Bride of Re-Animator (1990) User Reviews

A not-so-bad sequel

[lost-in-limbo · 7/10 · 18 February 2005]

Dr Herbert West and Dr Dean Cain are back to their old ways. West isn't trying to bring back life now- but actually trying to create life from spare body parts. But along the way they have a police inspector snooping around and Dr. Hill is back.

This is a reasonably stylish, but crazy sequel to the very good original. Keeping with the tradition of the original it sticks to the black, campy humour we loved and also being soaked in blood & gore.

The story is pretty much the same as the original with West's freaks of nature causing havoc again. Though just like the title implies, it parodies the film 'Bride of Frankenstein'- but the repetitiveness' this time really shows throughout the film. It has some plot holes that aren't explained on from that of the first film- but it didn't fault the story, the humour or pace of the film.

The director this time around was the producer from the original, Brian Yuzna- he brings some nice added touches and a morbid sense to the film, though it might have been much better if Stuart Gordon held the realm.

The performances are good, with the ever-reliable Jeffrey Combs delivering the eccentrically insane Herbert West, Bruce Abbott as the sympathetic Dean Cain, Claude Earl Jones as the mischievous police detective, Fabiana Udenio as Cain's concerned girlfriend Francesca Danelli and finally David Gale as Dr West's Nemesis the deviously evil head (Yep, that's right) of Dr. Carl Hill.

The atmosphere is truly stunning- from the dark basement filled with enthusiastic experiments and West's bizarre creations to the coldness of the eerie mortuary and hospital. The cheese ball performances, along with the witty script and dazzling special effects add up to equal a lot of fun.

3.5/5

Very decent sequel to an absolute horror favorite

[Coventry · 7/10 · 14 July 2003]

It's very hard to make a sequel to an absolute masterpiece that can live up to the original. Let us not forget how bad the Exorcist II and the Howling II were. Like the previous titles mentioned, Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator is a true classic in the field of horror, so I was very careful with my expectations towards this film. Yet, several elements showed that it could be a very good film. Jeffrey Combs returned as his memorable Dr. West character and also Dan Cain and Carl Hill are present again. ( well, at least his head is... ) Brian Yuzna took the seat of the director. Good sign, I thought. He knows what he does when it comes to horror. And this film proved itself to be good. It can never reach the level of the original but the complete cast and crew seems to realize that. They just tried to make a sequel worth watching and in that viewing... they succeeded.

TINY SPOILERS FROM HERE ... Dr. West is even more fantastic ( and that means more crazy :-] ) to achieve his discovery of re-animating dead bodies. He keeps convincing Dr. Dan Cain to assist him by claiming he can bring back Megan to live ( Dr. Cains love interest from the first film ) West found Megan's hart in the hospital and they shall create a new woman with it. Great !!! Also, the head of the infamous Dr. Carl Hill gets re-animated and he's only after one thing. Nail Dr. West and avenge his dissection ! By this he gets assisted by another doctor. Thing are even getting more difficult for Dr. West when a fanatic detective follows him around... The bride of Re-Animator (a clean tribute to Frankenstein) is 90 minutes of pure fun. Horrorfans won't be disappointed at all. It's a logical sequel to the original, but also a film that could stand to itself. As far as sequels go, this is a good effort. Now, after 13 years a second sequel is about to come. Beyond Re-Animator ( also directed by Yuzna and starring Combs ) is claimed to be a worthy addition to the series as well. I haven't seen it yet but I sure will when I get the chance.

