I
would have to rate RE-ANIMATOR ($30) as my favorite black
comic horror gross-out fest. Okay, so that description is quite a
mouthful, so let me say this… RE-ANIMATOR is one of the
best horror movies of the 1980s that fully deserves its reputation as a
cult classic. Based upon a story by H.P. Lovecraft, RE-ANIMATOR
tells of an ambitious medical school student named Herbert West (Jeffrey
Combs), who has something of a Frankenstein complex. West is an arrogant
young man wants to make the greatest medical breakthrough of them all, by
bringing the dead back to life. West's experiments with a life restoring
elixir do meet with some form of success, but the results are less than
pretty.
After
having been forced to leave a prestigious medical institution in Europe,
West transfers to a stateside school, where he butts head with a doctor
whose arrogance matches his own. Of course, when the good finally looses
his head after one head butt too many, West sees it as an opportunity
reanimate two for the price of one. Unfortunately, the newly resurrected
doctor isn't in the best of moods, but he does manage to give a pretty
young co-ed some head, just before raising an army of undead minions. The
cast of RE-ANIMATOR also features Bruce Abbott, Barbara
Crampton, David Gale, Robert Sampson and Gerry Black.
Elite
Entertainment has reissued RE-ANIMATOR as a THX Certified
Millennium Edition, which presents the film at roughly 1.85:1 and the
presentation has been enhanced for 16:9 displays. This transfer is a
marked improvement over the first DVD release, which was taken from
Elite's old Laserdisc master. The image doesn't have the snap or
resolution of a big budget movie, but this little independent horror movie
looks far better here than it has in any home presentation.
Although
slightly soft, the picture is very, very pleasing, insomuch that one is
able to see everything there is to see, without the image being marred by
any kind of anomalies. Colors are stronger on this presentation, than they
were in the past and they appear far more stable. Can't say the flesh
tones always look natural, but at least they are appealing on the living
characters. Blacks are accurately rendered and the contrast is fairly
smooth. Shadow detail is okay, with the darker sequences appearing
intentionally murky. The film element used for the transfer displays some
very minor blemishes, and a sometimes-noticeable grain structure. Dual
layer authoring keeps digital compression artifacts well submerged.
In
terms of audio, the folks at Elite have pulled out all the stops-
upgrading RE-ANIMATOR from monaural to 5.1 channel varieties
of Dolby Digital and DTS. They say you can't make a silk purse out of a
sow's ear, but the newly remixed tracks do a great job of breathing life
into these low budget recordings. The forward soundstage is pretty
engaging, while the surround channels are used sparingly, but effectively.
The new mix opens up the sound, which is somewhat constricted in the
original monaural mix (also included as an option for purists). Richard
Band's music sounds better here than it did in the past, one can certainly
appreciate his PSYCHO inspired main title music, now more than
ever. Even the bottom end of the track has a bit more oomph, although
anyone looking for some ground shaking bass had better try a different
DVD.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s
tongue-in-cheek, creepy interactive menus. Through the menus, one has
access to the standard scene selection and set up features, as well as the
supplemental features, which have been spread across the two DVDs of the
Elite release. Some of the extra materials present on the DVD were culled
from the Laserdisc release of RE-ANIMATOR, including the two
running audio commentary tracks. The first commentary features director
Stuart Gordon, while the second is with producer Brian Yuzna, as well as
cast members Combs, Abbott, Crampton and Sampson. Both tracks have their
merits, the first covers the technical aspects, while the second is just
goofy good fun with the participants kicking back and reminiscing about
the production of the movie. Also featured on disc one is Richard Band's
musical score in an isolated 5.1 mix.
Disc
two features sixteen extended scenes, as well as the deleted dream
sequence. New video interviews with director Stuart Gordon and producer
Brian Yuzna (49 minutes), as well as writer Dennis Paoli (10 minutes),
composer Richard Band (14 minutes) and Fangoria editor Tony Timpone (4
minutes) are also provided on disc two. Composer Richard Band is also on
hand to discuss his musical approach to four separate sequences in the
film. A theatrical trailer, five TV spots, a multi-angle storyboard
comparison, a behind-the-scenes photo gallery and cast & crew
biographies/filmographies close out disc two's supplements.
RE-ANIMATOR
is a genuine gem that richly deserves its cult horror movie status. Elite
Entertainment's Millennium Edition of RE-ANIMATOR really
does justice to the film, offering fans the finest presentation they are
likely to see this side of high definition. Additionally, the DVD offers a
terrific supplemental section, making this a must have disc for fans.
