one of my all-time favorite movies is re-animator! the whole trilogy is great, but nothing beats the charm of the original. i first watched it november 19, 2020 and i didn't expect to enjoy it as much as i did. i had a thrill watching it, and i hated how much i loved the deranged herbert. this movie kinda changed my life, and now i have a mini collection of re-animator stuff and i cosplay herbert. re-animator means a lot to me!
"Herbert West has a good head on his shoulders... and another one on his desk."
re-animator, also known as h.p. lovecraft's re-animator, is a 1985 comedy horror film directed by stuart gordon. it stars jeffrey combs as the titular re-animator herbert west. herbert west is a medical student who has created the secret to life after death: a glowing green reagent. however, it is still in the developing stages, so herbert doesn't really know how it will affect human beings. shenanigans ensue!
re-animator was released in theatres on october 18, 1985 without a rating to avoid being an x-rated movie. this cut the movie to about 86 minutes. when it was time for it to be released on video, further cuts for an r-rated version were made.
production
stuart gordon, wanting to make an anti-vampire movie, decided that making a frankenstein movie was what cinema needed at the moment. he was recommended to read "herbert west - reanimator" written by h.p. lovecraft by a friend.
re-animator was first pitched as a stageplay, then a tv pilot. it was originally going to take place during the time the story was written, but it would have been too expensive to make, so it was set to modern day (1985). once the script got in the hands of producer brian yuzna, he loved it so much he convinced gordon to shoot a film in hollywood. to get an accurate portrayal of... death and decay, forensic pathology books were referenced and the actors visited a morgue.
deleted scenes
okay so all the deleted scenes used to be on youtube but they aren't anymore. so i sifted through what i could and found TWO... i recommend buying the arrow video release since it has all the deleted and extended scenes. though all the special features on this are fantastic!
idk why i wanted to dedicate a whole section to these scenes. i feel they're important to the movie and the first one provides a lot of insight on herbert as a character, instead of just being a "mad scientist" (though he kinda is regardless). the second scene makes everything make A LOT more sense as to why dr. halsey hates dan all of a sudden when he visits him.
