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Re-Animator
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Re-Animator (1985) More at IMDbPro »

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Re-Animator (1985) -- 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.

Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   11,158 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Stuart Gordon
Writers:
H.P. Lovecraft (story)
Dennis Paoli (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Re-Animator on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
18 October 1985 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi more
Tagline:
H.P. Lovecraft's classic tale of horror more
Plot:
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. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
4 wins & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(93 articles)
Lists of Doom Xviii: Chad Cherry of The Last Vegas
 (From Fangoria. 18 July 2009, 1:43 AM, PDT)

Stuart Gordon Heading to The Borderlands?
 (From Dread Central. 17 July 2009, 12:16 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Modern Horror Classic more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Jeffrey Combs ... Herbert West
Bruce Abbott ... Daniel 'Dan' Cain
Barbara Crampton ... Megan Halsey
David Gale ... Dr. Carl Hill
Robert Sampson ... Dean Alan Halsey
Gerry Black ... Mace (Miskatonic security guard)
Carolyn Purdy-Gordon ... Dr. Harrod

Peter Kent ... Melvin the Re-Animated
Barbara Pieters ... Nurse

Ian Patrick Williams ... Swiss professor
Bunny Summers ... Swiss doctor
Al Berry ... Dr. Gruber
Derek Pendleton ... Swiss policeman #1
Gene Scherer ... Swiss policeman #2
James Ellis ... Psycho Ward guard #1
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Additional Details

Runtime:
86 min (unrated version) | USA:95 min (R-rated version)
Country:
USA
Language:
English | German
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Finland:K-18 | West Germany:18 (video premiere) (heavily cut) | West Germany:Not Rated | Singapore:(Banned) | UK:18 (re-rating) (2007) (uncut) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Belgium:16 (video rating) | Australia:MA (re-rating) (2007) | Australia:MA (2007 re-rating) | South Korea:18 | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:R | France:-12 | Italy:VM18 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 (Banned) | UK:18 (cut) | USA:Open (rating surrendered: 1986) | USA:R (cut version: 1986) | Iceland:(Banned) | Germany:BPjM Restricted
Filming Locations:
Los Angeles, California, USA

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The bald, bearded doctor at the foot of Megan's bed who gets shoved away as Dan tries to revive her is underground cartoonist Kim Deitch ("The Boulevard of Broken Dreams"), son of legendary Jazz-era cartoonist Gene Deitch ("The Cat"). more
Goofs:
Continuity: When West is preparing to reanimate the Dean's body in the morgue, he circles the embalming table, and swivels a pivoting lamp along with him. In the next shot, however, the lamp vanishes altogether. more
Quotes:
Herbert West: I must say, Dr. Hill, I'm VERY disappointed in you. You steal the secret of life and death, and here you are trysting with a bubble-headed coed. You're not even a second-rate scientist! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Deadline (2002) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
38 out of 45 people found the following comment useful:-
Modern Horror Classic, 4 March 2004
Author: bnl771 from Austin, TX

The astute viewer will immediately pick up on the tone of Re-Animator. The introduction (added to the film at the last minute before its release) is a glimpse of the over-the-top nature of the entire production. If one were to be frightened by this intro, he or she will be comforted by the playful cheer of the opening title music. The score was heavily inspired by the famous Psycho score, a classic by Bernard Herrmann.

The movie, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's `Herbert West: Re-Animator', follows a simple plot. Herbert West (played to precise pitch perfection by Jeffrey Combs who, like Bruce Campbell, is a B-Movie legend) is new at Miskatonic Medical University. Immediately, Herbert clashes with Dr. Carl Hill (David Gale) on the subject of `brain death'.

At the same time, Dan Cain (Bruce Abbot) is looking for a roommate. He is also dating Dean Alan Halsey's (Robert Sampson) daughter, Megan (Barbara Crampton). When Herbert West shows up at Dan's door one night during a `study' session, Megan is immediately suspicious. Why is Herbert so anxious to move in? Why is he so interested in the basement?

It is not long before the cat is dead, re-animated and dead again. The early scenes of violence are disturbing and hilarious at the same time and are only a taste of what is to come. Dan tries to resist the temptation of power inherent in the re-animating fluid, but is sucked into Herbert's mad world of life giving.

There is a turn of events about halfway through the film (which I would be crazy to spoil) that almost screams to the viewer, `We aren't playing by the rules here.' The storyline twists its way to the famous conclusion that, if you haven't heard of it, will leave you breathless. Even if you know what is going to happen, when you finally see it, in all of it's gory, sexual glory you understand why this classic has achieved such a status. The finale of the film is twisted in so many ways it's impossible to count.

Obviously, I loved the movie. Having never been anything but a horror fan, I cannot say it will suit everyones' tastes. The film is so over-the-top that the outrageous gore becomes less and less shocking. The timid viewer may want to shy away from this masterpiece. Anyone with even the slightest curiosity should seek this movie out.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Re-Animator (1985)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Why did this movie copy music from Psycho? deadman1206
How close to Lovecraft? KingofWayne66
Herbert.... artsierthanyou
John Kerry EA62187-1
RE-ANIMATOR 35mm screening on Friday June 19th in L.A.! Cocteau75
Nudity? oioiforthepunx
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