B-Movie Magic Brought to Life

Gore, sex and comedy cheesiness define the true horror cult classic “Re-Animator,” directed by Stuart Gordon (“From Beyond”). With a campy setting and special effects that up the cheese factor, it’s a fun experience that every sci-fi fan should give a shot.

Adapted from H.P. Lovecraft’s short story, “Herbert West: Re-Animator,” Gordon breathes life into the film and creates a dramatic element to the story by adding a love interest for Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott, “Out of Time”).

Cain appears to be the only sane character in this flick, as he takes his studies at Miskatonic University seriously in order to be a doctor. He’s happy to boot, shacking up with Dean Halsey’s daughter Megan (Barbara Crampton, “From Beyond”), making his life seeming to be going just as planned. That is until Herbert West, perfectly portrayed by Jeffrey Combs (“The Frighteners”), shows up.

After West’s studies in Switzerland come to a horrifying end, he transfers to Miskatonic to further his education and rents a room with Cain against Megan’s wishes. A fascinating discovery involving a neon-green serum that can bring back the dead changes the landscape even more.

Soon after, a partnership of West and Cain is born, though chaos hits the fan when Megan walks in on an experimentation. At this point, the relationship between Megan and Dan is supposed to catapult the drama and horror that surrounds them, yet it feels that the stronger relationship exists between Dan and West. Megan seems to come off often as whiny and annoying at times. However, Crampton does portray Megan well, mostly due to her high-pitched screams.

Abbott is a fine actor and lets viewers believe that he takes his profession seriously. However, it is Combs who steals the spotlight in every scene in which he’s featured, though. He is the peanut butter to Abbott’s jelly. As mentioned before, the relationship between them is the strongest. West manages to convince Dan take part in his research and create all kinds of chaos, even though Dan isn’t ever too sure about it.

In fact, Combs doesn’t only have chemistry with Dan. It feels as if though he has just as great chemistry with Megan, though it feels as though the two are at odds with each other. To him, Megan gets in the way of his work and he is simply too darn creepy for her taste.

What every horror movie needs, though, is a great villain, and “Re-Animator” has just that. Dr. Carl Hill (David Gale, “The First Power”) is a professor at Miskatonic who immediately has a scary animosity for West and a crazy obsession with Megan.

When he finds out about West’s serum, all hell is let loose. West decapitates him and reanimates his body and his head separately, creating the cheesiest, hilarious horror-film villain of all time. It doesn’t help that Gale looks eerily like Sen. John Kerry. Not even the Headless Horseman from “Sleepy Hollow” can top this performance. (Sorry, Christopher Walken).

Without spoiling the ending, it is a magnificent one that calls for a sequel and makes you wish the movie didn’t end there (especially when you want to see what actually happens to West).

“Re-Animator” doesn’t take itself too seriously. It is more humorous than it is scary. Borrowing the score from another classic, “Psycho,” the film does give you that creepy feeling and the gore can easily gross you out.
This is what a classic horror film should look like. The story is in place. There are no plot holes. The acting is superb for a B-horror movie.

For horror fans, “Re-Animator” is a must. Herbert West would want you to see his discovery. If not for him, do it for Rufus, the dead cat.