Verdict
Summary
A high energy freakshow of horror, humor, sex, and violence, Stuart Gordon’s now classic cult film Re-Animator set a high bar for anything-goes gore gags and twisted situations. The film hasn’t lost its punch or zing, and even as Gordon and producer Brian Yuzna grew as filmmakers, this is where it all began and made them infamous. Based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft, Re-Animator spawned two film sequels and a hilarious stage musical. The performances (particularly by Combs and co-star David Gale as the pervy professor) are memorable and fun, and the infectious daring of the whole endeavor is appealing, especially for fans of the horror genre. Ignite Films has gone above and beyond with their incredible treatment of the film with several options for fans to choose from.
Plot:
A dedicated student at a medical college and his girlfriend become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation of dead tissue when an odd new student arrives on campus.
Review:
A radical medical student named Herbert West (jittery Jeffrey Combs) flees Europe after being expelled from med school, and he relocates to New England where he promptly leases a room with a fellow med student named Dan Cain (Bruce Abbot). As they attend classes, Dan quickly surmises that his roomie is a deranged scientist, intent on finding a cure for death itself. West has already perfected a reanimation serum that brings the dead back to a semblance of life, and as West’s persuasive methods prove to Dan that he’s onto something incredible, Dan crosses the line and joins him in the experiments. Forsaking his lovely fiancé (played by Barbara Crampton) and a possibly stable future with her, Dan’s destiny turns grim when West becomes a murder for the sake of science. Using West’s glowing green liquid drug, they screw up big time when one of their instructors finds out about their discovery, turning the dean of the college himself into a subservient zombie, which creates havoc for them as their new archenemy has plans of his own to steal West’s notes and take all the credit for himself …
A high energy freakshow of horror, humor, sex, and violence, Stuart Gordon’s now classic cult film Re-Animator set a high bar for anything-goes gore gags and twisted situations. The film hasn’t lost its punch or zing, and even as Gordon and producer Brian Yuzna grew as filmmakers, this is where it all began and made them infamous. Based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft, Re-Animator spawned two film sequels and a hilarious stage musical. The performances (particularly by Combs and co-star David Gale as the pervy professor) are memorable and fun, and the infectious daring of the whole endeavor is appealing, especially for fans of the horror genre.
Ignite Films has just released a two-disc limited edition Blu-ray set as well as a 4K Ultra HD set, AND a chunky limited edition that comes with a bobble head, a book, and extra stuff. All of the options contains the unrated version (86 minutes) and the newly made available “Integral Version” (105 minutes), which fleshes out characters with previously unseen footage. Both versions have been restored in 4K HD quality, and tons of special features, including commentaries, documentaries, and oodles of extras fill out the supplements. Fans of the film (and there must be a legion of them for Ignite to go to all this trouble) will rejoice with the crystal clarity of the picture, plus the incredible amount of bonus material that will keep them going for days.
Ultimate Limited Edition Box Set ($129.95)
* 4K UHD-HDR/Blu-ray combo digipack (region free)
* 2 hours and 47 minutes of newly produced bonus features
* Legacy bonus features (region free blu-ray)
* Hardcover book featuring new interviews with Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Abbott, writer Dennis Paoli, and composer Richard Band. Essays by Brian Yuzna, Scout Tafoya, Kate Rife, Will Sloan, Alex Kittle, and Ben Sachs.
* Dr. Hill Collector’s Bobblehead – A must have for fans! With limited quantities available, this exclusive individually hand painted collectible won’t be restocked once it’s gone.
* Collector’s art cards
* J Card
Ultimate Limited Edition Box Set Prize Bonus
Some lucky fans will discover green “re-agent” in their order! If you’re one of them, you’ll receive an exclusive signed poster by Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Abbott, and Brian Yuzna, plus a special Re-Animator gift pack from our friends at Middle of Beyond.
Deluxe Edition Box Set ($79.95)
* 4K UHD-HDR/Blu-ray combo digipack (region free)
* 2 hours and 47 minutes of newly produced bonus features
* Legacy bonus features (region free blu-ray)
* Hardcover book featuring new interviews with Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, writer Dennis Paoli, and composer Richard Band. Essays by Scout Tafoya, Kate Rife, Will Sloan, Alex Kittle, and Ben Sachs. Preface by Brian Yuzna.
* Collector’s art cards
* J Card
4K UHD-HDR Standard Edition ($49.95)
* 4K UHD-HDR (region free)
* Slipcover
* 2 hours and 47 minutes of newly produced bonus features
* Legacy bonus features (region free blu-ray)
Blu-ray Standard Edition ($39.95)
* Blu-ray (region free)
* Slipcover
* 2 hours and 47 minutes of newly produced bonus features
* Legacy bonus features (region free blu-ray)
Newly Produced Bonus Features
- Re-Animator at 40: A Conversation with Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, and Brian Yuzna
- Piece By Piece: Cutting Re-Animator – A New Interview with Editor Lee Percy
- The Horror of It All: The Legacy and Impact of Re-Animator
- I Give Life: A Look Back at Re-Animator: The Musical
- Suzie Sorority and the Good College Boy: An Interview with Carolyn Purdy-Gordon
- Re-Animating a Horror Classic: The 4K Restoration of Re-Animator
- The Organic Theater Company of Chicago: A 1977 documentary featuring Stuart Gordon
- New 40th anniversary 4K UHD trailer
Legacy Bonus Features
- Integral Version (105 mins)
- Isolated Score
- Audio commentary with director Stuart Gordon and actors Graham Skipper and Jesse Merlin of Re-Animator: The Musical
- Audio commentary with Stuart Gordon
- Audio commentary with producer Brian Yuzna, actors Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Abbott, and Robert Sampson
- Re-Animator: Resurrectus – Feature-length documentary on the making of the film featuring extensive interviews with cast and crew
- Interviews with director Stuart Gordon and producer Brian Yuzna, writer Dennis Paoli, composer Richard Band and former Fangoria editor Tony Timpone
- Music discussion with composer Richard Band
- The Catastrophe of Success: Stuart Gordon and The Organic Theater – Director Stuart Gordon discusses his early theater roots and his continued commitment to the stage
- Theater of Blood – Re-Animator: The Musical lyricist Mark Nutter on adapting the cult classic for musical theater
- Extended scenes
- Deleted scene
- Trailer & TV Spots
- Still Gallery
- Barbara Crampton In Conversation: The Re-Animator star sits down with journalist Alan Jones for this career-spanning 2015 interview
- A Guide to Lovecraft Cinema: Chris Lackey, host of the H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast, provides a comprehensive look at the many cinematic incarnations of Lovecraft’s work.
- Doug Bradley’s Spinechillers: Herbert West, Re-Animator actor Jeffrey Combs reads H.P. Lovecraft’s original classic story
