31 Nights of Halloween Horror - Night 14 - Re-Animator
Re-Animator
105 mins.
Dir. Stuart Gordon
USA/1985
So far we have watched some obscure and lesser known films that maybe some of you have not seen before. Tonight let's take a look at something hopefully just about everyone has seen, one of my favorite horror films and favorite horror character, Dr. Herbert West in Re-Animator. I hope you still have your rain coats.
Loosely based on the H.P. Lovecraft story, Herbert West - Re-Animator, Director Stuart Gordon takes us on a wet & wild updated retelling of the Frankenstein story. Herbert West played perfectly by Jefferey Combs is a medical student at Miskatonic Hospital studying death. Seems he has developed a serum that can bring the dead back to life. He rooms up with Dan Cain another medical student with a promising career who also happens to be shacking up with Megan Halsey, the Dean's daughter. Both are studying under Dr. Carl Hill, one of the hospitals most respected doctors, though West constantly taunts him for stealing other peoples ideas and being behind the times in his theories.
One night Dan's cat Rufus is missing and Megan finds it dead in a mini fridge in Herbert's room. West claims it was dead when he found it. Later that night Herbert shows Dan the effects of his reanimating fluid when he brings his mangled cat back to life. Dan is enamored by the results and the two take up a partnership to continue Herbert's research. Next stop the hospital morgue, time to experiment on something bigger, humans. They succeed in reanimating a cadaver in the morgue which essentially goes crazy and winds up killing Dean Halsey in the process who unfortunately stopped by. West, always obsessed with his work, realizes the mistake may have been the brain was dead too long and they need a fresher subject. And what more fresh of a subject can you get then the recently deceased Dean Halsey.
By this point Dr. Hill knows something is up and heads out to steal Herbert's serum and claim it as his own. Of course Herbert has no choice but to kill him by chopping his head off. Wonder if it is possible to re-animate parts of a corpse? West injects some serum into Dr. Hill's severed head and some more into his headless body and wouldn't you know, the shit works. This is where the movie really gets batshit crazy. Dr. Hill's body carries around his severed head, attempts to rape Megan Halsey in one of the most notorious scenes in a horror film ever, blood is flying, corpses are re-animated, West get's strangled by a cadaver's intestines and hilarity ensues. God damn this movie is one fun ride.
One of things I like most about the character of Herbert West is his complete obsession with his work. Nothing else matters, and he will do whatever is necessary to get results. Even Dr. Frankenstein, who West was somewhat modeled after seems to have some what of a sense of humanity. Herbert West doesn't give a fuck about anything or anyone, just his work. I guess it is the obsessive in me that can identify with this character that makes him one of my genre favorites. Fast paced, over the top effects, plenty of the red stuff to fill an army of corpses with and a re-animated severed head going down on a girl. What more could you want in a film? This one is just about as good as it gets. For extra credit points, check out the sequel Bride of Re-Animator, another fun over the top effects filled romp.
Re-Animator
105 mins.
Dir. Stuart Gordon
USA/1985
So far we have watched some obscure and lesser known films that maybe some of you have not seen before. Tonight let's take a look at something hopefully just about everyone has seen, one of my favorite horror films and favorite horror character, Dr. Herbert West in Re-Animator. I hope you still have your rain coats.
Loosely based on the H.P. Lovecraft story, Herbert West - Re-Animator, Director Stuart Gordon takes us on a wet & wild updated retelling of the Frankenstein story. Herbert West played perfectly by Jefferey Combs is a medical student at Miskatonic Hospital studying death. Seems he has developed a serum that can bring the dead back to life. He rooms up with Dan Cain another medical student with a promising career who also happens to be shacking up with Megan Halsey, the Dean's daughter. Both are studying under Dr. Carl Hill, one of the hospitals most respected doctors, though West constantly taunts him for stealing other peoples ideas and being behind the times in his theories.
One night Dan's cat Rufus is missing and Megan finds it dead in a mini fridge in Herbert's room. West claims it was dead when he found it. Later that night Herbert shows Dan the effects of his reanimating fluid when he brings his mangled cat back to life. Dan is enamored by the results and the two take up a partnership to continue Herbert's research. Next stop the hospital morgue, time to experiment on something bigger, humans. They succeed in reanimating a cadaver in the morgue which essentially goes crazy and winds up killing Dean Halsey in the process who unfortunately stopped by. West, always obsessed with his work, realizes the mistake may have been the brain was dead too long and they need a fresher subject. And what more fresh of a subject can you get then the recently deceased Dean Halsey.
By this point Dr. Hill knows something is up and heads out to steal Herbert's serum and claim it as his own. Of course Herbert has no choice but to kill him by chopping his head off. Wonder if it is possible to re-animate parts of a corpse? West injects some serum into Dr. Hill's severed head and some more into his headless body and wouldn't you know, the shit works. This is where the movie really gets batshit crazy. Dr. Hill's body carries around his severed head, attempts to rape Megan Halsey in one of the most notorious scenes in a horror film ever, blood is flying, corpses are re-animated, West get's strangled by a cadaver's intestines and hilarity ensues. God damn this movie is one fun ride.
One of things I like most about the character of Herbert West is his complete obsession with his work. Nothing else matters, and he will do whatever is necessary to get results. Even Dr. Frankenstein, who West was somewhat modeled after seems to have some what of a sense of humanity. Herbert West doesn't give a fuck about anything or anyone, just his work. I guess it is the obsessive in me that can identify with this character that makes him one of my genre favorites. Fast paced, over the top effects, plenty of the red stuff to fill an army of corpses with and a re-animated severed head going down on a girl. What more could you want in a film? This one is just about as good as it gets. For extra credit points, check out the sequel Bride of Re-Animator, another fun over the top effects filled romp.
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