Re-Animator stands today as one of the few "pinnacle" horror films of the 80's. At a time when slashers were hot and we were knee deep in straight up zombie films, along comes Re-Animator, like abreath of fresh air. At the time and still to this day, an innovation in every sense of the word, unlike anything the horror community had ever or would ever be subjected to. Re-Animator started many a trend (some good and some bad) in the world of horror, and even produced a mildly entertaining yet lackluster sequel (the aptly titled Bride of Re-Animator). Elite Entertainment dips into their vaults once again to give us a revamped version of a cult classic. Second in line in their Millennium Edition series (first was the welcomed Night of the Living Dead), Elite goes no holds barred in this massive and most welcome 2-Disc set . Prepare to be blown away by the most definitive DVD release of Re-Animator any fan could have ever hoped for.

If you don't know the story, you probably shouldn't be here, however I will give you the quick rundown. Things start to go awry when medical student Dan (Bruce Abbott) takes in a new roommate, Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs). Herbert has devised a serum (that glows an obnoxious florescent green) that can apparently "cheat" death and raise the dead. Dan's girlfriend Megan (the adorable Barbara Crampton later seen in Gordon's From Beyond) suspects something is wrong from the start with Herbert, and is proven to be justified when Dan's cat mysteriously dies and then comes back to life (much angrier and vicious mind you) . In the mean time Dr. Hill (the late David Gale) has his own opinions on death, and the lack of life thereafter. Herbert and Dr. Hill butt heads, and Dr. Hill gains the upper hand. However, it isn't too long before the tables are turned and Herbert comes out ahead (once again, literally). Not happy with his unethical experiments, Dean Halsey , (Robert Sampson) Megan's father, decides it's time to put an end to Herbert's "scientific discoveries". Herbert has ideas of his own however, and a human corpse is the next step he takes in testing out his serum. It isn't long before all hell breaks loose and this includes the living dead, power tools, buckets of splattering blood, and the unforgettable scene in which Barbara Crampton receives a little head (literally!) from Dr. Hill.

This is the second time Elite has released Re-Animator on DVD (third time released if you count the long out of print laser disc) and it couldn't have come at a better time. The previous DVD release had been out of print for quite some time (fetching some big bucks on Ebay) and was only recently reissued. Hot on the heels of that reissue comes the Re-Animator Millennium Edition, and just about every horror fans wet dream come true. Re-Animator started a new trend back in 1985, it was and still is considered to be a ground breaking horror film. Not a straight up zombie film, and the farthest thing from a no brainer-slasher, I think Re-Animator just took everyone by surprise. Re-Animator is at times gory (at other times extremely fuckin' gory), at times funny (full of black humor) and at other times scary. What you have here is a well written (based on a few stories by H.P. Lovecraft), well acted, and well executed horror movie. When Fangoria was king (it sucks ass now because they hardly have any movies to report on) and horror was everywhere, Re-Animator was and still remains on many a top ten list. 1985, what a glorious time to be alive!!

This brand spankin' new edition of Re-Animator from Elite boasts a brand new THX certified, 16X9 transfer. While the colors do seem more accurate, the real standout here is not the difference in picture. There was and still remains some minor print damage throughout , specs and film dirt for the most part. I always thought the previous transfer of Re-Animator was great, and this one is a slight improvement, but nothing to do cartwheels over. The 16X9 enhancement gives us a bit more clarity, and for all of this I am thankful.

What really knocked me on my ass without a doubt, has got to be the brand new re-mixed soundtracks. For starters, we get a brand new 5.1 mix and a DTS mix. Both are adequate in comparison with no real standout, the DTS track may have had a bit more of a punch, but it's all negligible. Both are incredible and atmospheric mixes with well balanced dialogue, music and effects. There is a moment when a doorbell rang and I could have sworn it was coming from my apartment, despite the fact that it sounded nothing like the doorbell I am used to. Plain and simple , these two tracks rock. Never overpowering, Elite has done it just right. The icing on the cake is that you also have the option of listening to the original mono mix (way to go Elite!!). Finally, we're given the option of a 5.1 track of just the music and effects (isolated score) and it's incredible, plain and simple. Listening to Re-Animator with no dialogue and just music and effects is an awesome experience, you have to check it out. Now, let's move onto the extras, shall we?

Many of the extras were carried over from the previous DVD release along with some new goodies to keep us busy. I'll break this down into 2 sections.

OLD EXTRAS (on both versions) - 2 audio commentaries, one with director Stuart Gorden which is a fun listen, more technical and he almost always stays on track. The second commentary is with Producer Brian Yuzna, and actors, Jeffery Combs, Robert Sampson, Barbara Crampton, and Bruce Abbott. This commentary can be a fun listen and is more light-hearted. It's just like sitting with a group of friends and they all seem to be having a great time hanging out together (maybe too good of a time). Quite often they get off track and every once in a while switch into MSTK mode and crack jokes. Not necessarily a bad thing though, as this is still a worthwhile commentary track. Next up are 16 deleted scenes and a deleted "dream sequence". The new DVD has given us these scenes 16X9 enhanced for added clarity as the old release did not. Finally, the carried over extras are rounded out with some theatrical and TV trailers (the new version boasts a few extra TV trailers).
NOTE: The one item that was not carried over was an audio commentary track over the trailers. I'm assuming that this was just an oversight, and believe me when I say it's no big deal, you aren't missing much, it's more of an FYI for completests, so be warned!

NEW EXTRAS (only on the Millennium edition) - Now for the new stuff! First off we get nearly an hour of new video interviews with Director Stuart Gordon and Producer Brian Yuzna, writer Dennis Paoli, Composer Richard Band, and Fangoria Magazine editor Tony Timpone. Next up is a series of interviews with Richard Band totalling about 6 minutes entitled Music Discussion with Richard Band in which he talks about the music from a few scenes and then we are shown the actual scene in question. Next up are storyboard to film comparisons using the angle feature. Your basic cast and crew filmographies/biographies are also included and an awesome still gallery with some great behind the scenes shots that are definitely worth checking out. One thing I really like about the extras is that in each section Elite has included a "Play All Feature" in which you can watch each interview one at a time, or play them all in succession...very nice, I approve!

Well what can I say that hasn't already been said? This is it folks, if you haven't already done so you need to buy this edition of Re-Animator right now. While not a drastic difference in picture quality (more accurate colors and a bit of added clarity) the new soundtracks and extras are worth the price of admission all on their own. This new edition also includes some cool animated menus on both discs as well. If you've made it this far you'll be happy to know that I've included (in addition to the screen shots from the review) a page of comparison screen shots from the old edition and the new Millennium Edition, so you can be the judge. I look forward to seeing the next release in Elite's Millennium Edition line, first two were incredible, and the third must be a charm.