The Rejuvenator (1988) User Reviews (18)

An entertaining change for a horror film

[Tikkin · 6/10 · 26 May 2006]

Rejuvenatrix isn't really a proper horror film in my eyes, but it makes a nice change from the norm and is entertaining throughout. The story involves an old wealthy woman who wants to be young again, and is investing vast amounts of money in a "serum" that will make her young. She gets her wish, but the catch is that after the serum wears off, she is transformed into an old hag with a taste for blood. There are some respectable gore scenes such as a woman's brain being pulled from her head, and a nurse splattered against a wall. But the tone of Rejuvenatrix is different from a slasher film so these scenes don't seem as cool as they normally would. Still this is thoroughly entertaining, it never really gets boring, and there's some decent gore - what more can you ask for? It also provides some interesting views on the debate of 'growing old gracefully'.

I wouldn't recommend this to slasher fans, but those who love all styles of horror film should enjoy it.

B-movie body horror.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 23 July 2022]

Looking for a way to regain her youth, wealthy actress Elizabeth Warren (Vivian Lanko) funds the work of scientist Dr. Gregory Ashton (John MacKay), who is experimenting with a serum derived from human brains designed to reverse the aging process. Unwilling to wait any longer, Elizabeth demands that Gregory uses her as a human guinea pig, and in age-old B-movie horror tradition, things go horribly wrong: the operation initially appears to be a success, winding back the years for ecstatic Elizabeth (who thanks her doctor by taking him to bed), but the patient inevitably suffers relapses, transforming into a hideous monster between injections. While Gregory tries to create a synthetic alternative to his serum, the mutated actress develops a taste for human brains.

Rejuvenatrix (AKA The Rejuvenator) reminded me a little of Cronenberg's The Fly, Elizabeth mutating as the result of scientific experimentation, eventually becoming a monster. There's even an attempt to make her sympathetic towards the end, the actress begging for Gregory to end her torment (it doesn't quite convince, since she has just torn the brain out of the most likeable character in the movie, Gregory's assistant Stella, played by Katell Pleven).

Of course, being extremely low budget, this one doesn't come close to matching The Fly in terms of storytelling, acting or sheer horror, but it still offers a delightfully gloopy good time for fans of hokey B-movies. Special make-up effects maestro Ed French delivers some impressive work, using bladder effects and lots of KY to transform Lanko into a seriously ugly monster, with extended claws, a misshapen cranium and fangs. The gore is rather light for much of the time, but is ladled on for the final act, when Elizabeth goes on the rampage, pulling off a security guard's head, plunging her hands though a hospital porter's torso and slashing a nurse with those talons. There's also a really fun melt effect when Gregory finally puts his patient out of her misery by injecting her with a corrosive liquid.

A good horror movie in my opinion.

[willywants · 30 January 2004]

A rich actress who has gotten too old for leading roles employs a scientist who is working on a formula for eternal youth. The formula involves withdrawing certain fluids from the human brain. She takes the serum, but its unforseen side effects turn her into a murderous monster. Brian Thomas Jone's "The rejuvenator" is a surprisingly gory and ambitious horror outing, with a ambitious plot and some excellent make-up effects. Granted, it lacked down-to-Earth characters, but if you liked films like "Society" and "Re-animator", the The Rejuvenator may be up your alley. The final transformation sequence is astounding!

Leech Woman redux, flavored with ham

[Andy Sandfoss · 1/10 · 5 January 2007]

The comments posted for this film so far are rather confusing to me. I thought I had already seen "Rejuvenatrix". It was immediately and consistently trashy, bordering on the comic. Yet the other reviewers seem to have watched a different film that may have had vague plot similarities but may have been a good film in their eyes. I'm joking of course. I'm perfectly well aware of what I have seen. It is lying around my film consciousness, shoved somewhere between "The Leech Woman" and "Sunset Boulevard". In fact if you put those two movies in a blender together, covered them with catsup, and pushed the "puree" button, you'd get a reasonably good facsimile of "Rejuvenatrix". Oh, and you better put about a pound of ham in the blender too, so people can get the overall flavor of the acting in this trashy mediocrity. It's just another 80's car wreck of a horror film - nothing' to see here, folks, move along.....

Brief immortality ..........

