Re-Animator (1985)

Director:

Stuart Gordon

Writers:

H.P. Lovecraft (story)
Dennis Paoli (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

18 October 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

H.P. Lovecraft's classic tale of horror

Plot:

A dedicated student at a medical college and his girlfriend become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation of dead tissue when an odd new student arrives on campus.

Plot Keywords:

Student | Experiment | H.P. Lovecraft | Death | Scientist

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Jeffrey Combs	...	Herbert West
Bruce Abbott	...	Daniel 'Dan' Cain
Barbara Crampton	...	Megan Halsey
David Gale	...	Dr. Carl Hill
Robert Sampson	...	Dean Alan Halsey
Gerry Black	...	Mace (Miskatonic security guard)
Carolyn Purdy-Gordon	...	Dr. Harrod
Peter Kent	...	Melvin the Re-Animated
Barbara Pieters	...	Nurse
Ian Patrick Williams	...	Swiss professor
Bunny Summers	...	Swiss doctor
Al Berry	...	Dr. Gruber
Derek Pendleton	...	Swiss policeman #1
Gene Scherer	...	Swiss policeman #2
James Ellis	...	Psycho Ward guard #1
James Earl Cathay	...	Psycho Ward guard #2
Annyce Holzman	...	E-R patient corpse
Velvet Debois	...	Slit wrist girl corpse
Lawrence Lowe	...	Failed operation corpse
Robert Holcomb	...	Motorcycle accident corpse
Mike Filloon	...	Facial bullet wound corpse
Greg Reid	...	One-armed man corpse
Jack Draheim	...	Tall skinny guy corpse
Robert Pitzele	...	Bald O-R corpse
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kim Deitch	...	Bald doctor

Directed by
Stuart Gordon

Writing credits
H.P. Lovecraft		(story "Herbert West, Re-Animator")
Dennis Paoli		(screenplay) &
William Norris		(screenplay) (as William J. Norris) &
Stuart Gordon		(screenplay)

Produced by
Michael Avery	....	executive producer
Bruce William Curtis	....	executive producer
Bob Greenberg	....	associate producer
Charles Donald Storey	....	associate producer
Brian Yuzna	....	producer

Original Music by
Richard Band

Cinematography by
Mac Ahlberg
Robert Ebinger		(uncredited; replaced by Mac Ahlberg)

Film Editing by
Lee Percy

Casting by
Anthony Barnao

Art Direction by
Robert A. Burns

Costume Design by
Robin Burton
Robin Lewis-West

Makeup Department
Everett Burrell	....	special makeup effects artist
Anthony Doublin	....	special makeup effects
John Naulin	....	special makeup effects
Gerald Quist	....	assistant makeup effects artist
John Carl Buechler	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Drex Reed	....	special makeup effects crew (uncredited)

Production Management
Dennis Murphy	....	executive in charge of production
Michael Muscal	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tim Minear	....	assistant director
Robert Roda	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
James Bailey	....	foley artist
Gordon L. Day	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Kwiatkowski	....	sound editor
Dean Okrand	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Sollars	....	boom operator
Don Summer	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Bret Culpepper	....	special effects
Richard N. McGuire	....	special effects: EFX Lead

Stunts
Dan Bradley	....	stunt coordinator
Scott Alan Cook	....	stunts
Mike Filloon	....	stunts
Ray Lykins	....	stunt double: Dean Halsey/Dr. Hill
Ray Lykins	....	stunts
George P. Wilbur	....	stunts (as George Wilber)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Ebinger	....	additional still photographer (as Robert Fredric Ebinger)
R. Michael Givens	....	assistant camera
David Morton	....	electrician
Tim Morton	....	best boy
Philip Sloan	....	dolly grip
Rick A. West	....	electrician

