Reanimator Academy: Collector's Edition – Visual Vengeance (Blu-ray)

Release Date: USA, 1992
Director: Judith Priest (Bret McCormick)
Writer: Benton Jennings, Judith Priest (Bret McCormick)
Cast: Steve Westerheit, Connie Speer, Richard Perrin, Benton Jennings, Julian Scott, Sarah Paxton, Tom Fegan, J. Scott Guy, Tricia Anderson, Matt Montano

Release Date: August 25th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 68 Minutes 32 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Interlaced / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $34.95

"The fraternity brothers at Delta Epsilon Delta are your typical red-blooded American party animals, that is except for Edgar Allen Lovecraft. He's locked up in his room trying to cure death and finds a serum that works on the severed head of a recently deceased comedian. When a mafia hood steals the serum to use on his murdered squeeze, her reanimated corpse goes on a campus killing spree—let the corny puns and one-punch decapitations fly!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 1.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Transfer from existing SD tape masters."

Reanimator Academy comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 26.9 GB

Feature: 10.4 GB (Reanimator Academy), 7.4 GB (Children of Dracula)

There is only so much that can be done with the source, which looks rough. That said, image clarity and black levels are never convincing, and colors fluctuate.

Audio: 1.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital stereo mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio lacks depth, and it's a positive that there are English subtitles for this release.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a Visual Vengeance trailer for Reanimator Academy (1 minute 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Bret McCormick Reanimator Academy Q&A at Nitehawk Cinema (15 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Fred the Head interview (4 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Tom Fegan (4 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with composer Greg Synodis titled Brainwaves: Scoring Reanimator Academy (7 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a locations featurette titled Back To School: Reanimator Academy Location Tour (5 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Bret McCormick titled Talking Heads (8 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Reanimator Academy’s 2023 director’s alternate soundtrack cut (68 minutes 32 seconds, 1080 interlaced, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH), an audio commentary with Sam Panico of B&S About Movies and Bill Van Ryn of Drive-In Asylum, a bonus feature film: Children of Dracula (55 minutes 57 seconds, 1080 interlaced, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview for Children of Dracula with Bret McCormick (4 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, original poster art, a 'Stick your own' video store sticker sheet (first pressing only), a folded mini-poster, a video store card (first pressing only), and a limited-edition O-Card slipcover (first pressing only).

Other extras are Visual Vengeance trailers for Highway to Hell, The Abomination, and Repligator.

Summary:

Reanimator Academy: Bret McCormick directed Reanimator Academy, who's known for low-budget cinema like The Abomination and Repligator.

The narrative revolves around a college student named Edgar Allen Lovecraft, who’s created a serum that reanimates the dead. His first experiment is on the severed head of a dead comedian, which he successfully reanimates. From there things spiral out of control when a mafia hood steals the serum and brings a dead hooker back to life who then goes on a killing spree. 

While the film’s title and the name of its protagonist, Edgar Allen Lovecraft, make reference to H.P. Lovecraft, Reanimator Academy’s connection to the literary writings of H.P. Lovecraft is nonexistent. Reanimator Academy is a textbook example of an ultralow-budget horror film that tries to associate itself with a known commodity. The acting is horrible, and the narrative is padded with moments that make it feel longer than it is. Despite attempts at humor, the film consistently fails to deliver.

The genesis of Reanimator Academy can be traced back to David DeCoteau, who served as the film’s executive producer. Looking for work, Bret McCormick reached out to David DeCoteau, who offered him a film and the only requirement was he had to use the title Reanimator Academy. Shot quickly over one weekend on video, Reanimator Academy is not the type of film that one puts on their resume. That said, it is not surprising that the director Bret McCormick used a pseudonym for Reanimator Academy.

Children of Dracula: A documentary about vampires with people who claim to be vampires and it is narrated by Joe Estevez.

Visual Vengeance continues to rescue cinema from obscurity and give it Criterion-like home media releases.

Written by Michael Den Boer