The Lazarus Effect (2015)

Well, it's not terribly original with some obvious connections with Frankenstein and other horror films of that type but I enjoyed it overall. It was quite scary in places and even though the scares were quite contrived for the most part, it did make me jump at times. The special effects were quite well done but could have been expanded a bit more. I gave it 3 1/2 stars.

**The Lazarus Effect showed some promise but couldn’t decide what to do once the horror began.**
The Lazarus Effect had a decent premise - scientists attempting to discover a method to resurrect the recently deceased are forced to test their new experimental treatment on one of their team after she dies in an accident. Only she doesn’t come back the same. She returns sinister, malevolent, and murderous. That concept with a production company like Blumhouse and a cast boasting Olivia Wilde, Donald Glover, and Evan Peters made me think this had to be a solid horror flick. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my hopes. The writers of Lazarus Effect couldn’t decide the rules for their own movie. Is evil Zoe battling with the darkness trying to take over, or just evil? Is she superpowered? Is she demonic? Is she preying on the others or just twisted? The script never seemed to figure out what they wanted the character to be. With Zoe being the central focus and character, the failure to solidify and develop her character sunk the rest of the film. Still not the worst. I liked the open ending with the terror multiplying for a potential sequel, but with a mediocre response to this film, a sequel will never happen. The Lazarus Effect doomed itself never to be resurrected.