Herbert West - Reanimator (Dark Adventure Radio Theatre)

Sean Branney

Herbert West, an ambitious young medical student at Miskatonic University, and his colleague embark down a path filled with dubious science and horrifying results as they endeavor to bring life back to dead bodies that they harvest from the margins of society. Their unholy quest leads them across New England and eventually into the trenches of the Great War as West's scientific obsession degenerates into a hellish and perverse addiction to the abnormal.

Herbert West -- Reanimator is perhaps one of Lovecraft's most famous stories, thanks to Stuart Gordon's 1985 cult classic film version: Re-Animator. And some might say that's regrettable, because Lovecraft himself intended it as a parody and didn't think it was a very good piece of writing. Although it's certainly not his best, it remains one of his most popular tales. It's the pulpiest of his fiction, full of gore, action, and even one-liners. HWR also shows Lovecraft at his most blatantly racist, and although we don't agree with or endorse any of the bigoted sentiments in the original story, rather than try to edit all that out, when adapting the story for radio we decided to acknowlege that it's there and turn it into a running joke. All of the characters in this show utter some very politically incorrect remarks.

There's musical wit as well, and history, with the original score by Reber Clark featuring sly references to a few popular tunes of the early 20th century. And the show features an exciting original fight song for Miskatonic University, the beloved institution Lovecraft invented in this story. To celebrate that achievement, the CD features a special bonus track with an alternate version of the M.U. fight song. Onward Miskatonic! On to victory!