[merklekranz · 7/10 · 23 November 2013]

"Rejuvenator" is a fresh spin on the immortality theme. Aging actress, Vivian Lanko, puts the squeeze on a doctor, John McKay, who's rejuvenation experiments she is funding. Pressed to use the youth serum he is developing before it is perfected, he injects Lanko with disastrous results. This fountain of youth story flows nicely, the script includes interesting characters, and touches of dark humor. The make up effects are especially interesting, and the whole production has class not usually associated with the horror genre. Fans of "Re-Animator" should seek out this impressive, similar film. .............. - MERK

Lively

[mindyannfraizer · 7/10 · 25 April 2022]

An aging actress employs a scientist to make her younger and it comes with drastic side effects. Whenever the potion wears off, she turns into a monster and needs human blood to rejuvenate. It's a fun concept that well executed with excellent special effects.

A brain fluid fountain of youth!

[The_Void · 8/10 · 1 December 2006]

Wow! I honestly can't believe that I'd never heard of this excellent little eighties horror film! How The Rejuvenator has managed to stay undiscovered all these years is anyone's guess, as this entertaining mix of splatter and Sunset Blvd does what it says on the tin, and then some! Science and the human body give way to all kinds of horrific horror scenarios - from the constant attempts to rebuild a face in the French classic Eyes Without a Face, to the teleporting disasters in The Fly, you can usually count on an intriguing, and frightening, film if it's based on something scientific. The plot here focuses on actress Elizabeth Warren; she's now too old for the good roles, and like most women, wants to recapture her youth. Unlike most women, however, she's prepared to go that extra mile to realise her dream, and she employs Dr. Gregory Ashton to make her young again. He discovers something in the brain that affects the aging process, and soon performs his experiment on her. But it has unforeseen side effects, and pretty soon Elizabeth begins regenerating into a hideous brain eating monster!

Given that it's an eighties horror film, you've got to expect rather a lot of silliness and tacky special effects, which the film has in droves; but it has to be said that the plot is carried off really well, and despite being cheap and nasty, the special effects fit the film and are a hell of a lot more believable than the CGI that would infect The Rejuvenator if it were made nowadays. The characters aren't exactly well defined, but a film like this needs the audience to care at least somewhat for them otherwise the story won't hold any weight, and director Brian Thomas Jones obviously knows that as he ensures that the situation feels as real as possible. The acting isn't bad, and sees Vivian Lanko doing well in the double central role, and while John MacKay doesn't exactly convince as a genius doctor - he's at least fun to watch, and the two have some chemistry together. The film is interesting throughout, and while there's no out and out standout moments, there's enough going on for it to remain interesting. Overall, The Rejuvenator might not appeal to everyone, but if you like your eighties horror cheesy and imaginative - I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this!

Creative Horror Tale

[bettyconway · 7/10 · 15 March 2022]

So many 80's horror films that were made mostly for the video market have been unfairly thrown aside in the 30+ years since they were released and many of them have a lot of creativity that deserves to be seen by a new audience. The Rejuvenator is one of those lost films that still has the capacity to entertain.

A doctor has been working on an anti-aging serum forever, but he hasn't been working fast enough to please one of his biggest financial benefactors - an aging actress whose career could use a refreshing. Even though he's nervous about it, he agrees to shoot her up with the serum, telling her all the risks and that she'll need multiple doses of the serum or else the entire thing will reverse. The only problem is that he needs human brain tissue to make more serum and he's running out of cadavers.

The special makeup effects are top notch, the performances are spirited with just enough camp appeal given the subject matter, and the script is smarter and better written that other films of this type and budget. This is a film that could benefit from a new Blu-Ray release.

Jekyll and Hyde type tale in which a female keeps changing into a hideous monster with an urge to kill

[Chris-368 · 17 January 1999]

Would you risk everything to be young again? Would you willingly be a guinea pig in an experiment to reverse ageing? Juvenatix's answer to this is yes. And the result is a Jekyll and Hyde type tale where the guinea pig in question keeps changing from a young female into a hideous monster with an urge to kill. The special effects in this movie are well worth seeing , especially the part were she transforms for the last time. Lowlight : Attractive lab assistant gets the top of her skull knocked off.

