Bride of Re-Animator (1990)

Stuart Gordon's cult classic Re-Animator was a tough act to follow, but Brian Yuzna does an admirable job of keeping with the splattery spirit of the original while adding to the fun with a plethora of incredible monsters. Jeffrey Combs is back and in great comic form as the wacky Dr. West, whose experimentation with re-animating the bodies of the dead in the first film has led him to believe he can create new life. The results are shocking and hilarious, often at once. An eyeball is propped atop a set of fingers that serve as legs forming a ghoulish spider-like creation. Torsos are sewn haphazardly with arms, legs, heads, and animals in a blistering display of makeup effects, prosthetics, and stop-motion effects -- all pre-CGI methods -- that were worked upon by no less than six effects companies, including Screaming Mad George and KNB studios. The story is thin, but there's just enough substance to hold the weight of the near-constant barrage of effects. While the first film was based solely on H.P. Lovecraft's Herbert West -- Re-Animator, this picture combines elements of Lovecraft with those of James Whale's Bride of Frankenstein. Best of all is the climax, which borrows heavily from the 1933 classic Island of Lost Souls as Dr. West's misfit monsters attack him. The cast is suitably over the top with David Gale excellent in the role of the decapitated Dr. Hill. Gale is later featured in one of the wildest sequences in which he has a bat's wings sewn to his melon so that he can fly. Kathleen Kinmont also deserves credit for her small, but highly effective role as the re-animated bride. Her heart-ripping performance begins as a sort of sexy homage to Elsa Lanchester in Bride of Frankenstein, but then takes an unforgettably bloody turn. ~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide