Review of The Lazarus Effect (2015) by Brett H — 02 Aug 2015

An unfortunate, by-the-numbers horror/thriller that has a great likable cast and gives them almost nothing to do and the story lets this one down in a major way. The plot is nothing new, but it was confined to an interesting setting and the marketing did a great job selling it as a scary ride; the results were mediocre at best.

Olivia Wilde is great playing multiple stages of her character and I bought her as an opposing force; while the comedic relief from Donald Glover and especially Evan Peters was definitely welcome. It's a shame though that once the conflict kicks in, the cast members are killed off in such quick succession that it's hard to see them as more than cannon-fodder and the kills are PG-13, lameness.

The story is the biggest flaw and you can see every scare coming a mile away, plus the questionable motives of the ending left me more than scratching my head. In summation; it's not god-awful and I had some fun watching it, but it essentially boils down to Flatliners meets Lucy and if you're surprised by any of the scares in the film.

..you really are a novice to horror.