Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

Where to Watch

Loading streaming options...

Screenwise Verdict

Look, Re-Animator is a cult classic for a reason—it's audacious, creative, and genuinely influential in horror cinema. The practical effects are impressive, and it walks a tightrope between horror and comedy that few films manage.

But let's be clear: this has zero place on a family media platform except as a warning. The graphic violence is extreme, the sexual content is deeply disturbing (including a notorious scene that's essentially assault), and even adult horror fans find parts of it hard to watch.

If you're a horror enthusiast over 21 who can handle genuinely transgressive content, sure, it's a genre milestone worth seeing once. But it's not fun, it's not entertaining in a lighthearted way, and it's absolutely not something to stumble into unprepared.

The WISE score is low because this fails almost every criterion except imagination—and even that creativity is deployed in service of content that's genuinely upsetting. It's well-made for what it is, but what it is has no business near kids or even most adults.

Age Fit

This is strictly for adult horror fans, 21+. Even at 18, this is rough. The sexual violence content makes it inappropriate for teens, full stop. If you're a parent reading this because your teen asked to watch it, the answer is no.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

8

This is a gleefully grotesque horror-comedy that revels in body horror, graphic violence, decapitation, and deeply disturbing sexual content (including a notorious scene involving a severed head). Zero emotional health, zero kindness modeling, maximum chaos. It's the opposite of wholesome in every measurable way.

Imaginative

78

Stuart Gordon's adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft is genuinely creative—a mad scientist story that balances horror and pitch-black comedy with real originality. The practical effects are inventive, the tone is audacious, and it takes real risks with its premise. It inspired a whole subgenre of horror-comedy and remains influential nearly 40 years later.

Safe

2

Extreme graphic violence, nudity, sexual assault content, gore including decapitation and reanimated corpses, intense body horror. Common Sense Media rates it 18+. This has every possible trigger warning: graphic surgery scenes, disturbing sexual content, blood and viscera throughout. Absolutely nothing about this is safe for kids.

Enriching

42

For adult horror fans and film students, there's value in studying its practical effects, its tonal balance, and its place in 1980s horror cinema. It raises questions about medical ethics and playing god, though not with any depth. For the target audience (horror enthusiasts), it's entertaining and culturally significant within its genre. But it offers zero educational value and minimal ethical growth.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

If you're an adult horror completist, this is a genre landmark with genuinely innovative practical effects
The tonal balance between horror and dark comedy influenced decades of filmmaking
Strong critical reception (90% on Rotten Tomatoes) among horror enthusiasts
Jeffrey Combs delivers a memorable, unhinged performance as Herbert West

⚠

What to Watch For

Extreme graphic violence including decapitation, dismemberment, and body horror throughout
Deeply disturbing sexual content including assault scenes that are genuinely upsetting
This is not 'fun' horror—it's visceral, gross, and intentionally transgressive
The 1980s practical effects look dated but the content remains shocking
Even horror fans find some scenes difficult to watch

Conversation Starters

"This isn't for family discussion—it's an adults-only film"
"If your college-aged kid mentions it: 'What do you think makes horror-comedy work when it's this extreme?'"
"For adult friends: 'How do you feel about horror that crosses into genuinely disturbing territory?'"

Ask Anything

Get a personalized guide on any topic