**
Gore film with a sense of humor (which, right there, makes it an odd adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft) about a young med student (Jeffrey Combs) whose reagent for bringing the dead back to life leads to calamity when an old doctor (David Gale), now dead and with nothing left to lose, kidnaps a pretty coed whom he has always lusted after. With its mix of blood, humor, fast-paced action, and fervent performances, this film when first released was like a breath of fresh air from an industry dominated by slasher films, which may account for its overwhelmingly positive reaction from critics and audiences alike. Or it might be, instead, the film's coup de grace: Barbara Crampton, nude and spread-eagled, about to be raped by a severed head. In any case, while some of the funny bits still work and Babs is still quite attractive, the film today isn't nearly as fresh as it once was, probably because its original audience is now thirty years older. Might retain its appeal to the younger set, however. Based on Lovecraft's novella "Herbert West--Reanimator." Director Gordon, as well as both Combs and Ms. Crampton, followed this film in '86 with another Lovecraft adaptation, From Beyond. Producer Brian Yuzna directed a couple of sequels with Combs, Bride of Re-Animator and Beyond Re-Animator, in 1990 and 2003, respectively.
Gore film with a sense of humor (which, right there, makes it an odd adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft) about a young med student (Jeffrey Combs) whose reagent for bringing the dead back to life leads to calamity when an old doctor (David Gale), now dead and with nothing left to lose, kidnaps a pretty coed whom he has always lusted after. With its mix of blood, humor, fast-paced action, and fervent performances, this film when first released was like a breath of fresh air from an industry dominated by slasher films, which may account for its overwhelmingly positive reaction from critics and audiences alike. Or it might be, instead, the film's coup de grace: Barbara Crampton, nude and spread-eagled, about to be raped by a severed head. In any case, while some of the funny bits still work and Babs is still quite attractive, the film today isn't nearly as fresh as it once was, probably because its original audience is now thirty years older. Might retain its appeal to the younger set, however. Based on Lovecraft's novella "Herbert West--Reanimator." Director Gordon, as well as both Combs and Ms. Crampton, followed this film in '86 with another Lovecraft adaptation, From Beyond. Producer Brian Yuzna directed a couple of sequels with Combs, Bride of Re-Animator and Beyond Re-Animator, in 1990 and 2003, respectively.
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