Bride Of Re-Animator

In the zombie summer of 1985 (DAY OF THE DEAD; THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD etc) one low budget US film had horror critics reaching for superlatives in-between the groans of laughter and whoops of gore-satiated delight: Stuart Gordon's RE-ANIMATOR.

A breath of fresh air amongst endless tacky stalk'n'slash yawn-fests and unimaginative sequels, RE-ANIMATOR wowed critics and audiences alike with it's wit, imagination and - of course - splatter. It was inevitable therefore that a sequel would rear it's ugly head …

Directed by Brian Yuzna (who produced the original, and went on to make the likes of THE DENTIST and THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART 3), the film was originally released in the UK by Medusa as plain old RE-ANIMATOR 2. Now, for it's UK DVD premiere, Tartan have restored the movie's original (and much better) title.

BRIDE picks up the action several months after the original's bloodfest, finding former flatmates Herbert West (Jeff Combs) and Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) in the midst of a fictional civil war set in Peru. They're there to save wounded soldiers (with their history?! Come on!!!) - but West has other ideas, and luckily (for us) his luminous re-agent has survived.

After an intriguing prologue, the bulk of the action shifts back to the US. West and Cain move in to an old building beside a cemetery. Initially unbeknownst to Cain, West is continuing his questionable research into re-animation by taking extracts from a rare breed of iguana and attempting to bring dead body parts back to life. Yes, you read that correctly!!

Cain finds out about these travesties but - predictably - is persuaded to play ball and assist the overacting Combs once he realises the heart of his true love (Meg from the original film) has been preserved. And so, the James Whale-esque bride is created as Meg's heart is amalgamated with the brain of a terminally ill patient Cain has since become obsessed with.

But, don't go looking for a happy ending. Buried deep in the cellar of West and Cain's new abode are a plethora of monstrosities created by West that are about to break loose and wreak havoc thanks to a vengeful Dr Hill (David Gale - from the original RE-ANIMATOR) - who has by now been reduced to a severed head with bat-wings for ears!

Though perhaps as gory as it's predecessor, this entry into the series is infinitely less interesting. It does have moments of wit about it (Claude Earl Jones' dumb cop, and the bizarre BASKET CASE 2-type mutant creations of FX artist Screaming Mad George), but if compared against the original it really can't hope to compete in any real terms.

The picture is clear and colourful, if somewhat soft and not without the occasional specks. It's comparable to Anchor Bay UK's "Two Evil Eyes" disc - make of that what you will. It is worthy of mention that the disc offers the film in an anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) transfer. I draw your attention to the Region 1 counterpart that offered the film in a choice of full-framed or 'cropped' anamorphic widescreen …

Audio-wise, Tartan present us with the original mono soundtrack which while offering no frills is reliably clear and free from hiss or drop-out throughout.

The extras on this disc are disappointing and sadly typical of how little effort Tartan generally make for their DVD releases. Film notes offer little of genuine interest or information other than the basics, while the original trailer is nice to see but not exactly in the best condition.

And how many more times can the Tartan Terror Trailer Reel be passed for an 'extra'? That's just lazy …!

Review by Stu Willis