Re-Animator 4K Review (Ignite Films)

Re-Animator is a 1985 horror film co-written and directed by Stuart Gordon (From Beyond, Dolls, Dagon, Castle Freak, Fortress, Masters of Horror, and Robot Jox). It was written by Dennis Paoli (The Pit and the Pendulum, From Beyond, Ghoulies II, Spellcaster, Meridian, Body Snatchers, Castle Freak, The Dentist, Dagon, and Suitable Flesh) and William Norris. It’s based on a story from author H.P. Lovecraft (Die Monster Die!, The Crimson Cult, From Beyond, The Curse, The Unnamable, The Resurrected, Necronomicon: Book of Dead, Lurking Fear, Castle Freak, Dagon, Color Out of Space, and The Dunwich Horror). It was produced by Brian Yuzna (Bride of Re-Animator, From Beyond, Dolls, Guyver, Ticks, Silent Night Deadly Night franchise, Return of the Living Dead III, Dagon, Beyond Re-Animator, Necronomicon: Book of Dead, and Warlock). It was followed by 1990’s Bride of Re-Animator and 2003’s Beyond Re-Animator. The budget was $900,000 and it grossed $2,025,014 worldwide at the box office!!!! Herbert West (played by: Jeffrey Combs from the Re-Animator franchise, Love and a .45, From Beyond, Castle Freak, The Frighteners, Doctor Mordrid, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Feardotcom, Stream, and House on Haunted Hill) is an ambitious medical student, arrives at a New England college after a traumatic incident at a Swiss medical institute. He’s obsessed with overcoming death and he uses his intelligence to create living beings from dead body parts during his experiments. He actually convinces his roommate Dan Cain (played by: Bruce Abbott from Bride of Re-Animator, Dark Justice, Black Scorpion, The Prophecy II, The Demolitionist, The Last Starfighter, and Bad Dreams) to join him in his imaginative theories, which start with feline tissue and then progress to human cadavers as they dig deeper into their studies. Dan’s girlfriend Megan Halsey (played by: Barbara Crampton from From Beyond, Castle Freak, Chopping Mall, Puppet Master, Body Double, You’re Next, Robot Wars, Beyond the Gates, We Are Still Here, The Lords of Salem, and Suitable Flesh) and Dr. Carl Hill (played by: David Gale from The Brain, The Guyver, Tales from the Darkside, The First Power, Syngenor, and Savage Weekend) do not trust the talented West at all so they try to stop him before it turns into something unforgivable!!!! Re-Animator is one of the greatest horror movies ever made and it definitely represents the glorious 80’s where some of the all time greats were produced for this genre. Horror veteran director Stuart Gordon is behind the camera for this hilarious gore fest. H.P. Lovecraft is one of my all time favorite authors and this is always the first project I think about when it comes to him. It was co-written by the talented Dennis Paoli, produced by the legendary Brian Yuzna, composed by the iconic Richard Band (Puppet Master franchise, Ghoulies, Bride of Re-Animator, Troll, Demonic Toys, The Arrival, and Castle Freak), shot by Mac Ahlberg (Hell Night, House franchise, Dolls, From Beyond, Beverly Hills Cop III, and Trancers), art direction by Robert A. Burns (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Tourist Trap, The Howling, Confessions of a Serial Killer, and The Hills Have Eyes), and special fx from artist John Carl Buechler (Bride of Re-Animator, Friday the 13th: The New Blood, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, and Hatchet). Re-Animator has one of the most skilled crews in horror history, all of these gifted people elevated this low budget production. I’ve always loved the perfect balance of horror and comedy for this. It just works so well with it’s material and gives all of the performers so much to work with. Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West is absolutely my all time favorite mad scientist and ambitious doctor for the sub-genre. He’s so damn serious that it becomes funny in the worst possible situations. He is beyond confident in his medical skills and he does whatever he wants. He is top notch, there’s no one like him. Bruce Abbott plays it straight and he’s the reasonable one in this insane scenario. He tries his best to keep these experiments from turning into a nightmare but it backfires. Barbara Crampton is fantastic as Megan Halsey. She’s knows from the start that her boyfriend’s new roommate is pure trouble but he doesn’t listen. She deals with a tragic family issue and she goes through the worst possible stuff in Re-Animator. I always appreciated and enjoyed the fact Scream Queen Barbara Crampton was never shy in these types of movies back in the day. She looks amazing despite the infamous morbid scene that she’s probably known most for here. Speaking of morbid, the late great David Gale is an excellent villain as the power hungry Dr. Carl Hill. His ego doesn’t like his new competition in West. He’s quick to dismiss and tear down all of his thoughts when it comes to the medical school. He’s egoistical and very creepy when it comes to Meg. He makes Herbert West look like a hero compared to him. The rest of the supporting cast includes Robert Sampson (City of the Living Dead), Gerry Black (National Lampoon’s Vacation), Carolyn Purdy-Gordon (From Beyond), Peter Kent (Terminator franchise), Ian Patrick Williams (Freddy’s Nightmares), and Al Berry (Halloween III: Season of the Witch). Re-Animator has a organic and natural flow to it. There’s never a dull moment in this. It has some interesting subplots, surprises, and twists to keep it’s audience on their toes. It’s one of those features that leaves you wanting more so I’m not surprised that it spawned multiple sequels. It’s influence is all over modern horror and it still maintains it’s gruesome reputation after all this time. It doesn’t shy away from nudity, gore, death, and so much crazy violence. The special fx are amazing for Re-Animator. It’s a quality mix of so many different sub-genres. It keeps itself beyond entertaining and non stop fun with high replay value. I watch this one at least once a year. It’s truly unique and so damn original. It’s one of my personal favorite films of all time for any genre, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Ignite Films! This 2160p (1.85:1) unrated transfer is from a brand new 4K restoration. I’ve owned countless different home video releases for Re-Animator over the years and this is the definitive version. It blows away every previous one. It’s one of the most impressive UHD upgrades