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    Re-Animator

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

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    Low-budget horror films are tricky, particularly when the story calls for many special effects. With the additional desire to be a horror comedy," Re-Animator" could have been a mess. Somehow it works. If you're familiar with the story by H. P. Lovecraft you know the premise. Dan (Bruce Abbott) is a medical student who works at the morgue. Along comes his new roomie, Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs), a brilliant but off-the-wall scientist who has developed a serum that will bring the dead back to life. West convinces his roommate to help him with the experiments but everything goes wrong when their teacher Dr. Hill (David Gale) becomes obsessed with stealing West's discovery. Add to the mix the fact that Dan is dating Megan (Barbara Crampton), the dean's daughter, a ton of bodies waiting to be brought back to life, a lot of gore, and you’ve got a scenario just waiting to make you scream and laugh.

    I want to compliment “Re-Animator” for is its abundant nudity. Odd? Maybe, but think about it. There’s never a shortage of cursing in horror films. Gore and violence? Bountiful. When it comes to birthday suits, we often settle. If there are teenagers having sex you might see some bare breasts but they get quickly covered up and the guys never seem to take off their pants. How often can you really tell if people are actually naked when taking their showers? Of course, nudity isn't required, but what I'm getting at is that often it feels like cheap titillation or plain awkward. Are we really more comfortable with dismemberment and decapitations than with nudity, particularly male nudity? The people who put “Re-Animator” together said “if we’re going to make an R-rated movie, let’s go all the way! Let’s show the entire human form, both outside and inside! ” A large portion of “Re-animator” is set inside the morgue. That means that there is a lot of nudity because corpses in a medical morgue do not have any clothes. It actually works in the film’s favor and in different ways. This movie doesn’t hold back whether it’s displaying its perverted humor, or spraying the audience with geysers of blood.

    The performances, special effects and story found in “Re-Animator” are great. Jeffrey Combs does a terrific job as Herbert West. He’s unique and memorable. You never really know if he's genuinely deranged to the point of being dangerous, or just a little disturbed and socially awkward. You like the guy and want to follow him even as he sucks Dan into his circle of dementia. Although Jeffrey Combs steals pretty much every scene he's in, Bruce Abbott as Dan does just fine creating a nuanced character. A lot of people would simply go running for the hills when confronted with a formula that brings the dead back to life but you can see how this guy would stick around. He's got some strong moments that are very good and I like the contrast of one everyman vs. one lunatic. Playing it almost all for laughs is David Gales as Dr. Carl Hill, who gets in some truly ridiculous and outrageous situations. He’s got both the funniest and creepiest moments. Finally, we get the love interest, Barbara Crampton as Megan, who embodies that little voice inside your head that screams for everyone to just stay away from the dead bodies and forget the whole thing. She and Dan have genuine chemistry together and when she's placed in peril you're cheering for Dan to come and rescue her, particularly when you realize what the villain of the film has in store.

    The special effects range from quite good to just ok. Once in a while, you'll think "ok, this is just not working" but then the movie will make fun of itself and you'll laugh along with it. The makeup is particularly well done. The dead look pretty convincing and they’re varied. We get everything from a burn victim to a man who suffered a shotgun blast to the face. You wouldn't think it, but somehow the slapstick and situational comedy work without taking away from the genuinely unsettling bits or the jump scares. It definitely leans more towards chuckles than screams but there are plenty of both.

    If you're a fan of horror comedies or if you just want to see something different, “Re-Animator” is a great choice. You never know where it's going. It's that perfect mix of cheesy B-Horror, goofy comedy, and genuine frights. The climax is terrific and the final shot is both memorable and haunting. “Re-Animator” is a movie that you can have a lot of fun with, particularly if you're watching it (or re-watching it) with friends. (On Blu-ray, June 6, 2013)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  8.5.2016 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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