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.

Director:

Stuart Gordon

Writers:

H.P. Lovecraft (story), Dennis Paoli (screenplay)

Stars:

Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton

4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeffrey Combs	...	Herbert West
Bruce Abbott	...	Dan Cain
Barbara Crampton	...	Megan Halsey
David Gale	...	Dr. Carl Hill
Robert Sampson	...	Dean Halsey
Gerry Black	...	Mace
Carolyn Purdy-Gordon	...	Dr. Harrod
Peter Kent	...	Melvin the Re-Animated
Barbara Pieters	...	Nurse
Ian Patrick Williams	...	Swiss Professor
Bunny Summers	...	Swiss Woman Doctor
Al Berry	...	Dr. Gruber
Derek Pendleton	...	Swiss Policeman #1
Gene Scherer	...	Swiss Policeman #2
James Ellis	...	Psycho Ward Guard #1

Storyline

A medical student and his girlfriend become involved in a bizarre experiment into reanimating the dead conducted by the student's incorrigible housemate in this campy sendup of an H.P. Lovecraft story. The emphasis is on humour but once the dead walk, there is gore aplenty.

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Plot Keywords:

reanimation | scientist | morgue | gore | hospital | 

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Taglines:

Death Is Just The Beginning...

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

18 October 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Hora dos Mortos Vivos

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$900,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Empire Pictures, Re-Animator Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min (unrated) 95 min (R-rated) 104 min (extended edition)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There was originally a subplot that revealed that Dr. Hill had the ability to control minds. It was cut from the film for timing reasons but evidence of it can still be seen in the story. He is seen performing this skill on both Megan and Herbert and is the reason he is able to control all of the zombies in the film's climax.

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Goofs

At the end of the movie, when Megan has died and has been disconnected from the equipment, she has her chest exposed. Dan is standing over her. In the next shot, when Dan comes closer to kiss her, her breasts are covered by her shirt.

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Quotes

Herbert West: Hill! Hill took my serum, my notes, everything!
Dan Cain: Herbert you're insane! Now what happened here?
Herbert West: I had to kill him!
Dan Cain: What? He's dead?
Herbert West: [reluctantly] Not anymore.
Dan Cain: Herbert!
[grabbing Herbert and shaking him]
Dan Cain: This has got to stop!

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror IX (1998)

User Reviews

A classic of the 80's-a rare thing

Considering the 70's was a decade of monumental proportions as far as films went, it was a shame the 80's had to produce such dreck, especially where horror films are concerned. In the 70's we had "The Exorcist", "Halloween", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Phantasm"-just to name a few. The 80's did produce a small but stellar group of classics, however, including "Evil Dead" 1 & 2, "A Nightmare On Elm Street", "An American Werewolf In London" and, of course, "Re-Animator". Like "Werewolf" and the "Evil Dead" films, part of "Re-Animator"'s success and notoriety is the film's deliciously sinister blend of horror and humor. Wait let me correct that-perverse horror and sick humor. In accordance with the decade that birthed it, this film is typically over the top and totally gratuitous, pulling out all the stops at every turn. Jeffrey Combs heads a great cast as Herbert West, a strange and eccentric but brilliant young doctor/scientist who has perfected a syrum that can reanimate the dead. Circumstances get out of hand when a medical student and his fiance (Bruce Abbott & Barbara Crampton) get involved in West's work and a plagarist rival doctor (David Gale) plots to steal his idea. Horror and hilarity ensue from there on, thanks to imaginitive visual effects coupled with clever dialogue. For nitpickers like myself there are a few minor inconsistencies in the screenplay, but it does very little to hinder the film. Ironically, several scenes that wound up on the cutting room floor (included on the dvd) would have fleshed out those minor story flaws, but they were excised-and probably rightly so-in the name of pacing. Besides, any flaws in writing are easily forgotten about thanks to the terrific performances. Here is a cast that really brought the characters "to life" so to speak; Combs as the nerdy scientist and Gale's lecherous Dr. Hill are both standouts. And Stuart Gordon's strong direction holds the whole thing together even when the film threatens to be crushed by it's own outlandishness. For those interested, check out the sequel "Bride of Re-Animator" that followed 4 years later. It doesn't hold a candle to this one, but it's plenty of fun in it's own right.