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When we hear the word "remake" or "reboot" or "reimagining," it's hard not to immediately wince, especially when it comes to horror or sci-fi. Over the last few decades, the rate of success for these attempts at reviving either a well-known or obscure title is quite low, and when one does manage to be a success, Hollywood often interprets the wrong lessons from why these isolated instances were hits. Back in the '80s, though, things were a little bit different.
John Carpenter's The Thing is considered by many to be one of the best sci-fi horror films of all time. Making its accomplishments even more impressive is the fact that it was at least somewhat inspired by the 1951 movie The Thing From Another World. It's worth noting, however, that Carpenter claims his movie was based more on the novellaWho Goes There? by John W. Campbell, which also inspired the 1951 movie. Additionally, that decade gave us David Cronenberg's The Fly, a seminal experience in the realm of body horror. Similarly, that movie was based on the short story of the same name by George Langelaan, with that source material also inspiring the 1958 movie The Fly.
A new movie is hoping to follow in the footsteps of those masterpieces, as the upcoming Herbert West: Reanimator could be considered a reboot of the 1985 movie Re-Animator, though they technically are both adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft's story Herbert West–Reanimator. Deadline has revealed our first official looks at the upcoming revival, which stars Joseph Morgan (The Originals) as Herbert West and Katie Cassidy (Arrow) as Dr. Kate Locke. You can see the pair in the images below.
The movie is directed by Michael Grossman and the supporting cast includes Scott Aiello, Ira J Amyx, Randall Newsome, Emma Reinagal, James D. Bryce, Kathryn A Bentley, Jack Lancaster, Amy Holland Pennell, John Pierson, Mindy Shaw, Eric Dean White, Tristan Wilder Hallet, Adrienne Lamping, Aaron Crippen, and Drew Patterson. Deadline also revealed an extended synopsis for Herbert West: Reanimator:
"As a child, Herbert West watches his father Peter reanimate his dead mother Judith in a secret basement lab — only for Judith to mortally wound Peter and nearly kill Herbert before Peter shoots her. The trauma leaves its mark on Herbert, but so does one final image: his mother’s finger, twitching after death. 30 years later, Herbert West is a brilliant, secretive surgeon still chasing his father’s obsession. Pathologist Kate Locke arrives in town and is drawn into his orbit — first through a spark at a hospital fundraiser, then through his secret lab, where he reveals a serum capable of reanimating severed tissue. Kate, hiding a dark past of her own, is thrilled rather than horrified, and moves into West’s mansion to work alongside him. Their early experiments on a cadaver succeed only briefly. West concludes that dead tissue is the problem — they need something fresher."
As described in this synopsis, this new movie looks to be making some changes from the last adaptation. The 1985 movie starred Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West, as well as Bruce Abbott and Barbara Crampton. Re-Animator was directed by Stuart Gordon and earned the sequels Bride of Re-Animator and Beyond Re-Animator.
While Cassidy might largely be known for her work on DC's Arrow, where she starred as Laurel Lance / Black Canary, this isn't her first time starring in a horror reboot. She was previously seen in 2006's Black Christmas, a reboot of the 1974 movie, and then in 2010's A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot. Cassidy shared of the upcoming movie:
"I am excited to step back into this genre. It’s been awhile since I have done horror. I loved the original film and this has a dark twist, which I am excited to sink my teeth into."
Morgan added, "I’m beyond excited to be taking on the role of Herbert West, a man inspired by the mysteries of life, obsessed with conquering death, and haunted by the consequences of his own ambition. Inhabiting this emotionally complex character is truly one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Alongside the undeniable creative satisfaction I’m discovering every day on set, it’s also turning out to be a hell of a lot of fun."
Lovecraft is considered an integral figure in horror and sci-fi, thanks to countless stories. However, as compared to a figure like Edgar Allan Poe, Lovecraft dealt more in the realm of the cosmic, making his terrors specifically hard to adapt into a movie. Re-Animator is arguably the most successful attempt at adapting his works, while 2019's Color Out of Space starring Nicolas Cage effectively replicated some of the author's more ambitious ideas.