The Young and the Reckless Brain Munchers

[Coventry · 7/10 · 21 July 2009]

Undeservedly obscure and little-known 80's horror/splatter fest, more or less in the same vein as Stuart Gordon's "Re-Animator" and "From Beyond" (albeit a little less outrageous) and boosting a basic premise that might as well could have been thought up by David Cronenberg, "The Rejuvenator" truly is a hidden gem of the horror genre! There existed quite a number of movies on the topic of rejuvenation already (like "The Leech Woman" and "Twice-Told Tales"), but this is a late 80's horror flick and thus the only one with copious amounts of tacky special effects, perverted insinuations and completely demented sub plots. Obnoxious and wealthy actress Ruth Warren doesn't accept the natural ageing process and thus sponsors Dr. Gregory Ashton's unorthodox research to obtain eternal youth. She also insists on being the first human guinea pig even though the serum isn't ready yet and possibly contains a lot of horrible side effects. Initially the medicine works wondrously and Ruth becomes her younger alter ego Elisabeth, but the effects don't last and she regularly transforms back into an old witch- type monster that is uglier than her elderly self could ever be. She can only regain her youthful beauty through taking severe doses of the serum again. But the serum is extracted from human brains and, as usual, brain fluids extracted from living specimen are a lot more efficient than that of cadavers… There are also lesser significant sub plots about Ruth's obsessive butler, mutated rat species running loose in the laboratory and fellow doctors trying to boycott Dr. Ashton's life-work, so you definitely won't be bored! The transformation sequences obviously form the brilliantly horrific highlights of "The Rejuvenator". When the effects of the serum wear out, Elizabeth changes into a gooey monster with an incredibly over-sized brain and eerie claws, and she literally scalps her unfortunate victims in order to suck out their brains. The special effects and make-up are nauseating but surprisingly well- conceived in spite of the obvious low-budget production values. The witty script holds a few neat twists in store for near the end and the climax is terrific. This was the first film of director/co-writer Brian Thomas Jones and, strangely enough, his only accomplishment that is worth mentioning. Jones clearly had talent, but he never did anything significant anymore after this.

Did you like it Doctor? Yes I did Doctor.

[Greenzombidog · 7/10 · 16 July 2013]

This is an 80's movie which mixes the Jekyll and Hyde story with the body horror sub genre that was popular at the time of this movies release. An aged actress desperate to maintain her youth has been funding a scientist who has been trying to create a serum to reverse the ageing process. Well the acting granny has gotten bored with waiting and demands he tests his serum on her. Had she seen the doctors collection of deformed lab rats she may have reconsidered. Well the serum works for a while but then her head gets big and pulsating. He tries to rectify it but obviously it doesn't work out, cue blood and gore.

I really like this movie. It has great old school prosthetic effects some pretty cool music and acting that's not that bad. It has a few of those odd things that make a movie memorable like the night watch man who has the voice of a cartoon character, the fact all the scientists constantly refer to each other as doctor In every conversation. Also nearly everyone in this film has a secret crush on someone. The main woman when she starts transforming nearly always does a really dramatic spin either away from the camera or towards it with her hands in a startled pose. I find these sort of things endearing in a movie and they make it more likable despite its obvious short comings.

If you like these 80's horrors this is definitely worth seeking out and the end gore sequence is just brilliant.

Pretty good horror film with plenty of splatter.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 9/10 · 17 December 2001]

"Rejuvenatrix" by Brian Thomas Jones positively surprised me.It's quite original,well-directed and acted and there are some great gore scenes like brain eating etc.The photography is pure class,and the special effects made by Edward French are excellent.The transformations scenes really made me squirm.And yes,the film is quite gory,but not just plain gory-vividly gory.All in all I really liked "Rejuvenatrix" and I'm glad that I have it on VHS.Highly recommended,if you are a fan of gruesome horror movies.The plot is as follows:a rich old actress wants to be young again,so she takes a serum which turns her into hideous monster with an urge to kill.

The Rejuvenator.