that I’ve ever covered. It’s loaded with several audio options which includes English: LPCM Mono, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks on this UHD. It has English SDH subtitles. It’s packed with so many brand new exclusive extras just for this home video release from Eagle Rock Pictures and Ignite Films. It has the almost 45 minute “Re-Animator at 40”. It’s an exclusive roundtable style conversation with Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, and Brian Yuzna. They chat about firming the classic in California. They talk about how Stuart Gordon got involved with the project. They go over the differences between their film and the original story. They go over how they cast and what made them join this horror production. They bring up how horror wasn’t taken seriously and the disrespect it got at the time. They cover a variety of different subjects that go on during Re-Animator. They chat about how it changed their lives. It has the almost 15 minute “Piece By Piece: Cutting Re-Animator”. It’s a brand new interview with editor Lee Percy. He chats about his editing abilities and how it fit perfectly with this project. He originally wanted to be an actor but it didn’t work out. He talks about his experiences from a few films including this one. He goes over working with Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna on Re-Animator. He brings up the rating process and how it worked with this 80’s feature. It has the little over 18 minute “The Horror of It All: The Legacy and Impact of Re-Animator”. It has interviews with Joe Lynch, Mick Garris, Mike Mendez, Nicholas McCarthy, Jackson Stewart, and Rob Savage. This has a variety of directors showing their appreciation for Re-Animator. They share their personal experiences and thoughts on the horror classic. It has the almost 28 minute “I Give Life: A Look Back at Re-Animator: The Musical”. It has interviews with Mark Nutter, Chris McKenna, Graham Skipper, Rachel Avery, and a few others. They chat about the history of the production and how the cult classic was turned into a musical. Stuart Gordon gets praise and appreciation here for his work. It has some really cool behind the scenes footage and pictures from the project. It has the little over 14 minute “Suzie Sorority and the Good College Boy”. It’s an interview with Carolyn Purdy-Gordon. The wife of the late great Stuart Gordon shares some memories with the master of horror. She talks about how they first meet. She goes over their friendship turned into something serious. She brings up his earlier stuff when he was first starting out. She chats about the development of Re-Animator and her role in it. It has the “Re-Animating a Horror Classic: The 4K Restoration of Re-Animator”. Legendary producer Brian Yuzna takes the fans behind the scenes and the overall process of restoring this older feature with modern technology. It has the almost 28 minute “The Organic Theater Company of Chicago”. It’s an 1977 documentary featuring director Stuart Gordon. This looks back at the talented production company that had some major names that worked there. This isn’t exactly focused on director Stuart Gordon but he’s involved for this. It has the “New 40th anniversary 4K Blu-ray Trailer”. It has a large variety of archive special features from various home video releases over the years. It has the almost 105 minute “Integral Cut” of Re-Animator. It adds back some of the deleted subplots and extended character moments. It has an “Audio Commentary” with Stuart Gordon. It has “Audio Commentary” # 2 with Brian Yuzna, actors Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Abbott, and Robert Sampson. It has an “Isolated Score”. It has the feature length almost 69 minute documentary “Re-Animator: Resurrectus” directed by Perry Martin (The Dead Will Walk). It covers the entire making of the film in great detail. It features extensive interviews with Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Abbott, John Naulin, Brian Yuzna, and Stuart Gordon. It goes over influences and how this independent movie got put together back in the day. They discuss the gruesome special fx and the infamous scene from it. It’s a must watch for any horror or Re-Animator fan. It’s loaded with plenty of information and inside stories about all their experiences on this. It has additional “Interviews” with director Stuart Gordon, producer Brian Yuzna, writer Dennis Paoli, composer Richard Band and Tony Timpone that equal to around almost 79 minutes. It has the almost 17 minute “Music Discussion” with composer Richard Band. It has the little over 13 minute “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. It has the little over 12 minute “Theater of Blood – Re-Animator: The Musical”. It has a conversation with lyricist Mark Nutter on adapting the cult classic for musical theater. It has little over 23 minutes of “Extended Scenes”. It has the almost 3 minute “Deleted Scene”. It has a variety of “Trailer and TV Spots”. It has the “Still Gallery”. It has the little over 36 minute “Barbara Crampton In Conversation”. The Re-Animator star sits down with journalist Alan Jones for this career-spanning 2015 interview. It has the little over 54 minute “A Guide to Lovecraft Cinema”. It features Chris Lackey, host of the H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast, provides a comprehensive look at the many cinematic incarnations of Lovecraft’s work. It has the almost 99 minute “Doug Bradley’s Spinechillers: Herbert West”. Re-Animator actor Jeffrey Combs reads H.P. Lovecraft’s original classic story. There’s so much bonus material that this set will take you days to get through. This 3 disc set comes with slipbox and a digipack. This Deluxe Box Set edition includes a 150-page hardcover book featuring brand new exclusive interviews with Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, writer Dennis Paoli, and composer Richard Band. It has essays by Scout Tafoya, Kate Rife, Will Sloan, Alex Kittle, and Ben Sachs plus a Preface by producer Brian Yuzna. It has 5 high quality glossy Collector’s art cards from Re-Animator. This might be end up being the best home video release of 2025. It’s a must own for any Re-Animator or horror fan. This is exactly what 4K upgrades should be, other labels need to take some notes from both Ignite Films and Eagle Rock Pictures. It’s available everywhere in several different versions right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!