Theatrical Tempest: Re-Animator (1985)
My dear readers, these past few weeks I have been preparing in earnest to announce that we at Mostmortem had reached the century mark in our catalogue of criticism and that the very text before you would constitute our one hundredth horror film review. I must confess, however, that math was never my strong suit and my sweet Penny Dee has informed me that our hundredth entry actually occurred last month. This momentous occasion simply sailed by without any mention and it is, I must confess, a tad embarrassing to be confronted with this numerical blunder. And yet this omission has also given me cause to reflect on how fortunate I am to have found myself in this particular line of work. I have been blessed with enough humility to know when my efforts have produced something less than success and in addition to my arithmetic shortcomings, I have also struggled to perform as a theater patron, a medical vendor, a public orator, an elite club applicant, a contractor, an author of fiction, an exterminator and a treasure hunting sponsor. What I suppose it is that I am trying to say is that even though I may have completely neglected this important anniversary, Mostmortem has been something of a triumph, at least when compared with some of my other ventures, and the episode has reassured me that this business of criticism is the one for me.
Another gracious Herbert West patient enjoying life anew
Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) also knows the satisfaction of finding oneself in a well-suited profession. The young lad is still very much at the beginning of his career and has already made some impressive forays into the field of medicine. While still just a student, for example, he claims to have conquered death itself. It is not the most dignified victory over the old Grim Reaper, as Herbert’s resuscitated patients tend to be agonized, violent mutes who dribble quite a bit. Nevertheless, it is still impressive work for someone who has yet to acquire a medical degree and one can understand why Herbert does not brood excessively when his research produces exploding eyeballs or sanguinary salivation.
After an unfortunate miscalculation abroad, Herbert decides to complete his studies at Miskatonic University where he quickly captures the notice of respected instructor Dr. Carl Hill (David Gale). Hill does not begin as an admirer of West’s work but he gradually comes to see its value and expresses an interest in taking full credit for his discovery. Herbert finds this proposed arrangement unfavorable and decides to decapitate Dr. Hill rather than comply with his request. Hill’s corpse presents an irresistible experiment for an inquisitive sort like Herbert and he manages to reanimate his rival’s segmented remains. But while giving life to a vengeful cranium may have seemed like a fine idea at first, Dr. Hill uses his second pass at life for a number of questionable pursuits, most notably raising an army of obedient zombies and pursuing the dean’s daughter Megan Halsey (Barbara Crampton) in a fashion somewhat unbecoming for a distinguished intellectual.
Herbert knows the value of private consultation with one’s professors
To its already large and devoted audience, Re-Animator is a film of many merits and enumerating them could easily spill into volumes of text. It features feats of imaginative grotesquerie unseen before or since and even includes an instructive piece about how a severed head might engage in sexual congress. It is undoubtedly a work of genius. And so for the sake of brevity, I will devote my adoration to but one aspect of this wonderful film -- the cinematic arrival of actor Jeffrey Combs. Though he had appeared on screen prior to Stuart Gordon’s masterpiece, his previous performances hardly indicated that he was a raging theatrical tempest. It is terribly appropriate that this performance should stem from a movie about resurrection, as one feels as though Mr. Combs could bring anything to life as forcefully as he does the character of Herbert West -- medical science could be cast aside entirely, the strength of Combs’ oration alone compelling the dead to relinquish their eternal rest.
Though the film features many fine thespians, only Mr. Combs is able to take the freewheeling lunacy of Stuart Gordon’s film and distill it into a single performance. Of all those who appear in Re-Animator, he is truly the most animated.
Re-Animator runs 105 minutes and does not possess a certified rating in the United States.
