'The Lazarus Effect' Movie Review: Evil Arises as the Dead Come Back to Life

In John 11, the Bible recounts how Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead, and this is the central theme of the upcoming movie, aptly titled, "The Lazarus Effect."

Slated for a Feb 27, 2015 release, this horror/thriller/suspense movie follows a group of graduate student researchers led by Frank (Mark Duplass) and his fiancé Zoe (Olivia Wilde) who have managed to achieve the unthinkable—bring the dead back to life using a serum codenamed "Lazarus."

Although unsanctioned, they were able to test the serum successfully on a newly-deceased animal. When the dean of their university learns of the underground experiments, she shuts them down and confiscates their materials, including a video that shows how the serum works.

Together with their research team (Donald Glover, Sarah Bolger and Evan Peters), Frank and Zoe attempt to recreate their experiment, during which Zoe gets electrocuted and dies. What happens next is expected. Frank decides to try and resurrect Zoe, using "Lazarus," their first human subject.

At first, it looks successful, with Zoe coming back to life, but as the movie progresses, the team soon learns that she is no longer the same person, and that something evil has taken hold of her.

The trailer for the movie brings back past movie memories for horror buffs. Wilde under the white sheet brings back visual memories of the "I Am Your Daughter" scene in the "The Others," starring Nicole Kidman. The big dog that was brought back to life is reminiscent of "Cujo," the movie starring Dee Wallace, based on the book of the same title by Stephen King. Wilde's pair of black eyes is the same as that of Sam Neil's wife in "Event Horizon." Wilde exhibiting telekinetic powers while dressed in white reminds us of a Brian de Palma movie in the 70's, "The Fury."

The movie's trailer is marked by the constant appearance of "John 11" from the Bible, recalling how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Back then, it was considered a miracle. This movie tackles the scenario of people replicating that miracle in an attempt to stop death from claiming lives. However, something goes wrong, and pure evil manages to find an entry into our world.