Beyond Re-Animator (2003)

After 13 years in prison, the mad scientist from Re-Animator (1985) gets a new chance to experiment with the arrival of a young prison doctor, who secretly hopes to learn to reanimate dead people. Good intentions turn to horror.

Director:

Brian Yuzna

Writers:

Xavier Berraondo (script collaborator), José Manuel Gómez (screenplay)

Stars:

Jeffrey Combs, Tommy Dean Musset, Jason Barry

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeffrey Combs	...	Dr. Herbert West
Tommy Dean Musset	...	Young Howard 'Howie' Phillips
Jason Barry	...	Dr. Howard Phillips
Bárbara Elorrieta	...	Emily Phillips
Elsa Pataky	...	Laura Olney
Ángel Plana	...	Kitchen Zombie
Javier Sandoval	...	Cop 1
Santiago Segura	...	Speedball
Lolo Herrero	...	Sergeant Moncho
Enrique Arce	...	Cabrera
Nico Baixas	...	Moses
Simón Andreu	...	Warden Brando
Joaquín Ortega	...	Officer Falcon
Raquel Gribler	...	Nurse Vanessa
Daniel Ortiz	...	Winni

Storyline

Left to rot in prison for the past thirteen years after the blood-drenched events in Re-Animator (1985) and Bride of Re-Animator (1989), the misunderstood virtuoso of mayhem, Dr Herbert West, finds an unexpected ally in the person of the young medical doctor, Howard Phillips. Behind the thick walls of the impenetrable Arkham State Penitentiary, the blasphemous duo of dreamers set up a secret laboratory to test an entirely new reanimating serum, which--when combined with West's original phosphorescent reagent--can work miracles on the prison's inmates. Now, the stage seems set for the ultimate experiment; however, once more, this is easier said than done. Can the good doctors escape from this concrete pit of death?

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Plot Keywords:

back to life | scientist | rat | penitentiary | mad scientist | 

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Taglines:

Inject life into the dead

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong graphic violence/gore, sexual content and language

Details

Country:

Spain USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 July 2003 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Cuando la muerte es el principio

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$302,586

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castelao Producciones, Fantastic Factory (Filmax), Filmax

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min (Fantasy Film Fest)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Only film in the series not to feature Bruce Abbott as Herbert West's assistant Dan Cain.

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Goofs

In the opening scenes, when the zombie is attempting to drink from a milk carton, it is the modern type with the screw-on cap. In 1990, when the scene is set, that type had not yet hit the market. It would have had a folding spout.

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Quotes

Sgt. Moncho: West! What do you have there? Is that some kind of animal?
Herbert West: Why Moncho? Are you hungry?
Sgt. Moncho: Is that a rat?

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Crazy Credits

The end credits are accompanied by a fight between a rat and the warden's severed penis.

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Alternate Versions

US DVD release of the film is slightly cut (about thirty seconds total) compared to some R2 releases.

• When Speedball ODs on the re-agent, he sits up and his eyeball pops out.
• When he explodes, we see him open his shirt and his stomach spew out. (On the DVD, the shot lingers on West up until Speedball's guts are already halfway through the air.)
• When the Doctor Phillips is battling with Laura, a few of the shots where he starts hacking at her neck are trimmed.

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Connections

Follows Re-Animator (1985)

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Soundtracks

Move Your Dead Bones (End Credits)
(uncredited)
Written by Jordi Cubino & Julya Lisovichenko
Performed by Dr. Re-Animator

User Reviews

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blood Red

This third Re-Animator movie delivered what any fan of the series would expect. The formerly dead jitterbug about after receiving a dose of reagent from Herbert West. West again has a love stricken assistant. West's assistant is again in a love triangle with West's would-be nemesis. So, why not pop Re-animator or Bride of Re-animator in if there is nothing new? Good question. Here are some reasons

1- The effects in this film are top notch.

2- Jeffrey Combs again shows his acting chops playing Herbert West.

3- There is a new twist to the re-animation process that shows some promise in `clinical trials'.

There are some really convincing effects throughout the film. Makeup and effects are more than window dressing in a film of this nature. Inadequate attention to either would have dropped the value of this film immediately. You believe that these guys have been dead and now no longer are. They are much more believable than JarJar Binks.

Herbert West is over a decade older in this film. Combs takes this maturity and adds it to the character he molded in the previous efforts. It's obvious that he is the same Dr. West yet it is also obvious that time has added to the character. Even more interesting, at the beginning of the film is a flashback where Combs plays the younger West. It's an opportunity to compare the two portrayals almost side by side. The essence of West remains, the speech pattern, the physicality remain. What Combs added to West's character is a veil to the intensity. What was once a roaring fire is now under control. He is no less determined, just a bit more subdued in expressing it.

The addition to the re-animation process, which I will not discuss in particular, adds another moral dimension to the question of the correctness of bringing back the dead. Although this moral dimension is directly addressed in the film, Medical Ethics 101 it is not. The ethical question is covered briefly and in the context of the fate of West's nemesis. As with all Re-animator activity conducted by West time is valuable and little of it is wasted. Events are happening rapidly and under less than ideal circumstances.

The DVD version has an music video on it, which was a surprise. It also has a `making of' short that should have had about another five or six days of work done to it before including it. It does have interviews with the principle actors and with the director. Have your subtitles turned on, the actors, with two exceptions speak Spanish even during the clips from the movie included in the short.

As any good sequel will, this one leaves open the possibility of yet another Re-animator movie. Hopefully the production quality will continue its improvement. Maybe Bruce Abbott and Barbara Crampton can be re-animated for the fourth film.