Talk about a tough act to follow. With no degree of exaggeration, Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator stands out as the greatest H.P. Lovecraft adaptation ever made. Okay, there’s not a lot of competition, and most of that comes from Gordon himself anyway (his From Beyond is wackier, and perhaps even more fun) – but the cult classic isn’t just the best Lovecraft adaptation, it’s also one of the best horror films, period.
Beloved as it may be, Gordon’s cult classic bore little in common with Lovecraft’s famously repressed source material, and so his successor would have to share the former’s sensibilities, and not necessarily so much those of the latter. One can think of nobody better for the job of heading up a sequel than Brian Yuzna (Society, The Dentist), producer of the first film and fellow lover of extreme gore and otherworldly weirdness.
Under his guidance, Herbert West, Re-Animator returns in the cheekily titled Bride of Re-Animator, which finds the Doctor and his timid assistant hard at work, attempting to resurrect another of the latter’s loves, while Herbert is busy sewing various bits together under his own volition. As is the tradition with horror sequels, Bride of Re-Animator is essentially just a bigger, bloodier version of the first film. But it possesses enough invention and innovation that it’s more than just a re-tread, and Jeffrey Combs is a constant delight in his defining role.
On the second disc comes West’s third (and to date, final) outing, Beyond Re-Animator. To its credit, this one is a different beast to its predecessors, with West now incarcerated for his crimes. He is sought out by prison doctor Howard Phillips (sigh) – formerly an incidental teen victim of Herbert’s crimes, having watched a zombie kill his older sister. Quickly ingratiating himself as West’s latest lackey, it’s like dullard Dan Cain never left at all. Sinister prison warden Brando fills in for the horrible headless Hill but it’s essentially just Re-Animator in a prison, with less impressive visuals and a weaker supporting cast. Even Jeffrey Combs seems a bit bored this time. Nevertheless, it’s entertaining enough for a lesser sequel, and worth it for the schlocky gore effects alone.
The two discs come packaged in an attractive box set by Umbrella Entertainment and loaded full of extras. While the sleeve art might be off-putting if you’re not collecting the ‘Beyond Genres’ films as a set, it’s an impressive release with a clean-ish HD transfer and plenty of special features for both films. Bride of Re-Animator comes particularly well loaded, with both the R-rated and uncut version of the film and a number of short documentaries and commentaries.
Beyond Genres: Bride of/Beyond Re-Animator is not an essential release (Umbrella’s complete trilogy box set, on the other hand…) but it is a well-presented and respectful delivery of two underrated, oft-forgotten horror sequels. In this time of Re-Animator scarcity, it’s always cheering to see the good Doctor West rise again.
Special Features: Three audio commentaries / Three featurettes / Interviews / Making of / Behind the scenes / Deleted scenes / Trailers
BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR/BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: BRIAN YUZNA / SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: JEFFREY COMBS, BRUCE ABBOTT, FABIANA UDENIO, KATHLEEN KINMONT, TOMMY DEAN MUSSET / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
