by H. P. LovecraftFree Online Text
One
of Lovecraft's more well known title, due mostly to the horror film of the same
name and its two sequels (Bride of
Re-Animator & Beyond Re-Animator).
This was not a labor of love for the author, but a work-for-hire by the
magazine Home Brew, which specialized
in grotesque tales. In fact the editor, George Julian Houtain, told him “You
can’t make them too morbid.” It was originally serialized over six issues,
which is why there is a brief recap at the beginning of each section.
In his own notes Lovecraft didn’t take the
work too seriously, calling the story “manifestly inartistic”, but he got five
dollars a pop, which I’m sure made up for any sting to his artistic side. And
while poo-pooing the work, he worked it into the wider Cthulhu Mythos by having
his latter-day Dr. Frankenstein begin his work at Miskatonic University in
Arkham. While many snobs consider this to be Lovecraft’s poorest work, there is
a certain charm to the story. Granted, he wrote it quickly and just for the
money, but it a decent horror story and becomes even better if you view it as a
parody of Shelly’s Frankenstein.
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| Magazine where the story was first printed |
The
story takes place over seventeen years as the protagonist, Herbert West,
experiments with his rejuvenation serum for bringing the dead back to life.
Unlike his counterpart, he isn't interested in creating new life, but bringing
back the dead. The problem becomes acute when he discovers that individual
parts can be reanimated independent of the main body, but can still be ordered
by the brain (Don't look for a rational explanation for that one). The story is
narrated by West’s assistant who follows the good doctor through the most
sinister of medical schools like a deranged Dr. Watson and onto World War I,
where West’s experiments the most with disembodied body parts. The character is
practically non-existent, an un-personality, with no life beyond relating the
actions of West. There is no moral judgements here, which could be a bit of a
relief. But in reality, the character is not really needed. Like most
Lovecraft’s narrators, he is simply our medium to look into the world.
The
film is substantially different. Set in the 1980’s, it centers on West’s work
in university where he teams up with Dean Cain who begins working on his serum
only to run into problems with arrogant Dr. Carl Hill. Things go crazy, animals
are killed then brought back, yadda yadda yadda, leading to one of the most
disturbing sex scenes ever filmed. The entire thing has a tongue-in-cheek flair
to it, which takes the edge off the horror in my opinion, but then I suppose an
over-the-top idea like this story. Both the original and sequel film are
presented below. Enjoy and Caveat Emptor.
Re-Animator
Bride of Re-Animator
For more fun try Across the Wounded Galaxy by Rex Hurst
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