Most of Combs' film were B grade independent films from small studios, but recently he starred in major studio offerings. The Frighteners was one of his best roles as he played Special Agent Milton Dammers, a neurotic twisted federal agent chasing after Micheal J. Fox. Comedic yet pathetic, Combs proved that he had "hollywood" quality abilities as an actor. Most recently Combs had small roles in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and House On Haunted Hill. His role in House On Haunted Hill, as Dr. Vandercutt, was so small many people missed him. But nonetheless, as small as it might have been there was no mistaking who the character was being played by. Combs' evil and twisted smile was unmistakable.
Jefferey Combs did get to revive his character of Dr. Herbert West in the 1990 sequel, Bride Of Reanimator. Not as gory and certainly not as clever as the original film, Dr. West was still the obsessed scientist we all came to love. This time West decides to "build" a human ala Frankenstein-like means. The results were still the same as the original, everything went haywire at the end! Still a wonderful film though.
Hopefully, in years to come, Jeffery Combs will still be entertaining us horror fans. His talents are yet to be fully tapped and we wouldn't mind seeing Dr. West up tp his old tricks again
Jeffery Combs is one of those actors that bring a smile to your face when see his name in the opening credits in a film. You know that when he hits the screen he'll be one of the most twisted and somewhat neurotic characters in the movie.
Combs is most famous for his role in the 1985 splatter fest Re-Animator. One of the most goriest horror films of the 80's, this little piece of celluloid launched Combs career into overdrive. Portraying the demented Dr. Herbert West, Combs gave a performance that both horrified and captured the viewer. His straight foward, no bones about it attitude gave life to Dr. West, a scientist who has invented a serum that can re-animate dead tissue. When he starts experimenting on dead humans things get out of hand. With the help of his newly found room mate, West terrorizes Miskatonic University, a fake university contrived from the mind of H.P. Lovecraft. What follows is one of the bloodiest splatterfests to ever grace the screen. Re-animated morgue corpse, a zombiefied university dean and a maniacal severed head with a obsession of the dean's daughter. A must see for the horror fan!
Combs also appeared in several Lovecraft inspired films such as From Beyond and Necronomicon: Book Of The Dead. In From Beyond Combs played Crawford Tillinghast, a scientist who had helped develope a machine that opened up the doorway to another deminsion that already existed but couldn't be seen by the naked eye. Of course Combs delivered a character that was terrified by what he saw but also drawn in by his scientific demeanor. Combs decsent into maddness is a wonderful piece of acting. Even though some of his dialog was a bit cheesy("It bit off his head....like a gingerbread man!"), Combs delivered with an uncanny conviction that makes his character so real. In Necronomicon Combs got to play Lovecraft himself, in a film contrived of three Lovecraft inspired tales, and his obsession with occult book.
Whose Life Is It Anyway?(1981)
Honky Tonk Freeway(1981)
Frightmare(1982)
The Man With Two Brains(1983)
Re-Animator(1985)
Phantom Empire(1986)
From Beyond(1986)
Dead Man Walking(1987)
Cyclone(1987)
Cellar Dwellar(1988)
The Pit And The Pendulum(1990)
Bride Of Re-Animator(1990)
Trancers II(1991)
Robot Jox(1991)
The Guyver(1991)
Dr. Mordrid(1992)
Fortress(1993)
Lurking Fear(1994)
Love And A .45(1994)
Time Tracers(1995)
Felony(1995)
Dillinger And Capone(1995)
Cyberstalker(1995)
Castle Freak(1995)
Death Falls(1996)
H.P. Lovecraft's, Necronomicon: Book Of The Dead(1996)
The Frighteners(1996)
Caught Up(1998)
Snide And Prejudice(1998)
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer(1998)
Attic Expeditions(1999)
House On Haunted Hill(1999)