Herbet West is the main protagonist (though his behaviors nearly establish him as a false antagonist) of the 1985 sci-fi, horror film RE-ANIMATOR.
Played by Jeffery Combs, who is known for his roles in various Star Trek materials, Herbert West is snarky, driven, and intelligent scientist focused on the human brain and "brain death." We are first introduced to him through a gnarly scene, in which he has seemingly brought fellow scientist, Dr. Hans Gruber, back to life (with some gorey side effects). From there, the film follows West as he travels to Arkham, Massachusetts' Miskatonic University in order to further his studies in medicine, as well as utilize the school's morgue for his...personal studies.
West eventually moves in with another student, Dan Cain, for the root purpose being that Cain's basement was "suitable." As his stay in the home extends, we get a view into the friendship that becomes of West and Cain. Dan is initially very uncomfortable with Herbert and his behaviors, but throughout the movie, they grow to be very...close...in my opinion.
As the film continues on, Herbert West displays some key traits that I, as an autistic person, would like to classify as autistic behaviors. He is accutely fixated on brain science specifically, originally being shown in Sweden for his education. West is extremely upset when things do not go as he believes they should, even risking himself being caught by Miskatonic University in order to continue testing on a body in the morgue.
A very unique, funny, and frankly, quite handsome, main character, Herbert West is a wonderful example of a mad scientist with a heart...though he stands for himself and his work before all else. Probably a little fruity, his relationship with Dan Cain creates a fun dynamic of throughout the very cheesy, slasher style sci-fi film!
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