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 9 April 2009]

A wealthy, self-absorbed, withering actress, Ruth Warren(Jessica Dublin) demands to be a guinea pig in an ongoing series of experiments she's been funding for three years. Dr. Gregory Ashton(John MacKay)has almost perfected a serum which can reverse the aging process, but still hasn't quite succeeded at synthesizing it without the need for cadavers' brain fluid. This breakthrough would provide Ruth with the youth that she desires, tiring of being stuck in an old body, longing to be beautiful again. Despite his warnings, Ruth insists on taking the serum, and Ashton reluctantly agrees..shortly afterward, the results are staggering. Looking as she did in her younger days, Ruth, now taking the alias of Elizabeth(Vivian Lanko), wishes to celebrate her new found freedom, but a price comes with this..the serum's not perfected and Elizabeth's body suffers monstrous side effects. Needing more and more of the serum to return to her human form, Elizabeth is building a tolerance and Ashton is running out of brain fluid needed to keep her from turning into a hideous carnivorous beast.

Superb ghastly monster design make-up enhances this Mad Scientist movie. The film has familiar traits that identify with other sci-fi horror films of the past in that a scientist will do whatever it takes to succeed, accepting bodies for his experiments without knowing how they were retrieved. After he discovers what Elizabeth has done, killing innocent victims for their brains, Ashton still forges ahead despite the fact that he understands what kind of monster he has created. Brian Thomas Jones(..also the director)and Simon Nuchtern develop back stories for their small cast..we see how each character longs for another. Elizabeth(..when young, beautiful, and full of life)devours men, and embraces night on the town, enjoying her supposed new lease on life. She's a selfish creature who is willing to commit murder in order to retain this youth she's been given, and Ashton struggles endlessly to discover that key element needed to perfect his breakthrough, knowing that if he doesn't, Elizabeth will continue to destroy innocent lives. Katell Pleven is Ashton's loyal, hard-working assistant, Dr. Stella Stone, who's in love with him. Her contributions have lent a great deal to Ashton's work, helping him strive to succeed while Dr. Germaine(Marcus Powell), a colleague of Gregory's father's, wishes for his experiments to cease..Germaine considers him an unethical scientist whose unorthodox theories are a threat to the medical community and will attempt to stop him in any way possible. James Hogue is Elizabeth's long-time butler, Wilhelm, who loves her with all his heart, and doggedly remains by her side, no matter what. While Elizabeth and Ashton have an affair, Stella and Wilhelm yearn for it to end(..the filmmakers establish fantasies where Stella and Wilhelm dream of embracing Gregory and Elizabeth).

But, these little stories serve as minor back ground to supply characterization within a monster movie where a creature kills to remain lovely and young while the scientist who made this happen suffers to solve the crisis, with a bureaucrat breathing down his neck, trying to find something to incriminate him. What Ashton doesn't know is that his security guard, Tony(Louis Homyak)is spying for Germaine, and this will cost both men dearly. Features some potent graphic violence as the monster goes on a rampage, removing brains from the heads of victims, when she isn't killing those who get in her way. As in most films regarding "dangerous" science, the scientist ultimately pays the price for attempting to alter with the life cycle as it has been, and those involved suffer the consequences as well. This was a nice surprise, thanks to an internet pal, I had the opportunity to see it. Yet another science fiction sleeper worth pursuing in the 80's which deals with the effects of attempting to change the way life works..the scientist and his patient, both hellbent on accomplishing the impossible, pursuing the seemingly unattainable achievement.

Gory tale about science gone wrong

[joseangeles · 8/10 · 6 July 2007]

A washed up actress resorts to eating the brains of a few unfortunate people who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. She does this to stop from mutating into a gruesome creature. She became a creature in the first place because of an experiment to regain her youth gone wrong. Apparently brains contain something that can transform her back to normal. Seems like a b-movie with a convenient set-up to show off some splatter but the story is actually full of rich character development and a strong tragic story. It plays out like a compelling "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" type drama that lectures on the ethics of science and how money can't buy back time. There's a pretty good amount of gore and blood with the brain eating violence and also with the slimy and gooey ending that looks like something out of the movie "Society" which had surreal special effects.

Old Woman Becomes Young Monster

[horror7777 · 30 August 2001]

(Includes spoilers) Yup, that's the plot. A rich old woman wants to become young again. So she takes a serum to make her young again, even though the doctor warns her that it's not been tested yet. THE REJUVENATOR really isn't a bad film, but it's ruined by silly acting. Variety was right. The film does have elaborate (to say the least) make up effects but it lacks down to Earth characters. I hardly felt for the old woman after her many transformations. But still it's a fun effort to keep slasher films going. **out of****For a mostly fun ride. Most hardcore horror fans should be at least mildly entertained.

