The notorious case of Dr. Herbert West -- the so-called "Re-Animator" -- was quickly covered up by Federal and Massachusetts officials. Officially, Dr. West was killed in a random act of violence and the government swooped in on his estate to confiscate material related to US Government research the doctor had been conducting intermittantly for decades.
But Dr. West, a graduate of Miskatonic University, was whispered about by his neighbors for years afterward. His strange fascination with Dr. Victor von Frankenstein of Ingolstadt had been well-known among his classmates. They simply had no clue how far he'd taken his hero-worship. They thought the warnings provided by Mary Shelley's fictionalized account were clear enough for any medical professional.
So with rumors swirling throughout small-town Massachusetts, and the active medical alumni of the MU Medical School, it really shouldn't have been a surprise when the writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft looked into the reports, discovered the abundant evidence, and published his own fictionalized account of Dr. West's activities. He was only able to get away with releasing the tale because the US Government pressured serious news outlets not to carry the story. Only the pulp magazines would deal with H.P. Lovecraft's bizarre stories. So Dr. West's hideous, foul crimes were hidden among equally lurid tales of horror, terror, and high weirdness.
In 1985, a brave film maker released a version of Dr. West's tragic and horrific career. He had no budget, and his talent at writing dialogue was negligible. But the movie was made anyway. You can view the trailer above.
Note: Dr. West's crimes were terrible, violent, and unspeakable. The movie did not shrink from depicting them in all their unnaturalness. The preview may not be suitable for younger viewers.
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