Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7298 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-04-23
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 82 minutes

Synopsis
Herbert West (Jeffery Combs) has found the secret to eternal life--or so he thinks. West needs fresh cadavers to continue his experiments in the re-animation of dead tissue, so he enlists the help of young medical student Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) to steal bodies from the local morgue. Despite all the warning signs of failure, the eccentric West's research continues. The results are crazed zombies that roam the streets, severed heads that talk, murder, madness, and chaos, all in the name of science, of course. Director Stuart Gordon's film debut, an adaptation of the short story by H.P. Lovecraft, is a masterpiece of ghoulish fun. Graphic special effects, good scripting, and perfectly over-the-top performances make RE-ANIMATOR a classic horror film in the tradition of THE EVIL DEAD and RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD.

Customer Reviews

Back from the dead...at last!
Wow, I and many fans of the genre have long waited for this DVD and alas it is here complete with some well worthy special features. The film is just awesome it captures the story of Lovecrafts original superbly in this stylishly timeless and ultra gory and at times painfully humorous horror movie. The sequels dont quite stand up, that goes without saying, this DVD is a must own for any fan. Buy it before it goes away again.

Lovecraft Lives on
Newsflash this film bears very little resemblance to the H.P Lovecraft short story. This does not mean that the film is no good. On the contrary this is one of my favourite horror films and the lead Jeffrey Combs is one of my favourite horror actors. Herbert West is a student who has developed a serum that can bring dead tissues to life. Abandoning any moral code West begins to test out his serum in America (in the intro we see him testing it in europe supposedly fingers crossed they will soon release a prequel). It has disastrous results notably with a roommate's cat. Soon West and his roommate who is initailly black mailed by West(he is sleeping with the deans attractive daughter) and then decides to willingly help him in his quest.

Quite a thin story but everything else fits in so well it is gory but understandably so (a lot of the action takes place in autopsy rooms and other areas with plenty of body parts that become extras in this marvelous horror

MAD DOCS AND GLORY
Say hello to HERBERT WEST, re-animator of dead, previously living, tissue. He's a doctor. He's also certifiable...but don't worry, the day-glo green liquid in his syringe is completely harmless. Unless you're a corpse.

This wildly funny and extremely gory film - a classic example of comedy and horror combining to shred the usual expectations - still does the business today, a mere 24 years(!) after it first eviscerated onto our cinema screens. A remarkable achievement by any standards. I just adore the 'teaser', followed by the animated titles sequence with their wonderful orchestral nod to Hitchcock's PSYCHO and yes, absolutely, the remaining 80-plus minutes. If you're in the right mood, there's not a single wrong-footed moment to spoil this show.

And what a show. Watch in slack-jawed amazement Herbert West's obsessive experiments to bring back to life that which has expired, including a distinctly pissed off cat. Stare in wide-eyed disbelief as a severed head plumbs depths hitherto unexplored by your average movie severed head. Pray in silent torment that the final re-animation of a central character justifies the whole catalogue of horror that has preceded this moment.

So why doesn't all this excess leave a nasty taste in the mouth? Because there's a directorial tongue firmly planted in everyone's cheek, that's why. Thank you STUART GORDON and BRIAN YUZNA. Oh, and if you're still not sure, just check out JEFFREY COMBS'/HERBERT WEST'S eye-popping delivery of the classic line: "Of course he's dead, the dosage was too large". On that bombshell, I rest my surgical case.

Boasting a pristine picture and sound transfer, it's easy to say I wish there were more films like RE-ANIMATOR, but something inside is glad it's a one-off - despite the sequels - although you might want to cast a glance at FROM BEYOND.

Having recently been passed uncut, you should consider buying it now - and appreciate a film of barking mad brilliance from a decade of considerable dross.


VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED