If you ever think of a way to bring a dead person back to life, I strongly recommend you not do it, or at least, reconsider your plans, after watching The Lazarus Effect. After you finish your rendezvous with the evil that arises in the film, you will never, ever wish to do it. But for now, let’s get back to reality…

A group of scientists, Frank (Mark Duplass) and his wife, Zoe (Olivia Wilde), a computer genius, Niko (Donald Glover), his gifted assistant, Clay (Evan Peters), a documentarist, and Eva (Sarah Bolger), are working on a highly classified project called The Lazarus Project, which, if they finish their studies and experiments successfully, they will most likely be able to bring a dead person back to life, or someone who has fallen into a deep coma. They succeed with their first experiment on a dead dog, which is surprisingly resurrected from death. However, their second attempt is not as successful, and Zoe is killed by electricity.  Now, desperate and heartbroken, Frank tries to repeat the same experiment on his deceased wife – forgetting one simple thing – that what works on animals may not work as well on human beings… But will this fear and the uncertain aftermath stop Frank   from bringing back his beloved wife; is a simple question to answer… Unfortunately, what happens next is something Frank could have easily prevented… and what happens next is the beginning of his battle against an unknown evil; an evil which rises because of him…

I am not a huge fan of horror films and did not expect much from this film. But this films’ interesting cast made me wonder- what If I am wrong? And I was, because, after half an hour into the film I was jumping out of my seat even without a real scary scene on the screen. The atmosphere in the film is so intense and strong that you can feel, and hear, the fear in every scene. And when a nice, and angelic looking Olivia Wilde turns out to be evil, the film takes a whole different direction, but in a very good, and creepy way.

Even though The Lazarus Effect is simply a horror film without very many visual effects, it is still interesting to watch because of its cast who absolutely dedicate themselves to the film, and I am pleasantly surprised (which is not an easy thing to do,  by the way) by their performance . I would like, especially, to highlight Olivia Wilde’s performance, who attempts a new type of role for herself, one, I must say, you should not miss. In some scenes, especially the one where she confesses to her husband that there is something wrong with her and that there is something causing her to change from the inside, is very impressive. She does a tremendous job and makes the audience believe that evil has truly risen.

What fascinated me most about The Lazarus Effect, is its concept. For instance, when the dog comes back to life, it does not act aggressive the same way it happens with the human beings, even with a seemingly kind person. Does this mean that human beings are still one of the most dangerous creatures, and that it’s better to not give them a second chance? I am not quite sure what the real message behind this story is, or I am just thinking too much… David Gelb made his first feature film impressive and interesting enough for you to give it a shot and watch it. If you like horror films, without much blood, one which concentrates more on the story and the dark environment, then The Lazarus Effect is one of those films you don’t want to miss…