There’s no film quite like 1985’s Re-Animator. Is it a horror film? A comedy? A Frankenstein/”mad scientist” spoof? A horror-comedy-Frankenstein/”mad scientist”-spoof? Whatever it is, it’s an absolute hoot. And a 40th anniversary, 4K screening of it is coming to Milwaukee’s Pabst Theater on Friday, October 3—complete with a post-film Q&A session with iconic star Jeffrey Combs! “What would a note say, Dan? ‘Cat dead, details later’?”
The Stuart Gordon-directed flick follows the medical-student misadventures of one Herbert West (Combs), who invents a serum that “re-animates” dead bodies. Along for the wild ride are West’s roommate Dan (Bruce Abbott), Dan’s fiancée Megan (the legendary Barbara Crampton), and an evil dean intent on getting in on all the action (Robert Sampson). Heads roll, pencils break, and cats come back from the dead and go nuts. It’s H. P. Lovecraft shot through with a bonkers ’80s horror-film sensibility. (It’s loosely based on Lovecraft’s 1922 novelette Herbert West–Reanimator.)
And yes, the October 3 screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Combs. “The conversation will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie, with Combs sharing personal insights, funny anecdotes, and his experience on the set,” explains a press release. “Audience members have the chance to ask questions to dive deeper into the movie’s madness.” Hell yeah.
Tickets go on sale Friday, August 8 at 10 a.m. Oh, and is the event presented by Milwaukee Record and WMSE’s Friday Night Freak Show? It is! See you in October!
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