of the dean, walks in on them, the plot kicks into gear.
They soon attract further attention from the dean (whom they kill and reanimate) and Doctor Hill (whom they kill and reanimate). The story takes several turns toward the outrageous. Their eventual antagonist ends up a decapitated corpse carrying his head around. This effect is achieved exactly as you’d imagine it would be in 1985, with a double and oversized prop costumes, but the whole cast has bought in, so it doesn’t matter: the obviousness and shlockiness of it becomes a large part of its charm. David Gale, in particular, is excellent in the film. He brings a quiet mania to Doctor Hill, and in a role that would be easy to play for the cheap seats, he achieves something far more sinister and elevates the film as a result.
There is something for everyone in Re-Animator: a love story, light and dark humour, and buckets and buckets of fake blood and viscera. It’s a nearly perfect version of 1980s low-budget horror filmmaking.
UHD Picture & Sound
Like most films heavily reliant on practical effects, Re-Animator sings in 4k. The remastered footage is exquisite, and while it may be true you can see more of the strings, so to speak, once again, that only heightens the charm. Whether it’s the makeup effects, the puppetry, or the decapitated villain of the movie holding his head in an outstretched arm to better survey his lab, it all looks fantastic. When you can see the strings, seams, and props, it feels like it’s letting you in on its secrets in a delightful way. There is still some film grain left too, which is welcome, as it helps maintain that cult classic aura.
Special Features in the new Re-Animator Release
This new release has nearly three hours of special features, most of which are great. There is a long conversation between producer Brian Yuzna and stars Combs and Crampton. This one is less structured than you may be expecting –it really is just a conversation rather than an interview- but there are several gems about the making of the film.
There are two short documentaries about the film’s production, one about the editing and another about the remastering. Your mileage may vary on these, but the clear love for the material is evident in each, and those viewers who want a peek behind the curtain get a decent one here. A lovely documentary about Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, the late Stuart Gordon’s wife, gives us some real insight into the man’s background, ethos, and process.
One of the two most fascinating documentaries concerns the film’s legacy, which mainly outlines its impact on young horror directors. Many of them either snuck out of their house to see it or forced a parent to take them, and it’s wonderful to hear them speak so lovingly about something that had such influence on their later work.
The other isn’t actually about the film itself, but rather the stage musical that it later spawned. Yes, the film was turned into a play complete with big musical numbers and a blood spray zone in the first few rows. It’ll give anyone who watches it who hasn’t had the chance to see it staged some pangs of jealousy.
As a companion, there is also a 1977 documentary about the Organic Theatre Company, the Chicago company that Stuart Gordon founded in the late 1960s. In these two, we get the most intimate stories of Gordon and his nature as an artist, as a born collaborator with seemingly no ego when it came to giving or receiving feedback. One story involves Gordon giving a note to the lead performer in the Re-Animator musical on the very last night it was to be performed. When questioned why he’d give a note at that moment at the end of the run, he replies, “This is our last chance to get it right.” It’s a lovely story and one that feels like it really encapsulates the man.
Options for Physical Media Editions
There are four editions of the Re-Animator 40th Anniversary release. There is, of course, a standard Blu-ray and a UHD Blu-ray with a slipcover. There is also a Deluxe Edition box set with several art cards and a hardcover book of writing and interviews, and an Ultimate Limited Edition that comes with all of that plus a bobblehead of Doctor Hill.
Final Thoughts on the new Re-Animator Release
Re-Animator is a cult classic for a reason. It’s a great blend of horror and humour, and the special effects are extremely well done for the era and budget. As with many, many effects-heavy films from the 1980s, watching it for the first time on UHD Blu-ray can be very much like seeing the film for the first time again, and as such this release makes an excellent addition to any cinephile’s collection.
Re-Animator is now available to purchase in UHD at your favorite retailer.
Learn more about the new release at the Ignite Films website for the title.
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