Reanimator’ Officially in the Works

One of H.P. Lovecraft’s most important stories is being adapted for the big screen. Again. A new adaptation of Herbert West: Reanimator, the 1922 short story that inspired the 1985 horror comedy Re-Animator, is in the works. The film will give modern audiences a new chance to witness the sick mind of West, the scientist who develops a serum that can bring corpses back to life. Herbert West: Reanimator was one of the first literary works to include “zombies” as reanimated corpses with uncontrollable urges.

As reported by Deadline, screenwriters Adam Simon and Tim Metcalfe, of The Haunting in Connecticut fame, will write the script for the new project. They’ll reunite with executive producer Andrew Trapani, who worked with them on The Haunting in Connecticut and also produced the horror film Winchester. A director is yet to be announced for the film.

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Woodlake Entertainment is on board as the production studio behind the project. “We are very excited for Woodlake and the amazing team assembled to reinvent this classic horror literature into a contemporary frightening feature film,” said Jeffrey Lewis about the film. Lewis is a Woodlake boss alongside Keith Previte, who produced the 2007 underrated horror film Borderland.

Obviously, the first question that comes to mind regards the tone of this new reimagining. Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator was not a direct adaptation of Lovecraft’s story. It featured a heavy dose of comedy to provide a great balance against the gory aspect of the film. It was probably this blend between horror and comedy that captivated critics back then. However, today, Re-Animator often gets sent to the background when compared to massive horror franchises like Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street.

‘Re-Animator’ Is an Underappreciated Landmark of ’80s Horror

Dr. Herbert West and Dr. Dan Cain make a woman from body parts. Test tube

Modern audiences don’t give Re-Animator enough credit, and they absolutely should. It is very well-written, the special effects are great, and its lead character is impossible not to love. However, the best thing about it is what often makes ’80s horror so unique: Re-Animator doesn’t take itself too seriously. It graciously dances between horror and comedy while never being ridiculous.

Critics like Pauline Kael and Roger Ebert, not exactly known for celebrating horror, liked the film, with Ebert saying the following in his review: “By the end of the film, we are keenly aware that nothing of consequence has happened, but so what? We have been assaulted by a lurid imagination, amazed by unspeakable sights, blind-sided by the movie’s curiously dry sense of humor.” Today, the film has a 94% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Re-Animator was also important enough to launch a franchise that stayed alive until 2003, when Beyond Re-Animator was released, and the reception wasn’t as bad as everyone expected. Jeffrey Combs returned to play Herbert West one more time, reprising the nature of this wicked character who could never abandon his idea to bring the dead back to life. Hopefully, the new version of Lovecraft’s classic will follow up on the spirit that made the 1985 gem a notable piece of horror. And Combs? He has to return in a cameo, or why not, to play West one more time.

Source: Deadline