Re-Animator DVD: Review By Dodd

When it comes to identifying cult films, it is more about focusing on the past and present than it is the future. After all, it is hard to market something as cult before it is even released. Typically a little film comes along that initially does not hit its success mark upon release, but gradually gains an audience over the years. While there is no specific, generic characteristic that sets a flick apart as cult, it generally demonstrates a unique quirk that separates it from mainstream fare. How different are these films? Well, let's take for example the infamous cult horror film Re-Animator, which tells the story of a scientist and an undead severed head with a lust for the nude ladies.

Re-Animator begins with the quaint life of Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott). Cain is a medical student with the perfect girlfriend Meg (Barbra Crampton) who takes his studies seriously. However, his normal life is shaken when Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) becomes Cain's new roommate. While West is blatantly rude and creepy to his housemate, Cain sees no harm in the reclusive medical student splitting the rent. This is until an undead cat surfaces from basement of the house.

As indicated in a pre-credit introduction, West is not your average pediatrician candidate. He has come up with a drug that can re-animate the dead. Unfortunately, his prior experiments have produced deadly results. Cain, while at first uncomfortable with the unethical nature of these experiments, agrees to assist West with hopes of successfully finding a cure for death. However, as we all know, it is never a good idea to tamper with nature. The test subjects change from cats to humans and one headless corpse even manages to kidnap Meg. It is up to West and Cain to contain the murderous madness that they have created.

So what is so special about Re-Animator? Basically this is just another Frankenstein-like story, with the exception of this film being based on a H.P. Lovecraft story rather than a Mary Shelly one. Released in the 1980s, Re-Animator, along with Return of the Living Dead, dared to do something different with the living dead premise: make fun of it. While, Re-Animator packs some pretty disturbing imagery from the get-go, there came a point when I was watching this film when I realized that the adrenaline rush I was experiencing was not from fear, but from having fun. If you are a horror junky, it is hard not to find humor in undead cats and a decapitated head with a fetish for cunninlingus.

In addition to the campy tale of the undead, the film has surprisingly entertaining performances. This is especially so for Jeffrey Combs. Re-Animator is the film that put Combs on the map as a B-horror staple. He even went on to work with director Stuart Gordon once again in his 1990s Lovecraft adaptation, Castle Freak. As the demented anti-hero Herbert West, Combs is at the top of his game as a mad scientist who is a creepy presence one minute and a zombie-fighting hero the next. Kudos also go to the late David Gale as the headless Dr. Carl Hill. Not only does he play a horny severed head so magnificently, but he is a striking clone of Senator John Kerry.

Re-Animator is certainly the quirky horror romp that cult horror fans remember. If there is any negative side to this film, it is that it is the 86-minute cut as opposed to the 95-minute one. However, it is also unrated. This film has been released multiple times with both an R-rating and no rating. Depending on whether your preference is with the shorter, unrated cut, or the extended R cut you may or may not want to own this version of the film.

Commentary Tracks

The feature DVD comes equipped with two tracks. The first is with director Stuart Gordon. I have never heard the popular horror director provide commentary, and I am very impressed. Gordon is aware of his fan-base and gives a well-planned walkthrough on the picture discussing everything from putting the film together to small details in the storyline. This is a true master of horror. The second track is a more casual outing with producer Brian Yuzna, and actors Bruce Abbott, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, and Robert Sampson. Yuzna is there to provide the proper production details, but the actors mostly control this track with laughter and fond recollections of being a part of this horror masterpiece.

Resurrectus

Horror fans rejoice! This is a 70-minute featurette entirely devoted to the making of Re-Animator. You may be asking yourself, "Is this possible?" It certainly is. Stuart Gordon discusses the conception of the project all the way through the making of the film. Also, the performers recall almost every notable scene in the movie, and getting through difficult shoots. The highlight here has to be Barbara Crampton recalling the famous scene of receiving head from a severed head. This is a hands-down must watch.

Interviews

There is a grab bag of everything in this group of features. Writer Dennis Paoli sits down to discuss writing the film, while music composer Richard Band participates in, not only an interview, but a detailed analysis of music usage in the film. To offer a fan's perspective, Fangoria editor Tony Timpone even gives a few minutes on his admiration for the classic flick. The highlight of these interviews has to be a 48-minute long conversation between Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna. The collaborators sit down for a fun and insightful discussion about making Re-Animator. Much of this is already discussed in the doc*mentary and commentary tracks, but it is still a pleasure to see these gents truly express their pride in making horror entertaining.

Deleted and Extended Scenes

The deleted scene is one lengthy, bizarre scenario which shows Meg being brought back from the dead with the entire cast of characters present to witness the resurrection. This is presumably a dream sequence. There are also quite a few extended scenes that are more wasteful filler than interesting. I can only assume that some of this made up the lengthier R-rated cut.

The DVD also includes a still gallery, a trailer, TV spots, a storyboard gallery, and a DVD-ROM screenplay of the film.

Widescreen (1.85:1) The film's transfer to DVD looks as crisp as possible. However, the low budget quality of the film still really stands out. This isn't necessarily a complaint as it adds to the feel of the movie.

5.1 Dolby Digital. The comical zombie thrill ride is surely a mad riot with the surround sound kicked on. However, the real highlight here is Richard Band's fast-paced and suspenseful score, which sounds incredible in stereo.

Anchor Bay has gone all out with packaging. The film itself is in a standard DVD keep case, but it comes packaged in a thicker box. This box displays a close-up photo of Combs and is for the purpose making the DVD look spiffy on store shelves. However, the box also holds a bonus green highlighter, which is made to look like Herbert West's syringe of zombie juice. The packaging here is 100% effort and in good fun.

This two-disc DVD of Re-Animator is a fully-loaded package that will have fans of the cult horror film rejoicing. Not only do you get the classic film, but a second disc with hours of extra features. It is impossible to not know the entire story behind this film after watching the DVD. It is hard to tell when another version of a movie on DVD will just come out the next year, but I am willing vouch for this DVD. If it gets any more fully loaded than this, it would be ridiculously excessive. My advice is to step up and buy this great film with special features to boot.

Questions? Comments? Just want to talk movies? Drop me a line at dodd@movieweb.com