Re-Animator (1985)

Director:

Stuart Gordon

Writers:

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

Release Date:

18 October 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

H.P. Lovecraft's classic tale of horror

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.

Plot Keywords:

Student | Experiment | H.P. Lovecraft | Death | Scientist

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

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
James Earl Cathay	...	Psycho Ward Guard #2
Annyce Holzman	...	E-R Patient Corpse
Velvet Debois	...	Slit Wrist Girl Corpse
Lawrence Lowe	...	Failed Operation Corpse
Robert Holcomb	...	Motorcycle Accident Corpse
Mike Filloon	...	Bullet Wound to Face Corpse
Greg Reid	...	One Arm Man Corpse
Jack Draheim	...	Tall Skinny Guy Corpse
Robert Pitzele	...	Bald O-R Corpse
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kim Deitch	...	Bald Doctor (uncredited)
Greg Robbins	...	Hospital Patient (uncredited)

Directed by
Stuart Gordon

Writing credits
H.P. Lovecraft		(story "Herbert West, Re-Animator")
Dennis Paoli		(screenplay) &
William Norris		(screenplay) (as William J. Norris) &
Stuart Gordon		(screenplay)

Produced by
Michael Avery	....	executive producer
Charles Band	....	executive producer
Bruce William Curtis	....	executive producer
Bob Greenberg	....	associate producer
Charles Donald Storey	....	associate producer
Brian Yuzna	....	producer

Original Music by
Richard Band

Cinematography by
Mac Ahlberg		(director of photography)
Robert Ebinger		(uncredited; replaced by Mac Ahlberg)

Film Editing by
Lee Percy

Casting by
Anthony Barnao

Art Direction by
Robert A. Burns

Costume Design by
Robin Burton
Robin Lewis-West

Makeup Department
Everett Burrell	....	special makeup effects artist
Anthony Doublin	....	special makeup effects
John Naulin	....	special makeup effects
Gerald Quist	....	assistant makeup effects artist
John Carl Buechler	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Drex Reed	....	special makeup effects crew (uncredited)

Production Management
Dennis Stuart Murphy	....	executive in charge of production
Michael Muscal	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tim Minear	....	assistant director
Robert Roda	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
James Bailey	....	foley artist
Gordon L. Day	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Kwiatkowski	....	sound editor
Dean Okrand	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Sollars	....	boom operator
Don Summer	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Bret Culpepper	....	special effects
Richard N. McGuire	....	special effects: EFX Lead

Stunts
Dan Bradley	....	stunt coordinator
Scott Alan Cook	....	stunts
Mike Filloon	....	stunts
Ray Lykins	....	stunt double: Dean Halsey/Dr. Hill
Ray Lykins	....	stunts
George P. Wilbur	....	stunts (as George Wilber)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Ebinger	....	additional still photographer (as Robert Fredric Ebinger)
R. Michael Givens	....	assistant camera
David Morton	....	electrician
Tim Morton	....	best boy
Philip Sloan	....	dolly grip
Rick A. West	....	electrician

Music Department
Richard Band	....	conductor
Richard Band	....	orchestrator
Tom Villano	....	music editor

Other crew
Barrie Bergman	....	production associate
Rick Berman	....	production assistant
Martin Bernholtz	....	production associate
Misty Carey	....	production coordinator
John Criswell	....	effects assistant
Richard Davison	....	effects assistant
Robert Dawson	....	title designer: main titles
Dana Ginsberg	....	effects assistant
Lisa S. Girolami	....	set manager
Cleve Hall	....	MMI crew
Bob Johnene	....	double
Hans Jonnason	....	body double: "Dr. Hill"
Paul Madoff	....	production assistant
Julie Mauger	....	effects assistant
Kenny Myers	....	effects assistant (as Ken Myers)
Steve Patino	....	effects assistant
Greg Rose	....	body double: "Dr. Hill"
Jeffrey Lyle Segal	....	effects assistant (as Jeff Segal)
Therese Shirley	....	effects assistant
Desiree Soto Vaughn	....	MMI crew (as Desiree Vaughn-Soto)
Chris Witherspoon	....	MMI crew
Cathy Yuzna	....	production associate (as Cathy Cherry Yuzna)

