“The Lazarus Effect” centers on scientists Frank (Mark Duplass), his fiance Zoe (Olivia Wilde), their research team Clay and Niko (Evan Peters and Donald Glover) and videographer Eva (Sarah Bolger), as they conduct groundbreaking research that will hopefully help advance care for trauma patients. The team has created a serum that has the ability to bring the dead back to life and give them a second chance.

The movie takes a different approach by using a dog as the first success of the serum. However, the dog doesn’t come back the same. There is darkness to him and viewers see this as he carefully stalks and watches Zoe.

Problems really start when the group finds out that someone has been watching them and a large corporation comes and forcibly seizes their lab. This causes the team to make rash decisions and sneak into the lab to replicate their experiment. When they do, a terrible accident takes place leaving Zoe dead. Not willing to lose her, Frank inserts the serum into Zoe and she is given that second chance, but like the dog she comes back changed.

The movie starts kind of slow and character development is at a minimum, which makes it hard to root for the dead bodies on the floor. Eva turns out to be an important character, but yet we never really learn anything about her.

The setting for this movie is quite limited. It takes place in Frank and Zoe’s home and various parts of the lab which can get a bit boring. However, people getting killed off one by one in a confined space seem to add intensity and suspense, leaving the viewer to wonder when the next will be caught.

Olivia Wilde as the possessed Zoe definitely hits the creepy factor, but scary not so much. This goes for the whole movie as well. The movie uses blurred out scenes quite a bit to create that suspense instead of going straight for the scare. There are a few scenes that make the viewer jump, but other than that, it’s just a creepy movie. The ending keeps the creepiness alive by leaving the viewer to wonder what is to come.