H.P. Lovecraft’s ‘Herbert West: Reanimator’ Begins Shooting in June
The dead will soon rise in Alton, Illinois, as the town is about to become the backdrop for a new adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s Herbert West: Reanimator.
According to The Telegraph, cousins Roger Lewis and Jeff Lewis are set to begin filming the horror feature this June via their newly launched production banner Woodlake Entertainment.
While we don’t have any plot details at this time, Lovecraft’s story involves a medical student who develops a serum that can revive the dead…with terrible results, of course.
The filmmakers intend to keep as much of the production rooted in Alton as possible.
Explained Roger Lewis, “A year or so ago, we established a movie production firm called Woodlake Entertainment with the intention of producing films and keeping them as much in Alton as possible”.
Jeff Lewis brings decades of Hollywood experience to the production, including six Primetime Emmy nominations for makeup work and nearly a decade working on Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise.
The filmmakers teased that recognizable actors may soon be appearing around town, as well.
Said Roger Lewis, “I firmly believe that you will see actors in town that you know exactly who they are”.
The production already has ties to legendary actor Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Star Trek Generations) as well as two writers behind The Haunting in Connecticut.
After visiting Alton months earlier, the writers reportedly decided to rewrite their project to specifically take place in Alton rather than a fictional town.
“We are keeping everything based in Alton,” said Jeff Lewis. “We are using the actual name, and a lot of businesses have been mentioned in the script so far.”
The production also plans to heavily involve local residents as background performers.
Added Jeff Lewis, “If anybody wants to be in the movie, just let us know. We are hoping that people will come out and watch and be a part.”
Of course, this won’t be the first take on the classic Lovecraft story. Stuart Gordon adapted the tale in 1985 with Re-Animator, starring Jeffrey Combs (The Frighteners) as Herbert West, Barbara Crampton (From Beyond) and Bruce Abbott (Bride of Re-Animator). Brian Yuzna, who produced the original and directed the third film in the series, Beyond Re-Animator, has been trying to get another sequel off the ground for years. From what we can tell, though, he has no attachment to this version.
Stay tuned to Dread for more details as we learn them.
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