Above Dan's bed you'll notice a poster for Stop Making Sense by the Talking Heads; it's probably not a coincidence that both of those phrases describe this movie.
i think of this movie as the modern frankenstein. this was not meant to be taken seriously, like george romeros works. this was an interesting spin on the zombie genre infused with comedy. this one stands out from the others, and i prefer it to movies such as the return of the living dead. however, i think that the definitive zombie comedy is shawn of the dead.
I always get a thrill from hearing the words Arkham and Miskatonic University in Re-Animator, because it is so overtly, joyfully Lovecraft, and it wouldn't be a surprise every time except that Re-Animator really isn't a typical Lovecraft story. Not that he couldn't write mad scientist or zombie stories (as evidently, he did), but it's not the kind of thing he's best known for. Director Stuart Gordon presents a loose adaptation set in the modern day, of course, and brings to it black comedy and lurid exploitation tropes that lead to truly demented and depraved sequences - in particular everything with Dr. Hill's rapey head - and a chaotic climax of monstrous gore that still holds up (where the re-animated cat is perhaps thankfully an obvious animatronic). The movie made Jeffrey Combs an immediate genre star (his next film with Gordon happily made sure he wasn't typecast as dweeby creeps), and features an effective performance by Barbara Crampton as kind of the prototypical 80s "It" girl. Lots of nice touches, from the set dressing to the wicked one-liners to the clever editing. Re-Animator remains a perennial favorite (and yes, that's a kind of a re-animation joke).
The music is just right, the humor is solid, and there's plenty of blood and guts for fans of the genre. However, there's a lot of shots of people walking slowly from one part of the room to another in a way that feels like it wants to generate suspense but it fails to do so. It's only 85 minutes but it should be 75.
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Comments 1 - 11 of 11
greenhorg
Above Dan's bed you'll notice a poster for Stop Making Sense by the Talking Heads; it's probably not a coincidence that both of those phrases describe this movie.Princess_Of_Snails
I love mixing horror and comedy and this movie does an excellent job of it with the excellent actors, humour, and overall excitement.dirte_lawndre
Freaking awesome movie but not to be taken seriously :-) Jeffrey Combs is gold as the crazy Dr Herbert West.mittens
i think of this movie as the modern frankenstein. this was not meant to be taken seriously, like george romeros works. this was an interesting spin on the zombie genre infused with comedy. this one stands out from the others, and i prefer it to movies such as the return of the living dead. however, i think that the definitive zombie comedy is shawn of the dead.Realenur
How the undead doctor Hill with his head in a bucket came from Cain's basement to the laboratory without being discovered is a mystery to me.Scratch47
Could have been tighter with editing and acting, but a real horror classic. The last 20 minutes or so are truly disgusting and awesome.Siskoid
I always get a thrill from hearing the words Arkham and Miskatonic University in Re-Animator, because it is so overtly, joyfully Lovecraft, and it wouldn't be a surprise every time except that Re-Animator really isn't a typical Lovecraft story. Not that he couldn't write mad scientist or zombie stories (as evidently, he did), but it's not the kind of thing he's best known for. Director Stuart Gordon presents a loose adaptation set in the modern day, of course, and brings to it black comedy and lurid exploitation tropes that lead to truly demented and depraved sequences - in particular everything with Dr. Hill's rapey head - and a chaotic climax of monstrous gore that still holds up (where the re-animated cat is perhaps thankfully an obvious animatronic). The movie made Jeffrey Combs an immediate genre star (his next film with Gordon happily made sure he wasn't typecast as dweeby creeps), and features an effective performance by Barbara Crampton as kind of the prototypical 80s "It" girl. Lots of nice touches, from the set dressing to the wicked one-liners to the clever editing. Re-Animator remains a perennial favorite (and yes, that's a kind of a re-animation joke).elcid
Poor Mr. West!senorroboto
The music is just right, the humor is solid, and there's plenty of blood and guts for fans of the genre. However, there's a lot of shots of people walking slowly from one part of the room to another in a way that feels like it wants to generate suspense but it fails to do so. It's only 85 minutes but it should be 75.thetallguyinthecorner
This movie is so delightfully bad that it's actually quite entertaining in its silliness.Talionnen
Why did this movie become a cult? It's boring and not even funny. I don't get it.