Music Department
Tom Villano	....	music editor

Other crew
Barrie Bergman	....	production associate
Rick Berman	....	production assistant
Martin Bernholtz	....	production associate
Misty Carey	....	production coordinator
John Criswell	....	effects assistant
Richard Davison	....	effects assistant
Robert Dawson	....	title designer: main titles
Dana Ginsberg	....	effects assistant
Lisa S. Girolami	....	set manager
Cleve Hall	....	MMI crew
Bob Johnene	....	double
Hans Jonnason	....	body double: David Gale
Paul Madoff	....	production assistant
Julie Mauger	....	effects assistant
Kenny Myers	....	effects assistant (as Ken Myers)
Steve Patino	....	effects assistant
Greg Rose	....	body double: David Gale
Jeffrey Lyle Segal	....	effects assistant (as Jeff Segal)
Therese Shirley	....	effects assistant
Desiree Vaughn-Soto	....	MMI crew
Chris Witherspoon	....	MMI crew
Cathy Yuzna	....	production associate (as Cathy Cherry Yuzna)

Thanks
Albert Band	....	special thanks
Charles Band	....	special thanks
Debra Dion	....	special thanks
Peter Manoogian	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Empire Pictures
• Re-Animator Productions

Distributors

• Empire Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• Re-Animator Productions (2001) (worldwide) (all media)
• Eurogroup (1986) (France) (theatrical)
• Re-Animator Productions (1995) (worldwide) (all media)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• CMV Laservision (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Elite Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Elite Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Emerald (2008) (Argentina) (DVD) (re-release) (improved edition)
• Firebox (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Starz Home Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (DVD)
• Stormovie (2005) (Italy) (DVD)
• Sunfilm Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Vestron Video International (1986) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Runtime:

86 min (unrated version) | USA:95 min (R-rated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | West Germany:18 (video premiere) (heavily cut) | West Germany:Not Rated | Singapore:(Banned) | UK:18 (re-rating) (2007) (uncut) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Belgium:16 (video rating) | Australia:MA (re-rating) (2007) | Australia:MA (2007 re-rating) | South Korea:18 | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:R | France:-12 | Italy:VM18 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 (Banned) | UK:18 (cut) | USA:Open (rating surrendered: 1986) | USA:R (cut version: 1986) | Iceland:(Banned) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Empire Pictures

Trivia:

The special effects department went through 25 gallons of fake blood during the shoot.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: We see West shoving the drill through the cadaver's back and exiting his chest. The chest itself is a fake with the actor playing the cadaver holding on to it and shoving the drill through himself. We see this for ourselves when the two actors accidentally lift the fake chest high enough to reveal the real body underneath.

Quotes:

Swiss Woman Doctor: You killed him!
Herbert West: No, I did not. I gave him life.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Re-Penetrator (2004) (V)

Modern Horror Classic

The astute viewer will immediately pick up on the tone of Re-Animator. The introduction (added to the film at the last minute before its release) is a glimpse of the over-the-top nature of the entire production. If one were to be frightened by this intro, he or she will be comforted by the playful cheer of the opening title music. The score was heavily inspired by the famous Psycho score, a classic by Bernard Herrmann.

The movie, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's `Herbert West: Re-Animator', follows a simple plot. Herbert West (played to precise pitch perfection by Jeffrey Combs who, like Bruce Campbell, is a B-Movie legend) is new at Miskatonic Medical University. Immediately, Herbert clashes with Dr. Carl Hill (David Gale) on the subject of `brain death'.

At the same time, Dan Cain (Bruce Abbot) is looking for a roommate. He is also dating Dean Alan Halsey's (Robert Sampson) daughter, Megan (Barbara Crampton). When Herbert West shows up at Dan's door one night during a `study' session, Megan is immediately suspicious. Why is Herbert so anxious to move in? Why is he so interested in the basement?

It is not long before the cat is dead, re-animated and dead again. The early scenes of violence are disturbing and hilarious at the same time and are only a taste of what is to come. Dan tries to resist the temptation of power inherent in the re-animating fluid, but is sucked into Herbert's mad world of life giving.

There is a turn of events about halfway through the film (which I would be crazy to spoil) that almost screams to the viewer, `We aren't playing by the rules here.' The storyline twists its way to the famous conclusion that, if you haven't heard of it, will leave you breathless. Even if you know what is going to happen, when you finally see it, in all of it's gory, sexual glory you understand why this classic has achieved such a status. The finale of the film is twisted in so many ways it's impossible to count.

Obviously, I loved the movie. Having never been anything but a horror fan, I cannot say it will suit everyones' tastes. The film is so over-the-top that the outrageous gore becomes less and less shocking. The timid viewer may want to shy away from this masterpiece. Anyone with even the slightest curiosity should seek this movie out.