Private investigator John March (John Terry) recounts the closed case of Charles Dexter Ward (Chris Sarandon) starting from 3 weeks ago in Providence. Ward's wife Claire (Jane Sibbett) hires March to investigate her chemical engineer husband and some strange smells. There is a mysterious Dr. Ash. Ward is researching the occult and raising the dead practiced by his ancestor Joseph Curwen.

Dan O'Bannon lacks a visual eye for directing. His legendary status has little to do with that. It's not his strong suit. This looks more like a weak TV movie shot by the second unit. The H.P. Lovecraft story has some potential but the script doesn't add much. The dialog is stale. John Terry is not a particularly good lead. There is nothing scary or too grotesque. The pacing is slow. There is little tension. It's not horrible but it's not good either.

Charles Dexter Ward (Chris Sarandon) has become a little strange lately. Some would say he is not quite himself. A private detective (John Terry) and Ward's wife (Jane Sibbett) try to get to the bottom of things as murders of a very grisly nature begin to occur in Ward's neighborhood.

After watching a few of Stuart Gordon's adaptations of Lovecraft tales, I grew very accustomed to his professional and serious approach. Now we have a Lovecraft classic told by Dan O'Bannon, who (as a director) only offered us one other thing: "Return of the Living Dead". That film is one of the best in horror history, but clearly stamps O'Bannon as a comedic director in my mind. (Yes, he was involved in "Dark Star", "Total Recall", "Alien" and even "Star Wars"... but not as a director.)

The filming techniques in "The Resurrected" mirror those from "Return" and you might recognize the same sorts of shots, particularly the opening reveal of the mansion. Also, the music, which is incredible, seems incongruous at times. It is a very epic music, and when the first body is shown we get what I found to be a very silly chord. (How Richard Band became involved in this project is beyond me, but probably a great story.) The whole idea of the story told from the point of view of a private eye is also really silly if you think about it, but the original story did not leave many options.

The gore is here. Not as much as I would like (though I hear there is an unedited version floating around),but the victims of the "animal attacks" have certainly seen better days and a flashback to the old days features a very nice creature that could have been Belial's brother.

The actors are great, the story well done... I would recommend this movie to others. Now, it is not the best Lovecraft movie (Stuart Gordon still holds the distinction of best adapter) and not the best O'Bannon film. And there were scenes I think could have been better and other parts I think could have been cropped to improve the pace. But you will not curse my children after seeing it, I promise...

Classy, worried Claire Ward (the lovely Jane Sibbett) hires smooth private detective John March (the likable John Terry) to find out what her secretive, obsessive husband Charles Dexter Ward (a typically fine, intense and gripping portrayal by the always reliable Chris Sarandon) has been doing in a remote woodland farmhouse he's secluded himself in. The pair discover much to their horror and dismay that Ward has found the key to immortality, which naturally comes at a truly terrible price. Director Dan ("The Return of the Living Dead") O'Bannon, working from an intricate and intelligent script by Brent V. Friedman (said script is based on a H.P. Lovecraft short story),deftly creates and sustains an arrestingly eerie and mysterious mood, keeps the pace plugging along at a steady clip, and coaxes solid performances from a sturdy cast (Robert Romanus in particular is very engaging as March's wiseguy partner Lonnie). Moreover, Irv Goodnoff's glossy, graceful cinematography, Richard ("Re-Animator") Band's soaring, supremely spooky score, and Todd Masters' wonderfully grotesque creature f/x are all up to par as well. The film reaches its marvelously clammy, creepy and claustrophobic nerve-wracking zenith when March, Claire and Lonnie venture into the farmhouse basement and encounter the ghastly mistakes of Ward's previous failed experiments. Best of all, the grimly serious tone, judicious use of gore and monster effects, and gradual build-up towards a startling climax ensure that this feature works remarkably well as one hell of a fiercely unsettling scarefest. An excellent and unjustly overlooked sleeper.