Herbert West — Reanimator
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!
Get it now!Props
To enhance your listening pleasure, the HPLHS has packed the jewel case for Herbert West—Reanimator with carefully created props that expand the world of the story. You'll have
Track Listing
1. Opening 2:40
2. From the Dark 14:12
3. The Plague Demon 15:31
4. Six Shots by Midnight 11:00
5. The Scream of the Dead 6:18
6. The Horror from the Shadows 10:12
7. The Tomb Legions 6:48
8. Closing 1:54
Bonus track 1:18
Total Runtime 69:53
Cast and Crew
Aidan Branney...Darrell, Soldier
Sean Branney...Gordon Stuart
Kacey Camp...Harriet Bacon, Mrs. Kelly
Mark Colson...Phineas Bacon
Dan Conroy...Erskine Blackwell, Kid O'Brien, Mr. Conroy
Andrew Leman...Herbert West
Barry Lynch...Hiram Taft, Policeman
David Pavao...Mr. Salamon, Phil, Leavitt, Newsreader
Kevin Stidham...Jeffrey, Wojochowski, Clapham-Lee, Medic
Josh Thoemke...Announcer
Sarah Van der Pol...Newsboy, Nurse Ritz
Time Winters...Allan Halsey, M.D., Mayor Peabody, Kaminski
Scott Barber, John Bladek, Dee Calhoun, David G. Cercone II, Mike Dalager, Matt Foyer, Jess Gulbranson, Martin Holt, Catherine Jones, Thomas Nicol, Tobias Nilsson, Eric Ohrt, Sam Francis Page, Mike Testerman, Tom Woodger, & Jim Vincent....Students, Workers, Soldiers, Zombies
Based on the story by H. P. Lovecraft
Radio adaptation by Sean Branney and Andrew Leman
Original music by Reber Clark
Dark Adventure Theme by Troy Sterling Nies
"Onward Miskatonic" by Reber Clark and Andrew Leman
"Rock of Ages" by Augustus Toplady and Thomas Hastings
"Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" by Victor Herbert
"Over There" by George M. Cohan
"Onward Miskatonic" Bonus Track arranged by Reber Clark; sung by Mike Dalager, Andrew Leman & Sam Francis Page
Audio engineering by Chris Horvath
Cover, disc, and West notebook illustrations by Darrell Tutchton
Bonus props by Andrew Leman and Sean Branney
Technical Advisors: Hannah Rose Greenberg and Ken Baldwin, Ph.D.
Thanks to Arlene Doucette of the Canadian War Museum
Produced by Sean Branney and Andrew Leman
Script, Liner Notes & More
Poor Dr. Halsey ended up in Sefton Asylum. Now you too can share that fate, at least on paper, with our Insanity Certificates. Choose either Sefton Asylum or Arkham Asylum for the Insane.
For your enjoyment, we present free PDF downloads of the final recording script and liner notes of Herbert West—Reanimator. Note: this script is only for use for reading along with Dark Adventure Radio Theatre; no performance of the script may be made without written consent of the HPLHS.
