Re-Animator (1985)

Director:

Stuart Gordon

Writers:

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

Release Date:

18 October 1985 (USA)

Genre:

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)
• Avid Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• 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 International (1986) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Vestron Video International (1986) (Italy) (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:

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 | 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 | Canada:18A (Ontario) (unrated version) (Re-Rated 2007) | Canada:R (Ontario) (R rated version)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Empire Pictures

Trivia:

The special effects department went through 25 gallons of fake blood during the shoot.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dr. Halsey is killed, two of the fingers on his right hand are bitten off by a re-animated corpse. Later in the film in the padded cell, Dr. Halsey places his right hand on a wall, and all his five fingers are showing.

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!

Movie Connections:

References Psycho (1960)

hilarious!

when i first saw re-animator in 85, i hadn't been introduced to the likes of the evil dead series, dead alive, or any of that horror/comedy genre. i thought horror/comedy went together as well as military intelligence...

i was aghast and appalled. i just didn't get it. i was a classic horror fan; so when i heard the obvious rip from psycho's theme, it irritated me even more.

well, now i'm an older, wiser horror fan. i just saw it again for the first time since 85 and i laughed my bum off! homage, homage, homage! honouring everything from hitchcock to raimi, from day of the dead to frankenstein. this in-your-face send off is a great double feature with dead alive. jeffery combs' over the top performance is reminiscent of colin clive and cronenberg found his very own ash in bruce abbott. so sit back, relax (as much as you can...) and enjoy re-animator.