ViewGuide

Created Sep 06, 2012 03:24PM PST • Edited Sep 06, 2012 03:24PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Very Good 3.5

   Re-animator is a classic. Released in 1985 to a potential niche audience and a surprising amount of critical fanfare, the film made jeffrey combs a horror icon and made stuart gordon a “master of horror.” based upon the series of short stories “herbert west: re-animator” by HP Lovecraft, the film is rife with unconventional formula combined with a sly sense of humor and a healthy dose of some stuart gordon sexuality (Lovecraft didnt delve into the sexual aspects of life and death in the series as the movie does) make Re-animator a horror/comedy classic (or cult classic as the case may be) worth watching and rewatching. If you enjoy abundant gore with a healthy dose of laughter, this film will catch your eye (joke intended) from the opening scene.

4. Acting

   Very Good 3.5

   The acting, mostly done from stage actors (stuart gordon was himself a director of stage long before his foray into filmmaking), shows a lot nuance as well as “over-the-top” displays that serve the comedic and horrific Moments with ease. As mentioned, jeffrey combs career began with his perfect portrayal of the young herbert west. You are immediately drawn to the twitchy and yet wild confidence of the young doctor. Of course combs went on to many other roles, including returning to this role for two sequels. Bruce abbot plays the “straight man”, dan cain well enough as it is through his eyes that we witness the “horrors” on display. The lovely barbara crampton plays megan halsey, daughter of the Dean, the forbidden fruit of dr. Hill, and lone female character, and she handles it very well, becoming a popular fixture in gordon’s films in the future. And id be missing out if i didnt mention the crazy antics of dr carl hill, played amazingly by david gale. Spending half the movie as simply an alive severed head, he gets to pull all the stops in the “ridiculous” and “monstrous”. Wonderful performance.

5. Male Stars Awful 0.0

6. Female Stars Awful 0.0

7. Female Costars Awful 0.0

8. Male Costars Awful 0.0

10. Film

    OK 2.5

    obviously filmed on a shoestring budget (and by 1985 standards it truly is next to nothing), the films crackles to life with a vigor that at that point as all its own. Gordon’s direction is fun and to the point, while also showing a daring “don’t you dare look away!” approach to the more squeamish scenes. The music plays along, showing that while youre about to see a lot of grue and red stuff, its ok to chuckle at it all. The cinematography is draped in a color scheme that accurately puts you into a place that is simultaneoualy vibrant AND dreary. The film looks pretty great for a low budget mid 80s gory movie.

11. Direction Awful 0.0

12. Play Awful 0.0

13. Music Awful 0.0

14. Visuals Awful 0.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Horrid 4.3

    this is a gory 80s horror comedy about reanimating dead tissue and experimenting on its tendency to go into violent outbursts and kill. Ha. In the first 5 minutes you watch a man’s face contort as his eyes bulge from his head, burst into flowing red from the sockets, and fall over dead. You watch a bonesaw run through a man, a man have his arm hacked off, a man decapitated with a shovel, and a dead cat brought back to life. Not to mention seeing breasts a couple times and insinuated cunnilingus from a decapitated head! (played for laughs!) the only thing keeping this movie from a higher rating is the fact that there is a certain glee and level of fun to be taken from it all. The mortifying moments may make you laugh nervously at times…but being that it isnt being taken seriously is a welcome sigh.

17. Sex Innocent 1.0

18. Violence Gentle 1.0

19. Rudeness Polite 1.0

21. Reality

    Fantasy 4.2

    the anatomical elements are quite real, while the technology involved isnt so much. Being one of the less fantastical Lovecraft tales (and adaptations) brings with it a nice feeling of reality, while at the same time there are so many moments of pure fantasy that there is never a questiom that we are in a make-believe world. To see what you see in the movie is all done with practical effects, lending it all a realism that digital cannot provide, and yet one will never completely believe the story as anything but a fictional tale, albeit one that does suck you into its world. And if you do find yourself buying into the reality of it all…watch the scene of a severed head lustily preparing itself (himself?) for cunnilingus upon the lone female cast member. Haha. Oh boy.

22. Circumstantial Natural 1.0

23. Biological Natural 1.0

24. Physical Natural 1.0