Re-Animator

Re-Animator

I fucking hate censored horror movies. After the BBFC have deemed the likes of The Exorcist, Clockwork Orange and Driller Killer to be viewable (uncut) by the sensitive British public, with seemingly no ill effect on society, then why in all holy fuck do they still insist on snipping away scenes with no regard to pacing or editing? This is supposed to be adult entertainment, hence the 18 certificate.

Who the fuck is going to want to watch a movie like Re-Animator and be offended by a shot of shovel being thrust into a guys neck? Especially since they've already sat through scenes of eye popping, bone saws ripping through naked flesh and brains being removed through freshly opened heads, in this very movie? And the removal of this be-heading scene isn't the only footage missing from this near perfect horror movie. ALL scenes of Barbara Crampton's naked examination by the decapitated (RUBBER) head are removed in favour of choppy editing and jump cuts. Imagine if The Exorcist had made it to the video/DVD shelves with the 'cross-masturbation' scene missing? Okay, it wouldn't ruin the movie as a whole, but it would leave you wondering things WHY THE FUCK DID THEY TAKE THAT BIT OUT, and WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS FUCKING COUNTRY?

In the wake of hardcore porn being legally available in this country the sight of a (patently fake looking) latex head being lovingly shown around a naked woman's most intimate parts hardly constitutes as a threat to our Victorian sexual tastes. Sheesh...throw us into a war as extra muscle for America but for Gods sake don't let us watch rubber prosthetic body parts covered in fake gore willya? C'mon, we're sensitive.

Presumably there are few readers of a website called SexGoreMutants that need to know much about Re-Animator. A glorious example of an '80's splatter fest (before the advent of the 15 certificate horror movie), and probably the only gore/horror/comedy that ever actually managed to be gory, horrific and funny. The story concerns a mad scientist who invents a glowing green serum that re-animates dead bodies. The end!

Jeffrey Combs plays Dr. Herbert West, and gives the best portrayal of a mad scientist by anyone in the history of celluloid who is neither mad, nor a scientist. Stuart Gordon directs like only a fan of the genre could ever hope to direct a gore movie, gleefully laying on gallons of blood at every possible opportunity. Richard Bands perfect 'Psycho rip-off' score (complete with cheesy 80's drum machine for extra comedic effect) fits perfectly with the OTT performances of the entire cast. The love interest is out of the way within the first 15 minutes and the rest of the film just gallops along at a pace perfectly suited for the ideal Saturday night date movie.

In a movie as well made, and hugely enjoyable, as Re-Animator the whole idea of censorship is as welcome as suspense in 15 certificate horror movie. For those of you that don't mind their entertainment tailored to insult the tastes of the average sex/gore buff this is a fine example how much fun you can have watching a horror movie. For the rest of us this is another reason to hunt down import DVD's and wait patiently until the penny drops with the BBFC, and we are blessed with the same intelligence as the American public.

DVD COMMENTS

IMAGE: Sharp and classic. Considering the budget wouldn't pay for Brad Pitt's red carpet Re-Animator looks fantastic. That thick, dark red blood never looked so gruesome.

SOUND: Fantastic. Re-Animator relies so much on humorous dialogue that it's fantastic to hear every line as crisp as if in the cinema. It sure beats those 3rd generation American bootleg tapes!

EXTRAS: Scene selection, star and director filmographies, Brian Yuzna film notes and a history of censorship (aaarrrggghhh) problems. There's also a Tartan Terror Trailer Reel featuring (amongst the bunch) a classic Basket Case trailer, a Herschell Gordon Lewis compilation and a great advert for Audition, show-casing that jaw slackeningly gorgeous Japanese psycho babe armed with a giant syringe and a huge pair of shiny black rubber gloves. Almost worth the cost of the disc itself.

Review by Ginger


 
Released by Tartan Terror
Directed by Stuart Gordon
Produced by Brian Yuzna
Region 0 PAL DVD
Running Time - 84mins approx
Ratio - Letterboxed 1.85.1
Special features:
Brian Yuzna Film Notes, History of Censorship, Bio pages, Tartan Terror Trailer Reel.
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