thelastblogontheleft It's hard to find words to describe how much I love Re-Animator. It is just twisted and gory and deeply dark and hilarious. A masterpiece, really. Even with its main song sounding like a dead ringer for the Psycho theme (the composer, Richard Band, admitted to being heavily influenced by Bernard Herrmann's famous score).The story itself is not that complicated — it's loosely inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's "Herbert West – Re-Animator". It opens up with Herbert West (played with such perfect, calculated intensity by Jeffrey Combs) at the University of Zurich, re- animating his dead professor, Dr. Hans Gruber (yes, he shares a name with the villain in Die Hard, which was released a few years later). Accused of killing him (again), he exclaims "I gave him life!".He's now back in America at the fictional Miskatonic University, located in Massachusetts. He immediately starts clashing with Dr. Carl Hill (played by David Gale) on the topic of brain death. But when he starts renting a room from fellow medical student Dan (played by Bruce Abbott), he can get back to work on his reanimating reagent, including trying to show its effectiveness by practicing on Dan's fiancé Megan's (played by Barbara Crampton) cat.Dan: "Why does it make that noise?" Herbert: "Birth is always painful."Dan tries to pitch this theory to Dean Halsey, who also happens to be Megan's father, but him and West are quickly barred from school for their apparent madness. They can't resist further experimentation, so naturally they break into the school's morgue to try it out some more. The hilarious and oftentimes graphic chaos that ensues from here on out is just… unbelievable. Dean Halsey (played by Robert Sampson), lurching around in a straitjacket after his accidental killing and reanimation is unforgettable. Dr. Hill, who is just sketchy right from the get-go, naturally takes full advantage of the situation and attempts to blackmail West and take credit for his idea. West quickly kills him and then realizes his once-in-a-lifetime chance to reanimate such a freshly dead corpse.West chopping off Dr. Hill's head with a metal shovel and then immediately being annoyed when it won't sit up in the metal dish is just morbid humor gold. When Hill's head wakes up after being injected and hisses "Wessssssst, you bassssstard" as his body lumbers behind him… brilliant. Then we get to see Hill walking around carrying his own head with him, feeding himself pouches of blood, sneaking into the morgue in his ridiculous disguise… oh man, so good.There is, of course, the one scene that almost everyone knows whether they've seen the movie or not — the severed head rape scene. It's… shocking, to say the least, but honestly not as bad as I expected, if for no other reason than it is fairly quick. But the implications of the whole thing — Hill's disturbing obsession with Megan, him employing Megan's own father to procure her for his own sick fantasies (Dean Halsey is both re-animated and lobotomized at this point, but still) — are disgusting.But the ending — which I, amazingly, won't spoil for you — is one of my favorites of all time. Seriously, watch this movie NOW.

D' Francis A classic comedy horror. It features a college roommate who is so naive and stubborn toward finding a discovery that he endangers everyone around him. He invents a serum that can re-animate the dead, but while it does successfully revive the dead, it also makes them erratic and violent. After a zombie nearly kills the gang, what's the solution? Of course, re-animate more people and repeat the same mistakes. Things get spooky when a beheaded professor discovers this potion - I'll just leave it at that. Re-animator is scary and thrilling but doesn't take itself too seriously either. There's plenty of gore and disturbing imagery to go around for everyone. It's either smart for a dumb movie or dumb for a smart movie, but it works!

welshnew50 While not needing every scene , both here and there understanding-the-scene -wise , and also , in terms of the parallel males-in-death pointless-necrophilia here and there , which'd be too much for most upon hearing it, to not give the movie a chance , there is a consistent limits-of-medicine , or failures of science , theme , to the main characters hopes / ambitions , and if I remember it correctly , there was actually only one , inverse , necro scene , along the lines of the if not comfortable, patronising, University senior turned body-less power-mad , from-the-past , denier-of-new-science , contrasted , with the two (both male) would-be explorers of the absurd 'science' , which is only in one of the two in a way , that it so over the top , that he's forgotten when to stop , whereas in the other , a more curious , for-defeating-death only , type reason is maintained successfully, including in the emotions of the actor, and the conflict between them is enough , if not perhaps there too frequently, when a similar plot device allows our more devoted explorer , to have corpses practically land on his desk , oh so conveniently , that the plot can quickly move on to more mayhem , so yeah , its unrealistically convenient for the opportunist , which is a good thing, the plot taking jumps inbetween their clean-ups, with even more unrealistic amounts of investigation ... heh heh ... at the same time as having an effect as a reminder of the importance of societies' need to keep an eye on morgue workers , consistent with a also conveniently bored/slack classic stereotyped guard in front of the door , etc ... moves it along quite fast , which is needed for flicks like this ... too many horror/action flicks are now having character-relationship development in the middle of the action! agh! No time for that , in this old one ... :D Classic minimal plot devices for more of what at least some of the audience is after ... creepy lightning effects and weird camera angles , the disturbing nature of the theme , should already let you know what you're in for ... and if the odd ridiculous plot scene , ruins a sci-fi movie for you , then don't watch it.But if that kind of absurdity and detachment are exactly what you're after , as I was , then its a great movie , although the sound needs re-mastering, if it hasn't been already, some of the dialogue ranges are quite narrow , or recorded on old mic.s, or something.Far beyond high-school students efforts production-wise most of the time , but with enough true-to-the-absurdity lack-of-thought to think things through before deciding to do something, kinds of decisions of especially the emotional-limitations weakness-rejection star of the flick , our much more mad fresh but determined doctor , its full of the same potential for science gone mad with the fluorescent green goop , masterfully 'gripped' *scoff* , by the goop wrangler (what wrangling? haha ! ) , but time and time again , new incarnations one might say , of failures lead to not always the same, failures that have to be bagged and destroyed , which is easier said than done.Less consistent and boring than just a zombie flick but also with quite a few good absurdity laughs, and if zombie flicks get under your skin, boring, consistent ultra-violence -wise , then give it a chance ...sure , it s produced in the 1980s but back in those days , people knew more about cinematography , and scene-production , rather than tedious CHEAP, TV, agency-meeting-room contestions of aggressive-professionals dialogue and 'perpetuities' *scoff*(like that's reliable) , often written for pretentious, overly-politically-sensitive, fresh, themselves, film-school grad.s , yet to experience OUR , wider world , and yet to be CONSUMED , BY THE INEVITABLE LIMITATIONS OF ... *ahem* ... excuse me , sorry ... you get the idea ... are there plenty of lamb to the slaughter ? YES , are they just boring zombies ? NNNO.

SnoopyStyle At University of Zurich, Herbert West brings his dead professor Hans Gruber back to life with disturbing side effects. He goes to Miskatonic Medical School in Arkham, Massachusetts to further his studies. He immediately challenges the traditional views of Dr. Carl Hill. Fellow medical student Dan Cain rents a room to the weird West. Dan is going out with the Dean's daughter Megan. Hill has it in for West and Cain by association. Using his evil powers of persuasion, Hill gets the Dean to expel both West and Cain. West converts the basement into a mad science laboratory.This is a campy B-movie. David Gale's performance is the proof of it. It is fun campy overacting. Jeffrey Combs is great at being creepy. The movie is grotesque fun. It moves well. It's not a scary horror but rather a campy one. It's weirdly compelling. Bruce Abbott is the main drawback. His amateurish acting isn't worthy of the lead. In the end, the movie makes you chuckle a little and pulls you into the story.