Herbert West is a genius, a slightly twisted genius and whilst working with the famous Dr. Gruber he has perfected a syrum to bring the dead back to life. After Gruber dies in spectacular fashion, West moves to America and takes residence at the Miskatonic University Hospital. Boarding with star student Dan Cain, Herbert continues his work.
Re-Animator is a classic of the genre, in fact it's a classic film of any genre. First time director Stuart Gordon has fashioned the ultimate horror-black comedy and became a legendary film maker in the process.
Of course Herbert is really misunderstood. He might be a bit mad but he does want the world a better place. However evil (and pervy) Doctor Hill wants all the credit and is prepared to do anything. The fashions make it look a bit dated as its almost 30 years old, but it still feels fresh today and Barbara Crampton is still amazingly hot. Bless her for being in the infamous 'head' scene.
Second Sight's release presents a nice blu-ray presentation of the film with stacks of extras carried over from previous releases. The jewel in the crown is the inclusion of the extended version which adds scenes cut from the original cinema release, but put back in for TV versions and censored video releases. There's a whole sub plot involving Dr. Hill's hypnosis powers which is bloody creepy, so credit to David Gale creating a real scary dude. Real fans of the film will notice the bits added in and it's nice to see it being included here.
Simply this is an essential purchase, even if you have previous releases buy it for the extended version and be content of owning one of the greatest horror films of all time on blu-ray.
- Starring Jeffrey Combs Barbara Crampton Bruce Abbott David Gale
- Director Stuart Gordon
- Distributor Second Sight
