Herbert West practices raising the dead in a Swiss medical institute. He is kicked out and he comes to the Miskatonic University in New England to further his studies. Unfortunately, West has an inflated sense of self importance and he clashes with a professor - Dr Carl Hill - over the issue of brain death. West rents a room from fellow student Dan Cain who is dating Megan Halsey - the daughter of the Dean of the college. Dr Hill has his eye on Megan - a sleazy eye which wants to seduce her. He also wants to steal West's research. West has invented a bright yellow/green chemical concoction that reanimates the dead. He tries it out on Megan's dead cat and it is not long before he is experimenting on humans and wreaking major undead havoc. Herbert West is a terrific character. He's arrogant, brilliant and deviant. This makes for a great film, as West tries out his serum on various people from the confines of his nefarious basement. The film would be considered as splatstick as there is so much blood and guts going on alongside the humour. The special effects are inventive and well executed which further adds to the gore factor - it is, in fact, probably one of the goriest films of the 80s. Based on an H P Lovecraft story, it is bound to be quite a dark tale but director Stuart Gordon injects a perverse streak of humour into the film. It is tightly paced at 86 minutes and the cast all give terrific performances - especially Jeffrey Combs as the inimitable Herbert West and David Gale as Dr Hill - the sleazy, slimy plagiarist who gets what is coming to him. Guffaws a plenty to be had here.
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
