Blu-ray Review: RE-ANIMATOR (1985)

RE-ANIMATOR
Directed by Stuart Gordon
Distributed by Arrow Films / MVD Entertainment Group

  I love when I get a movie to review that just so happens to be one of my favorite horror films of all time!  It gives me a good excuse to go back and visit it again.   Tonight's review is one of those films.   I first saw RE-ANIMATOR when I was in the 6th grade and I fell in love with it.  I still love it to this day.  It is one of the few films I can watch over and over and never get bored with it.  
Here is the plot synopsis from the MVD press release:

  One of the most wildly popular horror movies of all-time, Stuart Gordon's enduring splatter-comedy classic Re-Animator returns to Blu-ray in a stunning restoration packed with special features!
  When medical student Dean Cain advertises for a roommate, he soon finds one in the form of Dr. Herbert West. Initially a little eccentric, it some becomes clear that West entertains some seriously outlandish theories - specifically, the possibility of re-animating the dead. It's not long before Dean finds himself under West's influence, and embroiled in a serious of ghoulish experiments which threaten to go wildly out of control...
  Based on H.P. Lovecraft's classic terror tale Herbert West - Reanimator and featuring a standout performance from Jeffrey Combs as the deliciously deranged West, Re-Animator remains the ground-zero of '80s splatter mayhem and one of the genre's finest hours.

  I had the chance to watch this film years ago at a Horror Convention in Little Rock, AR with Jeffrey Combs and Stuart Gordon in attendance.   It was fun to see this film on the big screen, especially with the director sitting 2 rows in front of me!   It was just as fun watching it at home though, especially with this great new release from Arrow Video.  This film is crazy with some great over the top gore effects, and like most films from this time period, all are practical effects.   The film is also full of dark humor throughout.  Jeffrey Combs was the perfect actor to play Dr. West, and the beautiful Barbara Crampton is great as always.

  I can't recommend RE-ANIMATOR enough.  If you have never seen it, please do so asap!  If you have seen it, revisit it and especially check out this new release.

  I was so happy when I heard Arrow Video was releasing this film.  As you know, Arrow is one of the top DVD/BD companies out there, always putting tons of effort into their releases.   RE-ANIMATOR is available now and contains the following special features:

2 DISC LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:  

- 4K restorations of the Unrated and Integral versions 

- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation

- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing 

- Exclusive digipak packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Justin Erickson 

- Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by journalist Michael Gingold 

- Re-Animator comic book 

- 4 x postcard-sized lobby card reproductions

DISC 1 - UNRATED VERSION

- Unrated version [86 mins] 

- Mono, Stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD MA Surround Audio Options

- Isolated Score

- Brand new audio commentary with director Stuart Gordon and actors Graham Skipper and Jesse Merlin of Re-Animator: The Musical

- Audio commentary with Stuart Gordon

- Audio commentary with producer Brian Yuzna, actors Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Abbott and Robert Sampson

- Re-Animator: Resurrectus - feature-length documentary on the making of the film, featuring extensive interviews with cast and crew

- Interviews with director Stuart Gordon and producer Brian Yuzna, writer Dennis Paoli, composer Richard Band and former Fangoria editor Tony Timpone

- Music discussion with composer Richard Band

- Barbara Crampton in Conversation - the Re-Animator star sits down with journalist Alan Jones for this career-spanning 2015 interview

- 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

- Theater of Blood - Re-Animator: The Musical lyricist Mark Nutter on adapting the cult classic for musical theater

- Extended Scenes

- Deleted Scene

- Trailer & TV Spots

- Still Gallery

- Screenplay (BD-ROM Content)
 

DISC 2 - INTEGRAL VERSION - LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE

- Integral Version, available in the US for the first time! [105 mins] 

- 5.1 DTS-HD MA Surround Audio

- A Guide to Lovecraftian Cinema - Chris Lackey, host of the H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast, provides a comprehensive look at the many cinematic incarnations of Lovecraft's work

- Doug Bradley's Spinechillers: Herbert West-Reanimator - actor Jeffrey Combs reads H.P. Lovecraft's original classic short story
 

'RE-ANIMATOR® ' THE COMIC - LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE

- 92-page perfect-bound booklet containing Re-Animator, the original 1991 comic book adaptation of the movie, reprinted in its entirety

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray