Director: Stuart
Gordon
Notable Cast: Bruce
Abbott, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, David Gale, Robert Sampson
It was only last year that Arrow Video dropped on fans the
fantastic new version of Bride of
Re-Animator and it started a lot of online conversations about when the US
would finally see some kind of new deluxe package for the original Re-Animator. Well leave it to Arrow to
follow through on the unspoken promise and dropping a massive limited edition
box set of the cult classic to match their previous release. Re-Animator is a film that uses its
perfectly blended quirky tones of horror and comedy in the perfectly prescribed
dosage and it’s quite deserving of a release like this. So not only does this
film remain the iconic black comedic horror classic that has situated itself as
a universal film to love for cult audiences, but this massive release matches
the spunky and off beat style in an artistic manner, playing up images and
content to spin fans into a fever pitch. This is the kind of collector’s
release that not only showcases the a fantastic film in a grand manner, but it
matches that kind of love with the features and packaging. Truly, the only
thing better would have been if it came with a note attached to it that said,
“Cat dead, details later.”
Dan (Abbott) is a gem medical student. He has top notch
grades, he’s handsome, and he’s in a serious relationship with the Dean’s
daughter. That is, until Herbert West (Combs) shows up. Now he’s involved in
some weird stuff. West believes he can reanimate the dead, but his experiments
need some help. Of course, when a rival medical researcher and teacher at the
school (Gale) gets wind of this, everything will decidedly spin out of control.
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| Our "glowing" heroes... |
For a review of this nature, it’s necessary to at least
mention the quality of Re-Animator as
a film. Now, it’s my personal opinion that this is a film any self-respecting
horror fan should see at least, but it’s not always the case that classic cult
films continue to find a young audience to continue their popularity as time
goes on. For Re-Animator though, it
seems that the popularity of the film has only seen itself grow more intense as
the years have gone by and that’s a massive tribute to the quality and
timelessness of Stuart Gordon’s quirky H.P Lovecraft adaption. Re-Animator is most certainly rooted in
80s conceptual horror tropes, including the blend of over the top gore and the
often off-beat nature of its humorous tones, but it’s a film so well-crafted
within the genre that it remains a highlight of what the style has to offer.
It’s remarkably funny in some very dark ways as we see our young lead
protagonist Dan start to get in over his head via his relationship with Herbert
West (played with hilarious deadpan exuberance by Jeffrey Combs,) but it’s the almost cynical
and satirical nature of the needless competitive nature of the medical research
field (something that still persists in relevance to this day) and the
thoughtful adaption of H.P. Lovecraft’s writing into a more modernized style that
works impressively at the core of the film. The intent of the film is heartfelt
with its character interactions and the execution of its outlandish ideas is
effective even if it can be a smidge unsettling for more casual horror fans. As
things start to spiral out of control through the various and very often
humorous mistakes made by the characters in the narrative, the film only gets
better and it uses its energetic direction, snappy pacing, and witty dialogue
to deliver the laughs and gags (both comedic and physical reflex).
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| The saw is the law. |
Now the initial reason that this latest limited edition
release from Arrow Video should intrigue fans is that it contains the Integral
“cut” of the film. Essentially, what this means is that there is a version of
the film that combines both the rated ‘R’ cut of the film, which features some
different subplots including more sequences containing the villain’s ability to
hypnotize people, and the more violent and gory moments from the unrated
version of the film. Truthfully, there are plenty of places that go much deeper
into the analysis of the difference of this version than the other two (for the
record, this package only contains the unrated cut and not the ‘R’ rated
version, although the unrated version is a pristine looking new 4K restoration
of the film), but it’s the only way in the US to officially see this Integral version
of the film. On a quality standpoint, the unrated cut is superior as the
quicker pacing makes the film much snappier than the longer cut which is bogged
down by some of its extended sequences that attempt to explain some of the
minor plot holes. Yet, it’s particularly special to be able to finally see this
version and fans are going to want to experience it.
The rest of the package certainly does Re-Animator justice. The box set packaging is impressive, the
additional cards are a fun bonus for fans, and the full comic book version of
the film is an interesting spin for those who know the film by heart. Truly
though, the features on the discs are the highlight of what this limited
edition offers. A feature length documentary anchors most of it, but a new
commentary with director Stuart Gordon was perhaps the best part of this Arrow
Video release for myself. All of it is an insightful commentary and
appreciation for a film fully deserving of this kind of treatment. One cannot
go wrong with this box set.
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| Get a job in a sideshow. |
Now this is one of the few reviews where I spent the
majority of the time speaking about the various features of the release instead
of the quality of the film itself and there is a reason for that. Namely, it’s
because Re-Animator is a superbly fun
and well executed horror comedy experience that should already be on any fan’s
list of preferred watching, but it’s also because this release easily ranks up
there with Arrow’s Bride of Re-Animator
and Society sets to continue their
shrine to producer/director Brian Yuzna. The restoration is top notch, the
features are informative and entertaining, and the package is a collector’s
dream.
Oh yeah. And the film is a riot. If you haven’t seen Re-Animator, see it. If you don’t own
it, this Arrow Video release is the only way to go.
ARROW VIDEO FEATURES:
Written By Matt Reifschneider
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