Star Trek Fan-Favorite Jeffrey Combs Starred In His Own Cult Sci-Fi Horror Franchise

Jeffrey Combs is known to sci-fi fans for his work in the "Star Trek" franchise, where he's played characters like Brunt and Shran across various shows. However, H.P. Lovecraft enthusiasts know him as Dr. Herbert West, the star of the "Re-Animator" film series, which was derived from Lovecraft's 1922 short story titled "Herbert West–Reanimator." The actor portrayed the character in all three films — 1985's "Re-Animator," 1990's "Bride of Re-Animator," and 2003's "Beyond Re-Animator" — and they remain pinnacles of his long-lasting career.

In the movies, Combs' character is a mad scientist who will stop at nothing to find a cure for death. This results in a bunch of reanimated corpses who don't play nice, and West's exploits take him from university campuses to war zones to prison. The flicks are essentially a play on the Frankenstein formula, albeit more maniacal, twisted, and hilarious.

Roger Ebert was a fan of "Re-Animator," which might surprise people who are familiar with the legendary film critic's distaste for splatter movies. Still, Ebert couldn't even deny the film's dark wit and inventive qualities, which have made it a cult classic among sci-fi and horror buffs. The sequels didn't enjoy the same levels of success, but they still deliver the goods in their own way. Be that as it may, how does Combs feel about being part of the low-budget saga?

Jeffrey Combs feels grateful to be known for "Re-Animator" and other sci-fi projects. However, he believes that it's both a blessing and a curse. Like most actors, he wants to be known for works spanning all genres, but he feels that he's been typecast as a result of becoming known for "Re-Animator" and likeminded fare.

"They don't want to view you as being particularly versatile. They just want you to do that thing you did before. It perpetuates itself," he told AV Club. "So a long time ago, I just told myself I'd just turn everything, even if it's all stuck in a particular genre, I'd try to expand people's perception of me by what I did within the framework I've got going."

Combs re-teamed with original "Re-Animator" director Stuart Gordon for the 1986 film "From Beyond," another Lovecraft adaptation and one of the best '80s sci-fi movies you've probably never watched. Combs later portrayed Lovecraft in 1993's cult favorite "Necronomicon," and he voiced various characters in the animated films "Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom" and "Howard Lovecraft and the Kingdom of Madness," though neither as Lovecraft nor as his original Dr. West character.