Thanks
Albert Band	....	special thanks
Charles Band	....	special thanks
Ann Cline Bernholz	....	special thanks
Sara Curtis	....	special thanks
Daniel Del Boccio	....	special thanks: Pathology Dept., Henrotin Hospital (as Dr. Daniel Del Boccio M.D.)
Debra Dion	....	special thanks
Peter Manoogian	....	special thanks
Sammy Martin	....	special thanks
Robert Stein	....	special thanks: Cook County Morgue (as Dr. Robert Stein M.D.)
Janice Storey	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Empire Pictures
• Re-Animator Productions

Distributors

• Empire Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• Re-Animator Productions (2001) (worldwide) (all media)
• Eurogroup (1986) (France) (theatrical)
• Re-Animator Productions (1995) (worldwide) (all media)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Another World Entertainment (2007) (Denmark) (DVD) (2-Disc Special Edition)
• CMV Laservision (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Elite Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Elite Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Emerald (2008) (Argentina) (DVD) (re-release) (improved edition)
• Firebox (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Starz Home Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (DVD)
• Stormovie (2005) (Italy) (DVD)
• Sunfilm Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Vestron Video International (1986) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• Forum Studio  music recorded at
• Rome Philharmonic Orchestra  orchestra

Also Known As:

Runtime:

86 min (unrated version) | USA:95 min (R-rated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

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:R (rating surrendered) | USA:Unrated | Iceland:(Banned) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Empire Pictures

Trivia:

The "brains" in the severed head were made up of steer meat by-products, ground beef and fake blood and when they shot the scene in the autopsy room with the severed head being thrown out the door and then smashing onto the hallway wall, the crew were all behind the cameras with garbage bags over their clothes because no one knew just how much the brains would splatter.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When West picks up the cat in the basement and drops it, it is a fake cat, the cat hasn't been dead long enough for rigor mortis to have set in to keep it in that position, or to cause the clunking noise the cat makes on impact with the table.

Quotes:

Herbert West:[reading off toe tags in the morgue] Burn victim.
Herbert West:Here's your meatball.
Herbert West:Shotgun wound to the head
Dan Cain:Oh god he's rotten.
Herbert West:[amused] Malpractice.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Syngenor (1990)

Tons of campy fun.

Ah, finally a horror camp classic that deserves to be called a horror camp classic. Re-Animator is one of those fun horror movies that is so over the top that it is just a lot of fun to watch, kind of like the spectacular Evil Dead films, although not quite to that same level of skillful horror/comedy mix. Ironically enough, I think it should be a testament to the quality of the rest of the movie that it is able to work so well despite prominently featuring a soundtrack that is a naked rip-off of the Psycho soundtrack. It's amazing to me that Richard Bond, the music composer, didn't think anyone would notice him plagiarizing one of the most famous movie soundtracks in cinematic history, but luckily everyone else in the production was right on the mark.

Jeffrey Combs delivers a wonderfully crazy performance as Herbert West, the scientist in the movie who is determined that he has discovered a scientific method to beat death, and is desperate to try it out on a human being rather than small animals, on whom he has had remarkable success. He is playing a completely one-dimensional character, a genius scientist whose mental capacity is also tinged with madness, but which is counterbalanced by the fact that he may very well be desperate to try something potentially immoral but which could also potentially revolutionize medicine. Maybe his intentions are good after all, but for the purposes of the film, he just wants to get his hands on some fresh corpses, which is a great premise for a horror film.

The movie operates in its own world, like the Evil Dead films did. It takes place in the horror genre but wants to combine some elements of drama as well, as we have a real scientist who is truly brilliant. He is still in medical school, I believe, but is often smarter than his often-published professors, criticizing their work for being incorrect or even plagiarized. He's very quick to make enemies, I would think his line of work might be easier the less people he had watching him, so it's unfortunate that he was so good at making people not like him. Mere days after he rents out a room from a couple of other students, they find their cat dead in his refrigerator. I hate it when new roommates do that.

There is plenty of gratuitous nudity in the film, and while I appreciate nudity as much as the next guy, I don't like it when it drives a weak film, and that is certainly not the case here. There is a graphic and highly disturbing nude scene three quarters or so through the film that made me literally cringe and turn my head, not because of gore but by the sheer disturbing idea of it, it was awful. But the thing that I loved is that that scene fits in with the rest of this movie so well. It is all about too much gore and too much blood and too much nudity, but also lots of laughs. This is a perfect example of how much fun scary movies can be.