Joseph Morgan & Katie Cassidy First Look In ‘Herbert West: Reanimator’

EXCLUSIVE: Below are your first look images of stars Joseph Morgan (Vampire Diaries) and Katie Cassidy (Arrow) in the contemporary reimagining of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story Herbert West: Reanimator.

We first told you about the movie of the same name last year and it has now gone into production in Alton, Illinois.

Morgan, also known for The Originals and Titans, will play “brilliant surgeon and scientist Herbert West (Morgan), who is obsessed with creating a serum to reanimate the dead. When a pathologist (Cassidy) with a troubled past joins his efforts, they prove that conquering death may be the ultimate sin against life itself.”

Both Morgan and Cassidy will also serve as executive producers alongside producer Jeff Lewis. of Woodlake Entertainment, which is financing. The original screenplay and storyline comes from Jade Sandberg Wallace.

Michael Grossman is directing. Supporting cast includes Scott Aiello, Ira J Amyx, Randall Newsome, Emma Reinagal, James D. Bryce, Kathryn A Bentley, Jack Lancaster, Amy Holland Pennell, John Pierson, Mindy Shaw, Eric Dean White, Tristan Wilder Hallet, Adrienne Lamping, Aaron Crippen, and Drew Patterson.

The film’s extended synopsis reads: “As a child, Herbert West watches his father Peter reanimate his dead mother Judith in a secret basement lab — only for Judith to mortally wound Peter and nearly kill Herbert before Peter shoots her. The trauma leaves its mark on Herbert, but so does one final image: his mother’s finger, twitching after death. Thirty years later, Herbert West is a brilliant, secretive surgeon still chasing his father’s obsession. Pathologist Kate Locke arrives in town and is drawn into his orbit — first through a spark at a hospital fundraiser, then through his secret lab, where he reveals a serum capable of reanimating severed tissue. Kate, hiding a dark past of her own, is thrilled rather than horrified, and moves into West’s mansion to work alongside him. Their early experiments on a cadaver succeed only briefly. West concludes that dead tissue is the problem — they need something fresher.”

The 1922 short story was adapted into a cult genre movie in 1985, starring Jeffrey Combs and directed by Stuart Gordon.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010) and Arrow actress Cassidy said: “I am excited to step back into this genre. It’s been awhile since I have done horror. I loved the original film and this has a dark twist, which I am excited to sink my teeth into.”

Morgan added: “I’m beyond excited to be taking on the role of Herbert West, a man inspired by the mysteries of life, obsessed with conquering death, and haunted by the consequences of his own ambition. Inhabiting this emotionally complex character is truly one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Alongside the undeniable creative satisfaction I’m discovering every day on set, it’s also turning out to be a hell of a lot of fun.”