Empire International Pictures released Re-Animator to the US market on 18 October 1985.
Re-Animator is arguably the greatest horror-comedy ever made. But it’s hard to say why. It was Stuart Gordon’s first film. And it is easy enough to give him the credit. But I frankly think the film is over-lit and this would be catastrophic if it weren’t for everything else that works in the film. It looks a lot like Gordon’s later Space Truckers.
Jeffrey Combs is a huge part of why the film (and its sequels) works so well. He went on to have a great career as a character actor. But he seems to have been born to play Herbert West. He behaves exactly as he should.
Of course, there is another reason the film works. And it has to do with that over-lighting I mentioned above. The special effects and gore are great. And this is notable in a film where you can see everything.
But Re-Animator is one of those films that defies words. It just is a ton of fun. And everyone should watch it. Even the people who don’t like scary movies. Because it isn’t scary! It’s just fun. With lots of green goop!
Re-Animator poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
