Netflix Movie of the Week #3: Re-Animator

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Evil Dead and other 80’s horror movies like it, so in that same vein, this week’s Netflix Movie of the Week is Re-Animator.  Adapted from the H.P. Lovecraft story Herbert West-Reanimator, Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator is a wonderful, gory, low budget horror film that brings back the idea of a mad scientist in spectacular fashion, while mixing in the black comedy that makes this kind of movie so enjoyable to watch.

The movie centers around Herbert West(Jeffery Combs), a medical student who is working to perfect a mysterious green serum that he believes will be able to bring the dead back to life. He moves in with a co-worker, Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott), who tentatively begins to help him with his work. However, when Dr. Carl Hill (David Gale) discovers the work his students are doing, he tries to steal the formula for his own use, and everything goes horribly wrong.

While this is without a doubt a horror movie, it is not one that is particularly scary, and it is really more about sinister, gory fun than it is trying to scare the audience.  In addition, the movie plays out like an actual Lovecraftian story of horror, as unlike many other movies based on Lovecraft stories this film seems to have a playful spirit to it that can be found in his work, as well as all the supernatural gore that you could hope for.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5