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HERBERT WEST - REANIMATOR |
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 Herbert West
was one of writer H. P. Lovecraft's most memorable characters, beginning
in his short
story "Herbert West - Reanimator". While attending Miskatonic
University, he became obsessed with the idea of overcoming
death through science,
and developed a special reagent that he injected
into the bodies of the recently deceased, causing the body to return to
life. Well sort of, the reanimated bodies possessed only basic
intelligence and were very violent in nature.
The 1985 Re-Animator movie starring Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West is
definitely a cult classic, along with its two sequels, Bride of
Re-Animator and Beyond Re-Animator. We highly recommend the "Reanimator"
movies, but be warned, they are quite gory.
Herbert West has a very
good head on his shoulders
and another one in a dish on his desk!
Putting together your own Herbert West
Halloween costume is pretty easy and anyone familiar with the character
is sure to be impressed.
Lab Coat and Clothing
 A
lab coat instantly associates the wearer with the medical or science
industry. Lab coats can be purchased at your local medical supply store
or online. They usually cost under twenty dollars.
Under the lab coat, Herbert usually wore a
white, long sleeve dress shirt, a black tie and black trousers. You can
blood stain the shirt and lab coat by...
Herbert wore rather plain glasses. If you
don't wear glasses yourself, you can buy a pair of non-prescription costume glasses
at a costume store. Add
a costume stethoscope and you are all set.
Name Tag
 Finally,
you can have an inexpensive plastic name tag made at your local trophy or print shop
that reads:
Herbert West - Miskatonic University
Reagent Syringe
 There
are a few different fake costume syringes on the market, but we really
didn't like any of them. We decided to use a "Marinade Injector" for our
reanimation syringe. Marinade Injector's are used for injecting marinade
sauce into meat and can be found in the cooking accessories section at
most department stores. A mini (1.5") green glow stick will fit inside
one of these to make it glow. Add a little bit of corn starch to turn
the water translucent. Caution -
Remove the injector needle! The
needle on these are very sharp and could be a danger to you and others
if left on. Again, remove it! Make a plastic ne using the spray end from
a can of canned air.
 Reagent Bottle
For the notorious bottle of reagent, we used a translucent plastic oval
shaped travel bottle. These can be found in department and discount
stores. To make it glow greenish-yellow like in the movie, bend a small (4") green glow
stick just enough to start it glowing and drop it in the bottle. Fill the bottle with water and
add around half a teaspoon of corn starch to make the water translucent. Be sure to
screw the cap on tight enough so that it does not leak. You will want to
carry a few extra of each size glow sticks with you just in case you
need to recharge the bottle or syringe.
Doctors Bag
 While
most can not afford a real leather Doctor's bag, there are a few more
economical bags that will work just fine. First, you can search at your
local thrift stores for a black leather satchel. If you cannot find one,
then an inexpensive nylon or simulated leather carry-on bag will do.
Just make sure that the bag is large enough to accommodate a severed head...
Severed Head
 Being
a reanimator means more than wearing a lab coat. You will probably
develop a deranged desire to carry a severed head around with
you in your doctor's bag. After all, you'll want to show off your handy
work on Halloween night.
Life size severed head props like the one shown
to the right can be found at most Halloween stores or online. This one
is made from foam filled latex and cost around thirty-five dollars.
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