• Director: Stuart Gordon
• With: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale, Robert Sampson, Gerry Black, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Peter Kent, Al Berry, Bunny Summers, Ian Patrick Williams
• Music by: Richard Band
• Duration: 1h24
• Studio: Empire Pictures
• Based upon the story ‘Herbert West, Reanimator’ by H.P. Lovecraft
• Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

A medical student returns from Austria after working in regenerative experiments with a well known scientist who died under mysterious circumstances. He enrolls at Miskatonic University where he begs to differ with his professor on issues of the time of death, and eventually enlists his roommate to help him continue experiments on re-animating the dead. Based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft.

Review:

A new take on an old recipe: the zombie movie.

Loosely based on the story by H.P. Lovecraft, Herbert West Reanimator, this movie tells the story of mad scientist Herbert West who has found the way to revive the dead.

In order to prove his theory he enlists his roommate Dan in a series of experiments but these only lead to some deaths, which only strengthen West’s need to keep on trying.

The real trouble starts when Doctor Hill finds out what Herbert West is up to. West is not planning on giving up his research just like that and makes a split (pun intended) decision.

All this ultimately leads to chaos in the hospital where they all work and more dead bodies will come alive.

I remember my mom telling me about this movie when I was younger. They had seen it in cinemas and she was so grossed out by it. And looking back on it, almost forty years later, this movie is pretty gross. And I love it for it. The best parts of this movie happen during the second half , when mayhem ensues in the morgue! Be warned!

This movie spawned two sequels, Bride of Reanimator and Beyond Reanimator. Both with Jeffrey Combs as the devilish scientist West! I honestly wonder if one day we might see a new Re-Animator movie?

But the dvd I own is so bad in quality I will look for a Blu-ray replacement soon!

Oh and for those who love Hitchcock… yes that ís the same music used in Psycho!