Color, 1990,
97m.
Directed by Brian Yuzna
Starring Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Claude Earl Jones, Fabiana Udenio, David Gale, Kathleen Kinmont, Mel Stewart
Arrow Films (Blu-Ray & DVD) (US/UK RA/RB HD/NTSC), Capelight (Blu-ray & DVD) (Germany R0 HD/PAL) / WS (1.78:1) (16:9), Pioneer (DVD) (US R1 NTSC), Tartan (UK R0 PAL), Umbrella (Australia R0 PAL)
Largely ignoring the outrageous bloodletting and sexual depravity of Stuart Gordon's original Re-Animator, director Brian Yuzna (Society) provides a sequel more focused on his own personal obsessions-- namely, lots of grotesque, squishy things palpitating in front of the camera. While it can't hope to surpass the first film in terms of witty dialogue or transgressive imagery, on its own terms Bride of Re-Animator makes for a brisk, enjoyable hour and a half, and fans should be happy to see most of the characters returning for another round of reanimation and dismemberment. 
takes and angles during the finale (including one bit in which a major character rips apart from the head down). Image Entertainment issued the unrated one on laserdisc at the same time, which was the release to get until the DVD era rolled around.
Ahead in Horror") including cast and crew interviews as well as looks at the elaborate special effects. On the R-rated side, look for a "trailer" (actually the video commercial), "Dr. West's Casebook" (a collection of photos from the film and behind-the-scenes), and best of all, the deleted opening scene of the film, which fills in a number of gaping plot holes. In particular, the fate of Meg after her re-animation and West's escape from those strangling entrails are finally covered; one can only guess why this scene was cut, as it forms a much more logical bridge between the first film and the second. Interestingly, this work print scene is followed by a great deal of rough footage shot during its filming from several different angles. Also included is an early deleted sequence in which Dr. Hill's head becomes an attraction at a local sideshow (a nice follow up on West's classic line in the original). Both versions feature two running commentary tracks, one with Combs and Abbott (who sound like good buddies and provide some nice chuckles along the way), and the other with Combs, Yuzna, and virtually the entire effects crew including visual effects supervisor Tom Rainone, John Buechler, Mike Deak, Bob Kurtzman, Howard Berger and Screaming Mad George. Both tracks reveal a 
great deal of nostalgia and enthusiasm for the project, and while it can't really compare to the original, many skeptics may find themselves regarding this film much more fondly after experiencing it in so much depth. A no-frills version was later issued on DVD from Lionsgate as part of a six-film horror collection and as a standalone release, while international versions generally issued the unrated full-frame version with a trailer.
well. Also included is a new Yuzna solo commentary moderated by David Gregory, offering more of a retrospective look at the film, the influence of the three-film cycle, and observations like the influence of William Castle, his own awakening to Lovecraft via the first film, and the unique appeal of Screaming Mad George monster effects. On the video extras side the "Getting Ahead" featurette reappears along with the two cut segments and the trailer, but there's a fair amount of new material as well. The 9-minute "Brian Yuzna Remembers Bride" offers more context about how the film came about including comments about a possible version of Dagon intended before this, other ideas for the story including a bizarre variation involving presidents and celebrities, and how being a newbie director affected what wound up in the script. The 14-minute "Splatter Masters" features new interviews with the effects crew including KNB's Robert Kurtzman, Screaming Mad George, Tony Doublin, and John Buechler, with a bit of linking provided by Yuzna; get ready for lots of discussion and behind-the-scenes footage covering what sounds like a fun but very exhausting shoot. Exclusive to the bonus Blu-ray with the R-rated cut is a raw 14-minute reel of behind-the-scenes footage, some of it glimpsed in the other featurettes, with a lot of great coverage of Kinmont in her full bride gear and the entire effects crew at work applying grisly makeup to various extras (including Johnny Legend). The package comes with another trademark Arrow-commissioned artwork design, this time courtesy of Gary Pullin. So to sum it up, if you're a completist you'll want to hang on to the first US DVD and the Capelight set for their own little extras and quirks, but the Arrow definitely gives you the most bang for your buck.
Pioneer DVD Frame Grabs
