RE-ANIMATOR SPECIAL EDITION
Elite Entertainment
1985

review by Beth Kattelman

"Herbert West has a very good head on his shoulders . . . and another one in a dish on his desk." It's a perfect tagline for one of the best horror-comedies ever made. Yes, Re-animator is once again available on DVD thanks to the folks at Elite Entertainment.

Re-animator is based on H.P. Lovecraft's short story "Herbert West: The Reanimator." It follows the exploits of the brilliant medical student Herbert West who has discovered a way to bring the dead back to life. Unfortunately, West's discovery also comes with a price. Doggone those re-animated corpses! They're just ruly and out of control.

The cast does a great job of bringing this bizarre story to the screen. Jeffrey Combs is perfect as the measured, obsessed medical student. He exudes a quietly sinister air that makes him likeable, yet frightening. Bruce Abbott is great as West's "straight-man." And kudos to the beautiful Barbara Crampton for being able to believably portray a character who is subjected to some of the most outrageous circumstances ever! (Yes, I'm talking about the "head" scene.)

The DVD also includes some great extras including 20 minutes of additional footage and a never-used dream sequence. The one slight criticism I have of the disc is that the cast commentary is a bit lame. There are a lot of silent moments where they seem unsure what to say. It's hard to get an effective commentary when you have that many people participating. I must admit, however, that it's still fun to hear the cast talk about making the film, and their fond memories of David Gale are touching.

Like a little comedy with your gore? You'll love Re-animator. It's done with a great blend of humor, horror and gore--the perfect style for bringing a pulp horror story to the screen. It's one hell of a gory 'cartoon.' It'll bring your funny bone back to life!

FEAR FACTOR: Good balance of tense moments and comedy.

BLOOD & GORE GAUGE: Yes, it's gory!

COOLEST THING ABOUT THE DVD: The transfer looks great and it's really cool that they dedicated the production to the memory of David Gale.

TRIVIA TIDBIT: Arnold Schwarzenagger's double plays the first corpse in the morgue to be re-animated by West.

BEST "OW, THAT'S GOTTA HURT" MOMENT: Fingers bitten off by re-animated corpse.

BEST QUOTE: You'll never get credit for my discovery. Who's going to believe a talking head. Get a job in a sideshow.

Official Website:
http://www.elitedisc.com/

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