The works of H.P. Lovecraft have helped to inspire a myriad of stories over the decades since their release, with multiple books and short stories drawing upon his mythos, video games set in the worlds he created, and film adaptations of some of his more famous stories. However, film tends to be one of the areas in which Lovecraft doesn't get as much praise. There are films that draw upon the kind of cosmic horror he crafted, such as Event Horizon or Alien which become hugely popular, but there are few actual Lovecraft films that are well received or remembered. 1985's Re-Animator, however, bucks this trend and stands out as an icon of horror cinema.
The first film from director Stuart Gordon, Re-Animator adapts several short stories by Lovecraft that tell the story of Herbert West, a scientist who's part grave robber, part Doctor Frankenstein. Updated for the current era, Re-Animator casts Jeffrey Combs in the role of West, a young medical student who has been developing a cure to the ultimate illness, death. After an opening scene in Switzerland in which he brings his dead professor back to life with horrific results, the film shifts the Massachusetts Miskatonic University, where we meet the passionate young medical student Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott), and professor and researcher Dr Hill (David Gale), who has been trying to study where in the human brain will originates.
Having returned from Switzerland, West has enrolled at the university to continue his studies and perfect his reanimation agent, and is introduced to Cain and Hill. West eventually moves in with Cain, who's seeking a roommate, and shifts his experiments to the basement, where he brings Cain's dead cat back to life in order to convince Cain to assist him in his mission. However, the two of them will have to deal with Dr Hill, someone who's already stolen others work in the past, and now wants to take West's cure for death and pass it off as his own.
One of the things that immediately stands out about Re-Animator is that it has a sense of humour to it that's almost guaranteed to be missing from every other Lovecraft project. Lovecraft was known for being serious in his fiction, focused on the horror and strangeness of his stories; stories that often had terrible ends for the people in them. However, the original source material for Re-Animator was one of his more humorous works, and makes for the prefect material for Stuart Gordon to adapt. There's a vein of dark comedy that runs throughout the movie, one that helps to lessen some of the scenery chewing performances and over-the-top gore effects because these moments now become part of the overall vibe, a movie that's having fun telling it's story and doesn't need you to take it overly serious.
After watching through the film again for this new release I was shocked that it was Gordon's first feature film. Re-Animator has a higher level of quality than other films of that era, especially other horror movies, and has managed to age incredibly well. It feels like the kind of film that would take an experienced film director, not someone who had never been on a film set before. Gordon manages to blend some wonderfully create cinematography and camera tricks with some fantastic practical effects, a solid script, and some stand out performances from its main cast.
Re-Animator is probably best known for Jeffrey Combs, who plays the titular mad scientist, though isn't supposed to be the star of the film. The film really follows Dan Cain, an ordinary guy who finds himself drawn into this world of crazy doctor and zombies. He's the audience stand-in, our vehicle throughout the story, and whilst he is the protagonist it's Combs' West who ends up stealing every scene he's in. Without trying to Combs manages to upstage his co-stars at every turn, and transforms a role that could have been a villain into something of a loveable anti-hero that we want to see succeed. This doesn't mean that other cast members are delivering weak performances by any means, as the film is populated with stand-outs, and whilst it seems that Combs might be outperforming Bruce Abbott at times Abbott is still delivering a strong performance, and carries much of the film despite being overshadowed.
David Gale manages to match Combs in many of their scenes, and whenever the two of them are together it feels like a battle of wills between their two driven, almost monstrous scientists. It's wonderful to see how their roles seem to shift over the course of the film, with West being set up in a villain role early on and Dr Hill the target of his abuse, yet as things unfold Gale injects more and more sinister elements into Hill until he becomes both a figurative and literal monster by the end. Some of this transformation comes in how he acts towards the only woman in the film, Barbara Crampton's Megan Halsey. Crampton transforms a rather thankless role, of the damsel in distress, into a memorable and laudable performance as the most level-headed person in the film, one who's not afraid to stand up to the overbearing, powerful men around her. Crampton would go on to become a huge name in the horror community over the years, and there are many fans who would hold Re-Animator as one of her best performances.
Second Sight's new 4k UHD and Blu-ray release is absolutely packed to bursting with special features that makes this a set that fans will want to check out. The 4K restoration looks absolutely fantastic, and is the best looking version of the film that I've seen. Whilst this crispness does mean that you might more easily spot some seams in the effects work I found that it enhanced the experience, as you can't help but love to spot how some of the tricks were done. There's also three full length audio commentary tracks, a brand new one with Eddie Falvey, one with director Stuart Gordon, and another with the producer Brian Yuzna and actors Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Abbott, and Robert Sampson.
There are also a variety of interviews included, including with Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna, writer Dennis Paoli, editor Lee Percy, and composer Richard Band. There are deleted and extended scenes, trailers and TV spots, and a gallery. There's also an extensive behind the scenes documentary, a feature that looks at the legacy of re-Animator, a video essay on various Lovecraft film adaptations over the years, and a conversation with Barbara Crampton. There's also several art card included with the release, as well as a 120 page book filled with essays and writings on the film. Second Sight have included so much in the release that despite Re-Animator only being an hour and a half long you're going to be spending hours watching everything, and the extra features are going to fill you with even more love for the film.
Re-Animator is an absolute gem of a movie. It manages to be fun and frightening, has a brilliant cast, and remains one of the best adaptations of Lovecraft's work decades later.
Re-Animator: Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray is available from Second Sight Films from 15th December 2025.
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