RE-ANIMATOR Envy

I was reading Zombos Closet of Horror earlier and couldn't help but be envious about the author getting to see RE-ANIMATOR on the big screen. You see, RE-ANIMATOR is my favorite film of all-time, not just genre-wise, and seeing it on the big screen is a rare treat. In fact, the film -- and a local critic's knee-jerk, one-star review of it -- were partially responsible for starting EXPLOITATION RETROSPECT two decades ago.

I just watched BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR the other day, probably for the first time since its original VHS release. While not bad, it can't hold a candle to the original and often seems like it's trying too hard and treading the same ground. Director Brian Yuzna tends to go for the yuks a bit more than Stuart Gordon and the whole thing feels forced.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to see the North American premiere of BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR at the Philadelphia Film Festival. Not only did I get to see this kick-ass flick on the big screen in its unrated form, but both Yuzna and Jeffrey Combs were in attendance, answered questions before and after the film, and chatted with fans in the lobby afterwards.

One of my cherished possessions is my RE-ANIMATOR paperback novelization signed by Combs that night. My wife perfectly captured the moment in a photo shortly after I informed him that "I think RE-ANIMATOR is the greatest film ever made. (Pause) No, seriously." Combs looked at me and then my wife, who lowered her camera, nodded her head in confirmation and snapped the pic... a stunned Combs trying his best to smile at 2 AM next to some RE-ANIMATOR loving wacko.

On the sequel/series front, word has it that Stuart Gordon will be returning to the director's chair for the fourth installment, titled HOUSE OF RE-ANIMATOR. Gordon's friend William H. Macy (yes, William H. Macy) is confirmed and will play the President of the United States who dies in office. Guess who gets the call to bring the Commander in Chief back to life? A late 2006/early 2007 start is supposedly in the works.