Plot: What’s it about?
Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) has been working on a most unusual science project, one that involves the regeneration of dead tissue. In other words, he seeks to bring the dead back to life and of course, that’s some serious business. After his professor dies under mysterious circumstances, West takes up residence at Miskatonic University, where he plans to continue his experiments. He enlists the help of fellow student Dan Caine (Bruce Abbott) and his girlfriend Megan (Barbara Crampton), but their assistance is often reluctant at best. West soon cracks the project and with some special green ooze, he manages to bring a dead cat back to life. Now he tries to experiment on larger animals, but as he soon discovers, undead humans can be tough to control, to say the least. His new instructor Carl (David Gale) has big plans for West and his formula however, plans that don’t involve West and plans that allow Carl to take all the credit. But West has worked hard to develop the green gunk and as such, he has no plans to let it go without a fight. When the dust settles and the last drops of blood have been shed, who will emerge as the survivor?
Take Brian Yuzna, Stuart Gordon, and Jeffrey Combs, throw in a ton of blood & guts, then add in a science fiction storyline and there you have it, Re-Animator. This film was released when horror films seemed doomed to languish in second rate slasher realms forever, so this offbeat little number was just what the good doctor ordered, at least for some folks. The storyline is solid enough for a horror movie, especially since it offers so much potential for splatter and gross special effects, which the film more than delivers on, I assure you. We’re talking about severed heads, spurts of blood, insane undead creatures, you name it and Re-Animator probably has it, and in spades. The special effects work quite well also and while a couple instances haven’t held up as well, most of the gore looks terrific, which is impressive. This disc includes the unrated edition of the film, which means the awful additional R rated scenes were removed, although you can choose to view them, as part of the disc’s supplemental material. I give this movie and disc a high recommendation, as the flick is fantastic and the disc more than does it justice, terrific work all around.
I always love to see him in movies, but this has to be the finest effort from Jeffrey Combs, as he is given the lead role. Combs is able to infuse his roles with energy and personality, it never seems like he sleepwalks, to be sure. He is usually handed small, but important roles and he always makes them memorable, no matter how little screen time he’s presented. In this case however, he has the main character and he runs with it, no two ways about it. His approach works to perfection, as West’s persona seems dead on and I can’t imagine who else could have tackled this role. I hope we can see him in more prominent roles soon also, although he seems to stick with supporting parts, for the most part. You can also see Combs in such films as Bride of Re-Animator, Fortress, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Castle Freak, and in his second best performance, The Frighteners. The cast also includes Bruce Abbott (Casual Sex?, The Last Starfighter), Robert Sampson (The Arrival, Shell Game), David Gale (The First Power, Savage Weekend), and Barbara Crampton (Chopping Mall, Body Double).
Video: How does it look?
Re-Animator is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. This is a more than solid visual effort, but the lack of anamorphic treatment is a hindrance, as the image suffers at times. You’ll see some edge enhancement at times and the film just doesn’t seem as sharp as it could be, which is a let down. But the image here still looks terrific and better than previous editions, to be sure. The colors seem bright and never falter, while flesh tones are natural, unless intentionally otherwise. The contrast is stable, but lacks the refinement I would have liked, though no real problems surface. I’d like to see a new anamorphic edition of Re-Animator, but until that happens, this is a more than suitable edition.
Audio: How does it sound?
The original mono option is included and while it is by no means dynamic, it proves to afford an adequate audio presentation. At times the elements seem a little restrained, but the basics are in order and in this case, that’s enough. I do think a surround track would open up a few scenes and enhance the score, but since the music is a hack Hermann lift anyway, I suppose we can more than make do with the included mono track. The dialogue is clean and the sound effects are in fine working order, so I see no reason to complain much.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc also houses some nice supplements, such as two audio commentary tracks, both well worth a listen. The first session is with director Stuart Gordon and while some blanks are drawn, this is still a great track and Gordon shares a lot of information. I think it is always important to hear the director’s comments and even though Gordon leaves some silent spaces, when he does speak it is always worthwhile. The second track features producer Brian Yuzna, as well as stars Bruce Abbott, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, and Robert Sampson. This is a more exciting session, as someone always seem to be talking, but it never gets hard to tell who’s who, which often happens on these sort of tracks. You can also view sixteen scenes that were used in the R rated edition, but slowed the film down way too much, to be sure. It is cool to have them here however, if just for reference sake, of course. A never before seen Dream Sequence scene is also packed on here, which should please fans. This disc also includes an early promotional spot, two television spots, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
