Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Re-Animator'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

For the most part, making a film is a pretty straight forward and formulaic process. A writer writes the script, collaborates with a director once a producer selects them and after the casting process, the film is put together and eventually released for all of us to enjoy. Granted the process is a touch more complex than that, but what matters most is that there is a process to bring forth a refined story.

It's a design that has at times, saddened movie fans, because it has often given way to drier stories and films that feel by the numbers. But there are still films out there that manage to buck that 'formulaic' trend, in present day and in the past and one such film from the 1980's threw formula to the wind when it came to this slasher dominant decade by giving us one hell of a wild adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's work in...Re-Animator.
 
This is a motion picture that introduces us to Doctor Herbert West, a man that is working tirelessly to find a way to cheat death and well...it turns out that Herbert finds a way to resurrect the dead through a special reanimation agent and let's leave the plot at that because this is a film that I don't want to spoil in any form or fashion simply because Re-Animator is a unique film to say the least, one that truly turns the genre inside out, for lack of a better phrase, and one that includes a quirky style of storytelling that makes it a cult classic that in no way resembles a traditional horror film.

Yes, there's a solid, well thought out plot, but once we get past that, this film simply feels like an outright free for all idea wise. Director Stuart Gordon clearly decided to experiment with the gore, giving us zombies unlike any other and a third act that defies the darkest parts of your imagination when it comes to the splatter and our villain and speaking of the bad guy...well let's just say that he goes to horrific depths that the audience never quite sees coming, taking part in a moment so unique and taboo that one rarely sees such an act in mainstream film. If anything, this is the kind of moment that is often reserved to niche films and horror sub genres, yet all of it works because it's another component in Stuart's endgame, to make a unique and intriguing horror film that grabs hold of your attention and never once lets go. 

However, if you're not in an 'experimental' mood when it comes to storytelling, don't worry, there's plenty here to appease the everyday horror fan. There's scares and tense and creepy moments abound and if you're hoping for a gory fix, there's plenty of blood and guts as well. But when all is said and done, this film is outright genius. The fact that Stuart Gordon was willing to throw caution to the wind paid off in spades because in many ways, this film is a personification of Lovecraft's gentle madness and at times plays out like a bad dream, making this film a wonderful experience, one that has easily withstood the test of time, and one that you need to see if you haven't yet, regardless of whether or not you're a fan of Lovecraft simply because of the fact that this film is one of a kind.

---