Anchor Bay Collection: Re-Animator - A Review

[Mr_Vindictive]

First of all, Mods, if you believe I have posted this in the wrong area then feel free to move it elsewhere. 





Recently, Anchor Bay decided they were going to release various films under the "Anchor Bay Collection" moniker.  These films would be the ones that Anchor Bay thought to be the best of the best, the crowning achievement of horror, etc.

They began with Re-Animator, and I can't think of a better place to start.

If you haven't seen Re-Animator, then you need to go out a buy a copy of the film ASAP.  You really have no idea how much awesomeness you are missing.  The film has been reviewed many many times in the past, and I'm not going to add my own review to the pile.  I'm only here to post about the new DVD.

I've had the Millennium Edition of Re-Animator for quite some time now.  It's a fantastic set.  It comes in a gorgeous green oversized DVD case with two discs inside, both packed to the gills with features. 

The new Anchor Bay release of the film comes in a large cardboard box, much like the average PC game would.  Inside, is a "collectible" Re-Animator highlighter that is in the shape of a syringe with re-animation agent in it.  Also in the box is the Re-Animator DVD which lacks the awesome good looks of the Millennium Edition.  It's a standard sized case with 2 discs packed inside.

On the first disc is the film itself.  The transfer on the Millennium Edition was great for the most part, with some scenes not being as clear as the rest of the film.  The new transfer seems to be completely flawless.  I've watched it three times now and haven't noticed any problems with the transfer.  Another gripe I had with the ME disc was that the audio always seemed to be less than stellar.  I'm not sure if that was just my disc or was a problem with all of them.  Now on the new AB edition, the sound quality is awesome.  Everything comes through crystal clear.

On this disc, we also get two commentaries.  One is by Stuart Gordon, the other is by the cast of the film along with Brian Yuzna.  There are also interviews with Richard Band, Dennis Paloi, Stuart Gordon, Brian Yuzna, and Tony Timpone from Fangoria.

Then on disc two, we have the main reason to own this version - Re-Animator: Resurrectus.  Resurrectus is a 70 minute documentary on the making of Re-Animator.  It starts with Gordon's theater days then to pre-production, production, and then release.  It's a great documentary with everyone involved except for David Gale who has sadly passed away.  It also manages to explain many of the special effects in the film, which were surprisingly low-fi.  It's a fun documentary, and well worth watching.

This disc also contains a single deleted scene, a few extended scenes, a great stills gallery, trailer, tv spots, Stuart Gordon bio, etc.  The other two big special features for me are the DVD-ROM features which include a copy of the script and a copy of H.P. Lovecraft's original Re-Animator story for those of you not up on your Lovecraft.

Overall, I say the film is a good buy.  I went ahead and double dipped on this one (which is VERY rare for me).  This film warrants a double dip in my opinion.  For me it was worth the $18.00 if only for the script and new documentary.  Much of the other special features are available on the Millennium Edition disc, which as I've said isn't a bad set at all.  Elite did what they could with that one considering the meager budget.  It's obvious that Anchor Bay had a lot more cash to play around with when releasing this one.

Final word:

If you don't already own Re-Animator then go buy the Anchor Bay edition.

If you already have the Millennium Edition, then this is still a good addition to your Re-Animator collection.  It's up to you whether the few new special features are worth the price.  For me, they were.


Anchor Bay, bring on Phantasm!

[The Burgomaster]

Thanks for the review.  I saw the unrated version of this during its original theatrical run and thought it was one of the best gore films I had seen in years.  I saw it on video a couple of times after that, but I probably haven't watched it in at least 12-15 years.  It is now on my "must buy" list.

[KYGOTC]

I was just at Barnes and Noble and i saw this there. Looks interesting. I dont know if it was unrated or not....

[Mr_Vindictive]

It is unrated.  Nothing has been cut from the release.

[Kooshmeister]

I love this movie. I had seen it at various video rental stores over the years, but never bothered to try it out. When we first got our DVD player we began buying movies on DVD like crazy, and along with the 1976 King Kong, Re-Animator: The Millennium Edition was one of the first two I bought. It was a huge gamble, I admit, considering I'd never seen it before and if I ended up not liking it it'd mean I'd wasted my money. Thankfully, the gamble paid off, and I ended up really liking Re-Animator as a whole. I haven't seen any of the sequels yet, though...

[Mr_Vindictive]

I haven't seen any of the sequels yet, though...

The sequels are surprisingly good.  Bride Of Re-Animator is pretty fun.  It features a return of Dr. Carl Hill, still a decapitated head, but this time with bat wings!  The only problem with this one is that it doesn't hold the same comedy/horror that the original did.

Beyond Re-Animator is absolutely fantastic.  I caught a showing of it when it hit theaters and it's a true Re-Animator sequel.  It's gory, funny, and a blast to watch.

Supposedly, there is another sequel in production with Herbert bringing the President of the United States (William H. Macey) back to life.  Sounds like a great plot to me!

[Psitticine]

Thanks for the info.  I was debating picking it up, as I'm also one who rarely duplicates things and I already have the ME.  This is one of my all-time favorites though, and I'm a sucker for things like documentaries and commentaries.

I'm looking forward to House of Re-Animator.  I heard, along with William H. Macy, they've got George Wendt lined up as (if I recall correctly) the vice president.

[Shadow]

This was a film that I had never managed to obtain on DVD. When I heard about this release, I quickly pre-ordered. It arrived the other day and I look forward to watching it, especially after this informative review.

[ulthar]

I saw the unrated version at the theatre in Hollywood, FL when it was released.  Had a blast, and folks were leaving the theatre, presumably due to the gore.

Since then, I have watched the videa R rated version many times.  The last time, I listened to the commentary on the DVD, and it was pointed out that the cut version actually has a better story, but there is no doubt the gore was toned down in the R version.  Since I had only seen the uncut version once, and it was quite a while back, I had to take their word for it, but given some of the scenes they said were missing from the uncut version, I can believe it. 

Any RE-ANIMATOR fans with the uncut version fresh in the memory care to comment?

I'd really like to see a DVD release with both cuts.

[Jim H]

I caught a showing of it when it hit theaters and it's a true Re-Animator sequel.  It's gory, funny, and a blast to watch.

The climactic fight sequences, I assure everyone who is planning to watch the movie, will never be forgotten by anyone who sees it EVER.

[KYGOTC]

So what is Anchor Bay going to release next?

[Doc Daneeka]

WILLARD (1970) I hope! I suppose Dance of the Dwarfs is asking too much, even for Anchor Bay.

[Hunky Magoo]

I asked my parents for this for my birthday along with Phantasm. I haven't seen Re-Animator but it looks great. I love horror comedies AKA Horromedys as I call them

[Torgo]

I'm a huge fan of the movie but I'm going to just stick with the current 2 disc Elite Millennium edition.

From what I've read on most DVD sites, the traners for both are supposedly to be identical.

I'm a bit tighter on money these days as well.