35 years ago, Bride of Re-Animator cast a spell with its horror effects

Campy excess is the name of the game in Stuart Gordon’s celebrated 1985 cult hit Re-Animator. His comedy-horror movie has all the hallmarks of a schlocky zombie movie, with tawdry special effects and a storyline that isn’t particularly original. This B-movie sensibility seems at odds with its source material, H.P. Lovecraft’s short story “Herbert West–Reanimator,” which paints a chilling picture of a brilliant mad scientist who pushes the limits of amorality. In Gordon’s film, Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) is brash and impulsive, in spite of his clinically aloof nature. He’s obsessively dedicated to his mission to reanimate corpses. Brian Yuzna’s 1991 sequel, Bride of Re-Animator, keeps Herbert’s obsession alive, but this wacky follow-up lacks the innate charm of Gordon’s movie.