'Bride of Re-Animator' [3-DISC LIMITED EDITION]
(Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Fabiana Udeino, Claude Earl Jones, David Gale, et al / 3-Disc Blu ray+DVD / R / (1989) 2016 / Arrow Films UK)
Overview: The success of Stuart Gordon's hit horror-comedy 'Re-Animator' meant that a sequel was all but inevitable. The resulting follow-up, 'Bride of Re-Animator' - this time helmed by director Brian Yuzna (Society, Return of the Living Dead 3 and Producer of the original Re-animator) - would prove that there was a good deal more life left in the story of Dr. Herbert West and his ghoulish exploits!
Blu ray Verdict: It is 8 years since the Miskatonic massacre. Unperturbed by the disastrous outcome of his previous meddling with the dead, Dr. West (again played by Jeffrey Combs) continues his research into the phenomenon of re-animation; only this time, he plans to create life starting with the heart of his young protégé Dan s dearly deceased, Meg Halsey. Surely nothing could go wrong?
That's right, folks! Dr Herbert West and Dr Dean Cain are back to their old ways. West isn't trying to bring back life now, but actually trying to create life from spare body parts. But along the way they have a police inspector snooping around and Dr. Hill is back.
This is a reasonably stylish, but crazy sequel to the very good original. Keeping with the tradition of the original it sticks to the black, campy humor we loved and also being soaked in blood and gore. The story is pretty much the same as the original with West's freaks of nature causing havoc again. Though just like the title implies, it parodies the film 'Bride of Frankenstein' - but the repetitiveness this time really shows throughout the film. It has some plot holes that aren't explained on from that of the first film, but it didn't fault the story, the humor or pace of the film.
The director this time around was the producer from the original, Brian Yuzna brings some nice added touches and a morbid sense to the film, though it might have been much better if Stuart Gordon held the realm. The performances are good, with the ever-reliable Jeffrey Combs delivering the eccentrically insane Herbert West, Bruce Abbott as the sympathetic Dean Cain, Claude Earl Jones as the mischievous police detective, Fabiana Udenio as Cain's concerned girlfriend Francesca Danelli and finally David Gale as Dr West's Nemesis the deviously evil head (yep, that's right) of Dr. Carl Hill!
The atmosphere is truly stunning - from the dark basement filled with enthusiastic experiments and West's bizarre creations to the coldness of the eerie mortuary and hospital. The cheese ball performances, along with the witty script and dazzling special effects add up to equal a lot of fun. With special effects master Screaming Mad George (the man behind the infamous shunting sequence in Society) on hand to contribute a host of characteristically weird and wonderful creations including zombified bats and a one-eyed finger spider, 'Bride of Re-Animator' is a more than worthy successor to Gordon's original cult classic. These are all High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations enhanced for 16x9 TVs and come with the Special Features of:
DIRECTOR-APPROVED 3-DISC LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Brand new 2K restorations of the Unrated and R-rated versions of the film, approved by director Brian Yuzna
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
Original Stereo 2.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
Limited Edition Collector's Booklet
Limited Edition Packaging (to be revealed!)
DISCS 1 & 2 BLU-RAY/DVD UNRATED VERSION:
Brand new 2K restoration of the Unrated version
Brand new audio commentary with Brian Yuzna
Audio Commentary with Brian Yuzna, star Jeffrey Combs, visual effects supervisor Tom Rainone and the effects team including John Buechler, Mike Deak, Bob Kurtzman, Howard Berger and Screaming Mad George
Audio Commentary with stars Jeffrey Combs and Bruce Abbott
Brian Yuzna Remembers Bride of Re-animator brand new featurette in which the director looks back at the making of the first Re-animator sequel
Splatter Masters: The Special Effects Artists of Bride of Re-animator
Brand new FX featurette with a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Robert Kurtzman of KNB, Screaming Mad George, Tony Doublin and John Buechler
Getting Ahead in Horror - archive making-of featurette
Deleted Scenes
DISC 3 - BLU-RAY R-RATED VERSION:
Brand new 2K restoration of the R-rated version
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