Beyond Re-Animator

“After causing the Miskatonic University Massacre, Dr. Herbert West has been serving a prison sentence for the past 14 years. Far from overcoming his scientific obsession with bringing the dead organisms back to life, he has had no choice but to continue his experiments on the only specimens he can find in his cell: rats. When Howard, a new young doctor, comes to work as the prison MD and requests his assistance, Dr. West discovers the young protégé has something he left behind 14 years ago….”

The film opens immediately after the events of Bride of Re-Animator­ where one of Dr. Herbert West’s (Jeffrey Combs) creations have escaped the confines of the underground laboratory and found its way into the house of a young boy and his older sister. After raiding the fridge, the grotesque abomination kills the sister, leaving the young boy to see it all, including the capture of Dr. West by the police, dropping a syringe of his reagent before he’s carted off to prison. Fourteen years later, the boy is now an adult: Howard Phillips (Jason Barry), who has just graduated from medical school and has chosen the prison in which Dr. West is located as his choice position taking over as the doctor in charge. The events which should have scarred him as a child only served to inspire him, as he requests Dr. West’s help in operating the facility, secretly continuing the experiments where he left off.

Dr. West has made some breakthroughs while confined to his cell, forced to experiment on rats but discovering what he calls Nano-Plasmic Energy which is dispelled from the body upon death which he is able to capture and store. He theorizes that injecting this energy, which he claims is transferrable between different people and even species, will normalize the subjects he brings back from the dead. While these experiments continue, Dr. Phillips begins a relationship with a reporter named Laura Olney (Elsa Pataky) and confesses what he saw as a child and how he wants to continue West’s work, prompting her to snoop around the prison and succumb to the violence of Warden Brando (Simón Andreu). As dead bodies keep entering the medical facility, the experiments can continue, eventually getting out of control as they always seem to do.

Re-Animator is one of my favorite horror films of the 80’s, based on the story by H.P. Lovecraft and brilliantly brought to life by Jeffrey Combs. It was a fantastic blend of comedy and horror filled with tons of gore. The second film, although a bit similar to the first in many regards, still holds up as a solid sequel, providing that same smart quality with Brian Yuzna at the helm directing. Yuzna returns for Beyond Re-Animator going in a different direction as we meet Dr. Herbert West once again. Beyond Re-Animator does seem like a natural evolution of the story as you look at all three. Where the second film took place again in a hospital, the third takes a refreshing new direction as we learn that Dr. West has been in prison for the past fourteen years. Herbert West is never portrayed as a necessarily evil character; he values research more than human life that’s for sure, and may or may not have killed his roommate’s cat in the first film, but other than his failures to learn his lesson by creating some unique monstrosities that always seem to slaughter those around him, he’s actually a very fun character to watch.

The third film has some great qualities to it. Jeffrey Combs is back and hasn’t lost a step in playing this character. He’s equally brilliant and creepy as the first two films and I can’t stress enough how he absolutely steals every scene he’s in. He’s the reason fans of the series will seek this out and potentially forgive any shortcomings the rest of the film may provide. The effects are surprisingly very good, with a combination of practical effects and special effects, the latter only responsible for some of the more elaborate ones including a severed torso crawling around on the ground and ceiling. The gore is just as good as the first two films, providing some really nauseating sequences that will either have you wincing or cheering depending on how much you can stand.

On the flipside, the third film doesn’t come close to the quality of the first two films in terms of the feel of it. The film was shot in Spain, with Combs being the only American working on the film. Although the acting by the rest of the cast is fine, there is obvious dubbing from the majority of the cast which is primarily Spanish, even though this is supposed to be taking place in New England. The protagonist, Dr. Phillips, is unfortunately not an interesting character in the least. We go through almost the exact same motions as Dr. West did with Dan in the previous films save for the depth they gave that character. He’s bland and one dimensional, taking no responsibility of the Pandora’s Box he’s unleashed, only wishing to somehow go back in time and save his sister. Sadly, it’s Jeffrey Combs who has to drive the film all by himself, and although for some that may be enough, for others it just disappoints.

For me, these were all low points of the film, but seeing Herbert West back in action again was great. It’s definitely the low point of the trilogy, but delivers a very satisfying ending for the character that they always left up in the air with the others.

Video

Beyond Re-Animator is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.78:1. This transfer looks good with little signs of wear and tear but has been cleaned up quite nicely. Color is also well balanced, though a little bland at times with moments of intense grain scattered throughout the film. Despite some of the higher quality effects, the film itself just doesn’t have the ‘film-like’ look to it, but more of a low budget feel.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The audio track sounds great in comparison to the video quality. The range of the surrounds are utilized very well in creating some very cool and creepy effects, with a good balance between them all. The score sounds great as well, bringing back that classic and recognizable music that accompanies the other Re-Animator films.

Special Features

This is where Vestron always comes through on its new Collector’s Series, and has put together a wealth of extras from the cast and crew. Fans of the films will definitely want to check these out, especially the insight from Jeffrey Combs and Brian Yuzna. On this set you’re going to see:

• Audio Commentary with Director Brian Yuzna
• Isolated Score Selections & Audio Interview with Composer Xavier Capellas
• Beyond & Back – An Interview with Director Brian Yuzna
• Death Row Sideshow – An Interview with Actor Jeffrey Combs
• Six Shots By Midnight – An Interview with S.T. Joshi, Author of I Am Providence: The Life and Times of H.P. Lovecraft
• Production Art Gallery by Illustrator Richard Raaphorst
• Still Gallery
• Vintage EPK Featurette
• “DR. REANIMATOR – MOVE YOUR DEAD BONES” Music Video
• Theatrical Trailer

Beyond Re-Animator is definitely the weakest of the trilogy, but undoubtedly delivers some fun and unique sequences that we could only expect from Dr. Herbert West. Vestron has given this a great treatment, packed with extras, and will make a worthy inclusion in any fan’s collection.