Bride of Re-Animator (1989)

Details: By Loron Hays; 20 April 2016

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Bride of Re-animator (1989) - Blu-ray Review

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Arrow Video has simply outdone themselves with the blu-ray release of the first sequel to Stuart Gordon's hit horror-comedy Re-Animator. Seriously, stop reading this RIGHT NOW and go grab a copy of Bride of Re-Animator before this limited edition release is all gone. Giving fans of the series more bang for their buck, this limited edition director approved release is a visual treat that does not disappoint. The movie – directed by Society's Brian Yuzna – isn't half bad either.

So let's dive in to the movie, shall we?

Originally released in 1989, Bride of Re-Animator is at once more disgusting and more bizarre than its predecessor. With the gore guru Screaming Mad George on hand to contribute to the bizarreness of the effects, Bride of Re-Animator is a gonzo-inspired approach to life and (mostly) death matters as Dr. West (once again played by Jeffrey Combs) returns to meddling with the dead, their body parts, and the whole bloody idea of re-animation.

It's damn nasty work but someone has to do it.

But this time – unimpressed by Dr. Cain's (Bruce Abbott) skepticism and moral code – he manages to manipulate those around him into doing his bidding with promises of bringing back to life lost loves. The plot is a wild one and – as written by Woody Keith and Rick Fry – weaves in an ongoing investigation, courtesy of Lt. Leslie Chapham (Claude Earl Jones) and the hilarious badgering of mortician Dr. Graves (Mel Stewart) at the (literal) head of Dr. Hill (David Gale) who was killed in the original but bizarrely kick-starts the movie with a sassy warning for Dr. West.

The sequel might be manic but it is definitely a worthy successor to the original flick. It's bold and disgusting and completely crackers in its finest moments and, as it throws everything at the screen and apologizes for none of it, never fails to engage in one WTF moment after another. But pay attention to its closing as the freaks come clamoring for their revenge against the twisted experiments of Dr. West. It's frightfully fun and recalls the best moments of H.G. Wells.

Bride of Re-Animator is finally getting the respect is so justly deserves. Arrow Video does not drop the ball with their handling of this cult classic. Dr. West's minions will definitely be satisfied.

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MPAA Rating: Not rated.
Runtime: 96 mins
Director: Brian Yuzna
Writer: Rick Fry, Woody Keith
Cast: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Claude Earl Jones
Genre: Comedy | Horror
Tagline: Date. Mate. Re-animate.
Memorable Movie Quote: "I created what no man's mind nor woman's womb could ever hope to achieve."
Distributor: 50th Street Films
Official Site:
Release Date: February, 1991
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: April 12, 2016
Synopsis: Doctors Herbert West and Dan Cain discover the secret to creating human life and proceed to create a perfect woman from dead tissue.

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Bride of Re-animator (1989) - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray Details:

(Director Approved 3-Disc Limited Edition)

Available on Blu-ray - April 12, 2016
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD); DVD copy
Region Encoding: Region-free playback

Released by Arrow Video, the brand new AVC encoded 1080p transfers (presented in 1.78:1) are phenomenal. The 2K restorations of the Unrated and R-Rated versions of the film are both approved by the film's director and presented with their original stereo 2.0 audio. The booklet included with the release indicates that the film was originally restored in 2014 using the best elements available to achieve complete presentations of the film. It goes on to state that "for the R-Rated version, a second generation intermediate interpositive was used. For the Unrated version, locating a 35mm element that was suitable for the restoration involved a near year-long search until a DeLuxe Composite Master Positive Print with the cut sequences intact was eventually found. Both the 35mm Intermediate Positive and the 35mm Composite Master Positive Print elements were scanned at 2K resolution at 16-bit color depth on a pin-registered IMAGICA Imager XE Advanced Plus. " The upgrade is damn noticeable and highly appreciated.

Supplements:

Commentary:

Holee Sheet, Batman! The NEW commentary with Yuzna might be the best thing about this release. Very interesting stuff in it. There is also a second commentary featuring Yuzna, Combs, special effects coordinator Thomas Rainone and the effects team of John Buechler, Mike Daek, Robert Kurtzman, Howard Berger, and Screaming Mad George. A third commentary features Combs and Bruce Abbot. Adding new tidbits to the production, all three commentaries are worth checking out.

Special Features:

The 3-Disc Limited Edition Blu-ray for the movie not only offers a brand new 2K restoration of both the R-rated theatrical cut as well as the unrated cut of the film but is approved by Yuzna himself. The release is also supplied with a brand new director's commentary track, newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin, deleted scenes and two brand new making-of featurettes, including a FX doc with a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage. A nice booklet – incorporating a comic prequel to the movie – is alson included. This is indeed a MUST-OWN for fans of the series. Scoop yours up NOW!