Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Re-Animator Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 14, 2018

Stuart Gordon's "Re0Animator" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include multiple extended and deleted scenes; archival audio commentaries; featurettes on the making of the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. Region-B "locked".

Re-Animator has already appeared on Blu-ray in the United States, courtesy of Image Entertainment, and in the United Kingdom, courtesy of Arrow Video. For an in-depth analysis of the film, please see our reviews of these releases here and here.

Re-Animator Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Re-Animator arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

This two disc-set contains the Unrated Version and the Integral Cut of the film, with each being placed on a separate single-layer disc. Both are sourced from the recent very beautiful 4K restoration that TLEFilms FRPS completed in Germany.

For the purpose of this review, I viewed only the longer cut of the film in its entirety.

My one and only criticism pertains to the manner in which the release was encoded. While I doubt that most viewers will spot any troubling anomalies while viewing the film (both versions) at home, I think that a dual-layer disc for each version with specific encoding optimizations would have produced an even better overall result. As things are, it is possible that some viewers with very large screens (likely anywhere around 70" and up) could spot a few light compression artifacts. Everything else truly looks terrific. Quite predictably, after the restoration density levels are superb and a lot of the darker footage that appeared very flat on the old transfer now boasts wonderful organic nuances. Shadows and highlights are also vastly superior. There are massive improvements in terms of color reproduction as well. In fact, so much so that there are entire segments with brand new ranges of nuances. There are no traces of problematic digital work. Image stability is excellent. A truly outstanding restoration. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Re-Animator Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Each of the two versions of Re-Animator arrives with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. However, only the Unrated Version has optional English SDH subtitles.

Other recent European releases of Re-Animator have multiple audio options, but I actually thought that the 5.1 track was very effective in a number of different ways. Its basics are also excellent -- depth, clarity, and overall stability are superb. Still, fans of the film likely would have been happy to have a two-channel track as well. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report.

Re-Animator Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

DISC ONE: UNRATED VERSION

• Audio Commentary One - this is the original audio commentary that director Stuart Gordon recorded some years ago and previously appeared on the North American release that Image Entertainment produced. There is an abundance of very specific information that addresses different phases of the production of Re-Animator as well as its stylistic appearance.

• Audio Commentary Two - this audio commentary features producer Brian Yuzna and actors Bruce Abbott, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton and Robert Sampson, and it was also included on the Image Entertainment release. This is a much more casual and actually quite hilarious commentary with plenty of observations about key sequences and the manner in which they were shot. (The comments during the lovemaking scene in the very beginning of the film are particularly funny). It is essentially a trip down memory lane for the participants, some of which apparently had not seen the film in many years.

• Re-Animator Resurrectus Doc - fans of Re-Animator will quickly recognize this vintage documentary as well because it has appeared on previous home video releases of the film. It takes a closer look at its production history and the unique sense of humor that made a cult classic. Included in it are clips from archival interviews with director Stuart Gordon, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, writer Dennis Paoli, and producer Brian Yuzna, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (66 min).

• Extended Scenes - a collection of restored extended scenes. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Deleted Scene - restored deleted scene.. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

DISC TWO: INTEGRAL CUT

• Theatrical Trailer - vintage theatrical trailer for the film. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Spots - vintage TV Spots for the film. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Music Analysis by Composer Richard Band - in this archival video interview, composer Richard Band discusses the orchestration of key sequences and the specific harmonic structures of the different music themes that are used to support the desired atmosphere. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Interview with Tony Timpone - in this archival interview, Tony Timpone (editor at Fangoria Magazine) recalls his fist theatrical experience with Re-Animator and discusses its stylistic identity. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Interview with Richard Band - in this archival interview, composer Richard Band recalls his initial interactions with the creators of Re-Animator and specifically his insistence that the film should have a campy quality, and discusses the orchestration as well as the manner in which the music complemented the film's attitude and sense of humor. There are also some very good comments about the recording sessions and the use of strings in particular segments. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Interview with Dennis Paoli - in this archival interview, screenwriter Dennis Paoli discusses the work that he did during the early stages of the production process, as well as some of the changes that were made as expectations for Re-Animator evolved. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Interview with Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna - in this archival interview, Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna explain how Re-Animator was conceived, and discuss the various 'improvements' and cuts that were made as the project matured, the tone and atmosphere of the film, their interactions with the rest of the people that made the film a reality, some early theatrical screenings that they attended and the initial public reactions to the film's sense of humor, etc. In English, not subtitled. (47 min).

Re-Animator Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I really like the fact that Umbrella Entertainment are bringing so many cult and classic films to Blu-ray in Australia. In fact, they have a number of titles in their catalog that are not available anywhere else in the world, so I follow their output very closely. This new two-disc set of Re-Animator is sourced from the beautiful recent 4K restoration of the film that TLEFilms FRPS completed in Germany, and my one and only minor criticism is that the encoding should have been a bit better. Overall, however, I think that it is a solid release that is definitely worth owning. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.