Re-Animator

U.S.A. / 1985 Directed by Stuart Gordon Starring Jeffrey Combs Bruce Abbott Barbara Crampton Color / 86 Minutes / Not Rated Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC / 2-disc set) Elite Entertainment

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10     9   10 = Highest Rating   Guest Review by Noah Soudrette

Re-Animator, loosely based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, centers on Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott), a third year student at Miskatonic University's renowned medical school. He has a beautiful girlfriend, Megan Halsey (Barbara Crampton), daughter of the school's ultraconservative dean (Robert Sampson). Beyond keeping his and Megan's bedroom trysts secret from Dean Halsey, young Daniel's problems are negligible. His future seems bright. But all that changes when Dan decides to let creepy transfer student Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) be his new roomie. Megan takes an instant dislike to West but Dan is strapped for cash; he really needs help with the rent. West's passionate contempt for Miskatonic's most popular research physician, Dr. Carl Hill (Syngenor's David Gale) — who himself has an inappropriate "fondness" for Megan — further complicates the situation. Then Dan discovers his roommate's best-kept secret. Against his better judgment he's drawn into West's world of weird, gruesome and decidedly unethical experimentation, straining his romance with Megan and threatening his position at school. When Dr. Hill discovers West's secret and tries to steal it, the blood 'n' guts really hit the fan. Events swiftly get out of control — spiraling towards an inevitable climax that doesn't let up until the final chilling, thrilling frame.     This movie is the reason I bought a DVD player. While some dismiss Re-Animator as a brainless gore-coaster (which is part of the fun, really), others see it for the extraordinarily funny and brilliant film it is. Re-Animator was the debut effort of übertalented stage director Stuart Gordon (From Beyond, Dagon), who's yet to top his first feature. Gordon's cinematographer, Mac Ahlberg (Oscar, From Beyond), utilizes a palette of color and light ranging from warm to antiseptic depending on the needs of the individual scene. Not only are the visuals excellent but also the actors. Bruce Abbott (Bride Of Re-Animator, Prophecy II) has the toughest task playing the levelheaded and rather pedestrian Dan. He does an incredible job, and brings a true sense of reality to the picture with his character. Barbara Crampton (From Beyond) is equally talented as the often whiny, often naked, often screaming Megan. Robert Sampson delivers an on-target performance as the overprotective Dean Halsey. Then there's David Gale (The Guyver). Enhanced by his Hammer Horror looks, Gale's dramatic, humorous turn as the maniacal Dr. Hill paved the way for a prolific career up until his untimely death in 1991. Finally — and last but not least — is the indelible Jeffrey Combs (The Frighteners), delivering a career-making performance as the over-the-top mad scientist Herbert West. Combs chews every second of celluloid he appears on and has yet to loose the edge he shows in this film. Re-Animator premiered at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival where it won the coveted Critics' Choice Prize, and was given rave reviews by such personalities as Roger Ebert and the late, great Pauline Kael. This film is an avant-garde B-movie masterpiece that pushes the boundaries of genre filmmaking.

Re-Animator was originally released on DVD by Elite Entertainment in 1999. However, due to legal issues, the disc kept dropping in and out of print and became increasingly hard to find. Now Elite has released this definitive two-disc Millennium Edition DVD of Re-Animator. On Disc 1 you'll find the film itself presented in 16x9 anamorphic widecreen (1.85:1). The transfer is very crisp and easily outdoes the previous. A bit of grain is still evident here and there, but overall the picture is much more colorful and stable. The audio is available in 5.1 DTS, 5.1 Dolby Digital, the original mono, and, a rarity these days, a 5.1 DD isolated score. While much of Re-Animator doesn't warrant Surround sound, the few scenes that do benefit from the well balanced remixes, but what benefits the most is Richard Band's humorous and memorable score. Also, you'll find the two commentary tracks from the previous release. The first is with director Stuart Gordon. He talks a great deal about the genesis of the film, and gives many details and a few anecdotes about the production. There are very few silent gaps and overall this is a very informative track. The second commentary, while not necessarily so enlightening, is easily one of the most entertaining commentaries on DVD today. The participants include producer Brian Yuzna and actors Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, Robert Sampson and Jeffrey Combs. With so many participants, it's like sitting in a room with five very talented and funny friends while they watch with you this movie that they all clearly love.     Disc 2 offers a series of video interviews: one featuring both Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna (49 Min.), one of writer Dennis Paoli (10 Min.), a chat with composer Richard Band (15 Min.), and a short (4 Min.) interview with Fangoria Editor Tony Timpone. All of these interviews are excellent (except for the seemingly unnecessary one with Timpone) and easily warrant an upgrade for those who have the old release. Also carried over from the old release is a series of 16 extended scenes from the R-rated version and a deleted scene. All of these are also presented in anamorphic widescreen, and benefit from it. On top of that, you'll find a trailer (anamorphic) and 5 TV spots. But wait — there's more! New to this release is the music discussion with composer Richard Band, in which he talks about his ideas for scoring four scenes from the film. In addition, three scenes from the film are given a multi-angle storyboard treatment, which allows you to switch between Gordon's personally drawn storyboards and the scenes themselves. Rounding out this mass of extras are an excellent behind-the-scenes photo gallery (with 115 entries) and a number of extensive and interesting cast and crew biographies. Both discs also come with some groovy animated menus. The only thing stopping the package from getting a 5-star rating is the missing easter egg from the previous release. Hidden on it was a short cast commentary over the theatrical trailer and a TV spot. This is minimal however, and nothing to cry over. I get the feeling that those completists out there (including myself) will want to hang on to their old DVDs. That aside, no one has a decent excuse not to have this excellent film — and excellent DVD set — in their collection. 8/02/02

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