Theatre of the Dead #6 - H.P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator (1985)

Director: Stuard Gordon Stars: Jeffery Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Campaign

Review:

For the definition of zombie we have been using so far, this one does not fully justify to be a zombie movie, but I just love this movie so much I could not leave it alone. It was included in the Wikipedia List of Zombie Movies, so it is justified in some sense.

Re-Animator is based on a novel written by H.P. Lovecraft, who is the most influencial writer on the horror genre up to this day. Ask Stephen King and he will tell you the same thing. He is always compared to Edgar Allan Poe, but I think Poe's stories are so dated but Lovecrafts' can happen even in modern days. Re-Animator was written upon request of the publisher to rip off Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, when it was in its peak popularity. Lovecraft hated Frankenstein since he did not like the idea that human can play God. He was always the believer that human is small and limited, and that is why his work was not popular in the Enlightment period which he lived in. But for the money he instead did a parody, and this is also what this movie is, a parody.

Herbert West is a genius medical student, that is recently admitted to the Miskatonic University. (Mistkatonic University is a fictional university which many supernatual incidence took place in Lovecraft's novels.) He invented a re-agent that can turn the dead back to life, but the re-animated corpse seems to be crazies. West asked another student, that is doing internship in the hospital apparently, to get him into the morgue for human experiment for his re-agent. However the professor knew and try to steal the discovery and claim as his own.

Re-animating a dead cat.

Therefore the zombie here is the re-animated corpses by Herbert West. They can be killed easily, in the way of killing normal people. The spotlight here is not the zombies, but Herbert West. I dare not to say this is a likable character, but I like him so much. I see a lot myself in him, or at least someone that I always wanted to be. He is intelligent, courteous but at the same time rude for he despises others for his pride of expertise. He shows no respect to anything other than his work, and kills feeling no regret or remorse. Have I fancy myself as a scientist, Herbert West is the role model, just a little mad. It is interesting for me to watch him get into argument when he heard someone is contradicting him in his study, and in any serious situations all he cares about is his work.

Counting how many seconds does it takes to re-animate the one he killed.

Another villain, considering West is not so righteous by himself, is a professor called Halls who wanted to claim the discovery as his own. He is not as classy as West, as we see he is stubborn, perverted, and wanted the girl for his own sexual aptitude. Halls is an old scholar, believes what he perceived and refuses new ideas. It is also interesting to watch he and West get into arguments since I have always wanted to say the dialogue, but I didnt just because I was afraid to fail my course.

The infamous scene of a head giving fellatio.

The opening credit is one of the best I have ever seen, with the tone which is a re-mix of the theme music from Psycho (1960), and shows diagrams in human anatomy from maybe the 19th century. It is fun, scientific and a bit scary from the crude science, and sets the tone for the movie. After the opening credits you understand what you expect, and loved it or hated it.

I know I have despised horror comedies, and this contradicts all what I have been said. But I despised it because it generally is silly and dumb, and Re-Animator makes jokes not from slapstick, but from the characterization of academic maniacs, and that is tastful. Take a look on West face and know that he despises you not because you dont have an iPhone or not wearing Guccis, but your ignorance and incompetent. That is the true upper-class.