top of page
Search

Reanimated & Reimagined - Re-Animator (1985) & Poor Things (2023)

  • James Payne
  • 3 days ago
  • 3 min read

Things get messy in the lab this week as we cover two different tales of reanimation — Re-Animator (1985) and Poor Things (2023). From Herbert West’s glowing green serum to Bella Baxter’s rebirth under Dr. Godwin Baxter, we explore mad science as both grotesque horror and feminist fable. Expect chat about practical effects, literary roots, the Frankenstein legacy, and why both films celebrate the beauty (and terror) of scientific creation gone too far.

“Mad science isn’t just about bringing things back to life — it’s about what kind of life we create.”
ree

Episode highlights

  • The Frankenstein connection: How both films reimagine the mad scientist myth for their times.

  • Herbert West vs. Godwin Baxter: Two creators driven by ego and obsession.

  • The art of resurrection: Practical effects, prosthetics, and surreal design.

  • Sex, death, and rebirth: Why both films blend horror with eroticism.

  • Re-Animator’s splatterpunk energy: From Lovecraft to 80s VHS glory.

  • Poor Things’ visual spectacle: Victorian steampunk meets liberation fable.

  • Consent and control: Who owns a body that’s been brought back to life?

  • Comedy and carnage: Why humour is essential to both films’ madness.

  • The legacy of creation: How each film rewires the moral DNA of Frankenstein.


Chapter markers / timestamps

  • 00:00:00 Cold open: classic lines from both films.

  • 00:00:34 Welcome & setup — the many faces of resurrection.

  • 00:02:18 From Frankenstein to Re-Animator — H.P. Lovecraft’s influence.

  • 00:06:45 Stuart Gordon’s direction and theatrical tone.

  • 00:10:22 Jeffrey Combs’ Herbert West — comedy, arrogance, and obsession.

  • 00:15:08 Gore and genius — practical effects and splatterpunk.

  • 00:20:42 Horror meets humour — how Re-Animator gets away with chaos.

  • 00:26:50 Transition to Poor Things.

  • 00:28:06 Yorgos Lanthimos and the art of artificial life.

  • 00:31:44 Bella Baxter’s rebirth and feminist reinterpretation of Frankenstein.

  • 00:36:40 Emma Stone’s performance and autonomy arc.

  • 00:42:10 Mark Ruffalo’s Duncan and male fragility in the face of female freedom.

  • 00:47:22 The look of the film — painterly worlds and weird science.

  • 00:52:40 Sexual awakening as experimentation.

  • 00:57:32 Comparing tones — splatter horror vs. surrealist fairy tale.

  • 01:04:24 The ethics of creation — love, control, and discovery.

  • 01:10:58 Legacy of Frankenstein through humour and hubris.

  • 01:15:28 Outro & next-time tease.

Note: Timecodes approximate; based on final cut.

Show notes & references mentioned

Films & TV

  • Re-Animator (1985)

  • Bride of Re-Animator (1990)

  • From Beyond (1986)

  • Poor Things (2023)

  • Frankenstein (1931)

  • Young Frankenstein (1974)

  • The Fly (1986)

  • The Shape of Water (2017)


People & concepts

  • H.P. Lovecraft, Stuart Gordon, Brian Yuzna, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton

  • Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Tony McNamara

  • Gothic horror, surrealism, feminism, and bioethics in science fiction


Pull quotes (for social / callouts)

  • “Re-Animator is Frankenstein with a VHS splatter budget.”

  • “Bella Baxter’s lab is where feminism meets Frankenstein.”

  • “Mad science is always about control — until the creation takes it back.”

  • “Comedy is the secret ingredient in cinematic resurrection.”

  • “Poor Things and Re-Animator both prove: the monster is the maker.”


Listener links

Credits

Hosts: Matt & James

Series: Mad Science

Episode: Re-Animator (1985) & Poor Things (2023)

Produced by: Journey Through Sci-Fi


Next time

Prepare for chaos in the lab as we head into Buckaroo Banzai (1984) and The City of Lost Children (1995) — where weird science gets wonderfully absurd.

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page