A guilty pleasure gem in the vein of lovecraft's re-animator

[steve-lenda · 9/10 · 28 December 2005]

The movie has all the elements of a classic horror flick which tetter-totters into the realm of a cult classic! The actor John Mackay who plays Dr. Gregory Ashton is a gifted actor whose obvious stellar acting talents, unfortunately, were never quite tapped. He really sets the stage through his determination, frustration and burning of the midnight oil to generate the elixir of regenerated youth. Dr. Germaine is the thorn in Dr. Gregory Ashton's side in his unrelenting pursuit of this scientific breakthrough! The movie in a nutshell plays out where an aging movie actress desires to reassume the beauty and fame she had in her younger years and Dr. Ashton's sole purpose of his research is to make her wishes come true. Now once, he makes her youthful again and wants to publish his findings she uses her new sensuality to keep him quiet through seductive measures. Next, now this goes out to anybody out there-Does anybody have any music or even heard of the Poison Dolly's female metal band that performs in the movie? All in all, if it had a bigger budget or was remade today with the movie industries newer special effects technology and so forth it might grab a wider audience. I titled this review with a nod toward Lovecraft's work of Herbert West-Reanimator which by the way was a movie based on that work from the 80's!

Practical effects heaven

[pedromorenospbr · 9/10 · 11 October 2018]

Rejuvenator is one of those 80's movies that is just a total joy to watch. It is low budget, but nicely directed, the actors are not all bad, lighting is good, and the practical special effects are amazing. The only thing that could be better in this film is direct sound. It was captured very poorly, and dialogue is hard to follow at times. Other than that, it is prime VHS material.

It tells the story of a scientist working on a rejuvenating serum that is extracted from dead human brain. He is funded by an aging actress, who is in a hurry to become young again, and you can tell where this is going.

This was probably made to tag along the success of Re-Animator, but it stands well on its own, and I wish it had had at least one sequel. I highly recommend it for horror movie night! It is rated R, but I doubt kids these days would be scared by it.

Well-done, old-fashioned horror

[lor_ · 26 March 2023]

"The Rejuvenator" is a pleasantly old-fashioned horror film, while still integrating today's requisite dose of elaborate makeup effects and gore. It is variously known as "Rejuvenatrix" (title displayed on print) and for foreign markets, "Juvenatrix".

Premise is the old reliable use of a woman seeking to regain her youth: former movie star Ruth Warren (Jessica Dublin), who funds the research of Dr. Gregory Ashton (John MacKay). He discovers the part of the brain controlling aging, and via lab experiments with rats, comes up with a serum to reverse the aging process.

Warren eagerly volunteers to act as a human guinea pig and is turned into her younger self (actress Vivian Lanko taking over the role in second reel), dubbing herself Elizabeth Warren, her own fictitious niece. Problem is that she turns into a hideous monster, requiring increasing dosages of the serum to be brought back to normal youth.

Ashton breaks the law to acquire numerous cadavers to prepare the serum, derived from human brains. In her monstrous state, Warren takes to killing innocents in order to survive, ultimately discovering how to get the same rejuvenation effect directly from a victim's brain (for lunch) without resorting to the doc's serum. He eventually develops a synthetic serum but by then it is too late.

Low-budgeter works because it is played absolutely straight, with campy elements, such as the obvious references to "Sunset Blvd." (Warren even has a Stroheim-like butler from the old days), allowed to blossom unforced. Adroit casting has Jessica Dublin and Vivian Lanko physically matched in the central role, each playing it in an appropriately florid and meanie manner. John MacKay and the Sandy Dennis-like Katell Pleven as his assistant are utterly earnest and believable as the scientists, while James Hogue plays Warren's butler/former lover with panache.

Highlight of the production is Edward French's elaborate makeup effects, moving from the routine expanding bladders under the skin to an original design of Medusa-like proportions as her head expands to monster scale. Tightly directed by Brian Thomas Jones, pic is designed to appeal to B-movie connoisseurs who can tolerate the explicit violence of contemporary horror efforts.