The Resurrected
| The Resurrected | |
|---|---|
 Original poster | |
| Directed by | Dan O'Bannon |
| Produced by |
Mark Borde Kenneth Raich |
| Written by | Brent V. Friedman |
| Starring |
John Terry Jane Sibbett Chris Sarandon Robert Romanus |
| Cinematography | Irv Goodnoff |
| Edited by | Russell Livingstone |
| Distributed by |
Scotti Bros. Pictures Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Live Home Video Lionsgate |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5,000,000 est. |
The Resurrected (also known as The Ancestor and Shatterbrain[1]) is a 1991 American horror film directed by Dan O'Bannon, and starring John Terry, Jane Sibbett, Chris Sarandon and Robert Romanus. It is an adaptation of the H. P. Lovecraft novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Originally intended for a theatrical release, the film had a brief theatrical run before going direct to video in 1992.
Plot
Claire Ward (Sibbett) hires private investigator John March (Terry) to look into the increasingly bizarre activities of her husband Charles Dexter Ward (Sarandon). Ward has become obsessed with the occult practices of raising the dead once used by his ancestor Joseph Curwen (Sarandon in a dual role). As the investigators dig deeper, they discover that Ward is performing a series of grisly experiments in an effort to actually resurrect his long-dead relative Curwen.
Cast
- John Terry as John March
- Jane Sibbett as Claire Ward
- Chris Sarandon as Charles Dexter Ward/Joseph Curwen
- Robert Romanus as Lonnie Peck
Production history
Director O'Bannon and screenwriter Brent V. Friedman had developed the Lovecraft property independently of each other. Friedman's version of the script was titled Shatterbrain. While Friedman receives sole writing credit, O'Bannon did incorporate some of his own ideas into the project.[1] O'Bannon's original title for the film was The Ancestor, which was later changed to The Resurrected after being re-cut and altered by the studio for theatrical release.[1]
Critical reception
In their book Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H. P. Lovecraft, Andrew Migliore and John Strysik write: "The Resurrected is the best serious Lovecraftian screen adaptation to date, with a solid cast, decent script, inventive direction, and excellent special effects that do justice to one of [Lovecraft's] darker tales."[2]
Release
The film was given a short-lived theatrical release on June 1, 1991.[3] It was then released direct to video on April 15, 1992 by Live Home Video in the United States. It was later released on DVD internationally through Metro Goldwyn Mayer in 2003, and in the United States through Lionsgate in 2005.
References
- 1 2 3 Smith, Dan G. (2005). H.P. Lovecraft in Popular Culture: The Works and Their Adaptations in Film, Television, Comics, Music and Games. McFarland. pp. 93–7. ISBN 978-0786420919.
- ↑ Andrew Migliore & John Strysik, Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H. P. Lovecraft, Night Shade Books, February 1, 2006, ISBN 978-1892389350
- ↑ "The Resurrected". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2015-01-31.