THROWBACK THURSDAY
This week back in 1985, we were bought a movie adaptation that is loosely based on a H.P.Lovecraft story. That film is 80's horror comedy ReAnimator.
I first watched this only a couple of months ago! I had heard such good things and it was a film that had been on my (ever growing) watchlist for a while. I am happy to say that I was not disappointed, and more than happy to give it a re-watch for this review.
The main characters and their relationships are introduced to us pretty early on. We have Dr Dan and Megan, the loved up couple played by Bruce Abbott and Barbara Crampton, Herbert West the eccentric Doctor who invented the reanimation agent, and Dr Hill, the creepy doctor who wants to claim the invention for his own! The actors all play their characters very well, but Jeffrey Combs really stands out as the very annoying and unlikeable Dr West. As in most 80's horror, sometimes the acting is a little OTT, but it works well with this story.
Pretty much every scene in this film is a great one, but there is one in particular where you really start to see the more comedic turn the film starts to take. Now, I'm never one for liking animal deaths in movies, but this one was so clearly fake and ridiculous that it actually had me laughing out loud. You know, those moments where it's so funny, but you also can't believe what you are watching! After this scene with the cat it just gets more fun and wacky, and we really start to see just how crazy Dr West is.
The practical effects throughout this movie are (mostly) fantastic, especially for the time. From the more serious scenes with lessons on cadavers in the morgue, to the crazy kill scenes that really show off the talent and just what they could do with effects, they did a great job! I love all of the scenes with Dr Hill's head; they are so fun.
The ending is where things get really crazy. Dan clearly took some inspiration from Ash in Evil Dead! The closing scene where it fades to black, we just see the glowing re-agent, and hear the scream is perfect, and set up very well for the sequel!
As soon as I first put ReAnimator on, I just knew I was going to enjoy it. This film is everything I love about 80s horror... cheesy, fun and OTT, but with a great storyline. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'd recommend any horror fan watch this.
It gets a top score of 5/5 from me!!