10 Scariest Mad Scientists In Horror Movies

Similar to Frankenstein, Re-Animator tells the story of an eccentric medical student called Herbert West who desires to cure death itself. Using his own concoction, West administers a potion to recently dead tissue in order to reanimate it. But after the resurrected corpses run amok, West seeks help from the very same people who condemned his work.

Re-Animator has a tight script, funny dialogue, and great visual effects. However, it's Jeffrey Combs' performance as West that keeps the whole thing together. Combs has a such a knack for sci-fi and horror, he's starred in five HP Lovecraft adaptations, including this one. Although the Californian actor's' bulging eyes naturally make him look like a maniac, he plays the deranged West with absolute sincerity. Even though he's belligerent and cantankerous, he feels like a real character since he sounds genuinely confused when his peers are disturbed by his experiments.

In the hands of a lesser actor, Herbert West would come across as trite and cliched. But with Combs at the helm, West has become one of the most memorable characters in all horror.