I
would have to rate RE-ANIMATOR ($30) as my favorite black
comic horror gross-out fest. Okay, so that description is quite a
mouthful, so let me say this… RE-ANIMATOR is one of the
best horror movies of the 1980s that fully deserves its reputation as a
cult classic. Based upon a story by H.P. Lovecraft, RE-ANIMATOR
tells of an ambitious medical school student named Herbert West (Jeffrey
Combs), who has something of a Frankenstein complex. West is an arrogant
young man wants to make the greatest medical breakthrough of them all, by
bringing the dead back to life. West's experiments with a life restoring
elixir do meet with some form of success, but the results are less than
pretty.
After
having been forced to leave a prestigious medical institution in Europe,
West transfers to a stateside school, where he butts head with a doctor
whose arrogance matches his own. Of course, when the good finally looses
his head after one head butt too many, West sees it as an opportunity
reanimate two for the price of one. Unfortunately, the newly resurrected
doctor isn't in the best of moods, but he does manage to give a pretty
young co-ed some head, just before raising an army of undead minions. The
cast of RE-ANIMATOR also features Bruce Abbott, Barbara
Crampton, David Gale, Robert Sampson and Gerry Black.
Elite
Entertainment has reissued RE-ANIMATOR as a THX Certified
Millennium Edition, which presents the film at roughly 1.85:1 and the
presentation has been enhanced for 16:9 displays. This transfer is a
marked improvement over the first DVD release, which was taken from
Elite's old Laserdisc master. The image doesn't have the snap or
resolution of a big budget movie, but this little independent horror movie
looks far better here than it has in any home presentation.
Although
slightly soft, the picture is very, very pleasing, insomuch that one is
able to see everything there is to see, without the image being marred by
any kind of anomalies. Colors are stronger on this presentation, than they
were in the past and they appear far more stable. Can't say the flesh
tones always look natural, but at least they are appealing on the living
characters. Blacks are accurately rendered and the contrast is fairly
smooth. Shadow detail is okay, with the darker sequences appearing
intentionally murky. The film element used for the transfer displays some
very minor blemishes, and a sometimes-noticeable grain structure. Dual
layer authoring keeps digital compression artifacts well submerged.
In
terms of audio, the folks at Elite have pulled out all the stops-
upgrading RE-ANIMATOR from monaural to 5.1 channel varieties
of Dolby Digital and DTS. They say you can't make a silk purse out of a
sow's ear, but the newly remixed tracks do a great job of breathing life
into these low budget recordings. The forward soundstage is pretty
engaging, while the surround channels are used sparingly, but effectively.
The new mix opens up the sound, which is somewhat constricted in the
original monaural mix (also included as an option for purists). Richard
Band's music sounds better here than it did in the past, one can certainly
appreciate his PSYCHO inspired main title music, now more than
ever. Even the bottom end of the track has a bit more oomph, although
anyone looking for some ground shaking bass had better try a different
DVD.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s
tongue-in-cheek, creepy interactive menus. Through the menus, one has
access to the standard scene selection and set up features, as well as the
supplemental features, which have been spread across the two DVDs of the
Elite release. Some of the extra materials present on the DVD were culled
from the Laserdisc release of RE-ANIMATOR, including the two
running audio commentary tracks. The first commentary features director
Stuart Gordon, while the second is with producer Brian Yuzna, as well as
cast members Combs, Abbott, Crampton and Sampson. Both tracks have their
merits, the first covers the technical aspects, while the second is just
goofy good fun with the participants kicking back and reminiscing about
the production of the movie. Also featured on disc one is Richard Band's
musical score in an isolated 5.1 mix.
Disc
two features sixteen extended scenes, as well as the deleted dream
sequence. New video interviews with director Stuart Gordon and producer
Brian Yuzna (49 minutes), as well as writer Dennis Paoli (10 minutes),
composer Richard Band (14 minutes) and Fangoria editor Tony Timpone (4
minutes) are also provided on disc two. Composer Richard Band is also on
hand to discuss his musical approach to four separate sequences in the
film. A theatrical trailer, five TV spots, a multi-angle storyboard
comparison, a behind-the-scenes photo gallery and cast & crew
biographies/filmographies close out disc two's supplements.
RE-ANIMATOR
is a genuine gem that richly deserves its cult horror movie status. Elite
Entertainment's Millennium Edition of RE-ANIMATOR really
does justice to the film, offering fans the finest presentation they are
likely to see this side of high definition. Additionally, the DVD offers a
terrific supplemental section, making this a must have disc for fans.