Entertaining and gory but missing something from the original

[loomis78-815-989034 · 6/10 · 22 March 2015]

Crazy Herbert West (Combs) and sidekick Doctor Dan Cain (Abbott) have volunteered to be peace corp. doctors in South America where they discover their serum can create life not just reanimate it. Ten months after the Massacre at the University, West and Cain return with a nosy detective (Jones) with a grudge begins to investigate the duo. Of course the whacked out West has been experimenting with dead body parts from the cemetery which is right next to the former morgue that West and Cain are using as a lab. Eventually West sets out to create life in the basement while constructing the "Bride". Crossing a line that every doctor shouldn't, Cain agrees to help West because he plans to use the heart of his dead girlfriend from the first film. In the meantime, Dr, Hill (David Gale) has been reanimated by a doctor (Mel Stewart) who has sewn on bat wings to his severed head. Still obsessed with revenge on West, Hill's head plans some surprises for West and Cain. This crazy follow up to the surprise 1985 Gore hit is executed by the first films producer Brain Yuzna who also co-wrote. Trying to hit on all the same points the original had, Yuzna delivers the expected excessive gore, mixed with plenty of black humor and one-liners. Some of the humor this time is pushed a little too far out ahead and at times this feels like a dark comedy. The returning Combs and Abbott are solid as West and Cain and it is nice to see the further exploits of these two characters. Fans of the first film will probably enjoy this, but sadly this sequel is missing the tension of the first film and it really doesn't have anything new to offer that hasn't already been done in the original. Where this film amuses and entertains, the original also shocked and scared you at the same time. The slick production and crazy finale with West's body experiments getting loose make this a watchable sequel.

Forgotten cult classics #5

[DJ Inferno · 13 July 2001]

Dr. West and Dr. Cain strike back again! This film is very similar to Frank "Basket Case" Henenlotter´s "Frankenhooker", but obviously shot with a higher budget and a more elaborated story. It never reached the status from its predecessor, the unique "Re-Animator" directed by Stuart Gordon, but it´s worth to be watched in any case! Especially Dr. West´s weird creatures like four spider-looking combined fingers, a strange symbiosis between arm and foot, and a dog whose leg was replaced by a human arm make "Bride of Re-Animator" being a bizarre pleasure! At the end Dr. Hill and some creepy zombie maniacs storm the laboratory and destroy the property. Dr. West seems to be dead, but recently I read on IMDb about the production of "Beyond Re-Animator" - starring Bruce Abott and Jeffrey Combs...

Sequel to the great "Re-Animator"

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 5 July 2003]

Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) and Dean Cain (Bruce Abbott) are up to their old tricks again--reanimating dead corpses and causing tons of gory fun to ensure. And the evil, dead Dr. Hill (the late David Gale) is back again too...

Strange sequel--for starters West and Hill were dead at the end of the first movie. In the special DVD edition of this they show there WAS footage shot to explain how they were back--for some reason it never made it into the movie leaving some gaping plot holes.

In terms of gore this equals the first one (despite the R rating) with some truly extreme sequences--especially the ending which is drenched in blood. It also has the pitch black humor of the first...some of it very funny. But this time around there's just not enough of a plot to fill 90 minutes. Poor Combs says essentially the same speech about reanimation five times! And there are just a lot of scenes not necessary to tell the story so the movie moves in fits and stops.

Still, it is a lot of fun (if you have a very strong stomach) and Combs is having a whale of a time in his role. Gale is very underused--but then he was written in at the last minute.

So this is a definite must-see for horror fans--just don't expect anything as good as the original.

Best line: "My God! They're using tools!"

Underrated Follow-Up

[jeanspillane · 7/10 · 21 October 2003]

I did not start watching this with the highest of expectations. I am sure that many of you did not/will not as well. There were two main reasons for me:

1. Its a sequel

Generally, sequels are a bad re-hash of the first, or some misguided attempt to bring the story and characters to a new setting. This movie is neither, instead we get a (semi) natural continuation of the first film, which attempts to slip in more of the original Lovecraft Novella, which ultimately, neither film lives up to. Sure, characters that had little to no hope for life return with out a bat of the camera's eye, but this is a horror-comedy people, not The Godfather: Part II type of sequel, and I'm willing to ignore this to an extent. it never got on my nerves, anyway. Escapes the "horror movie sequel trap" quite well.

2. Bad Reviews

For some reason, this has terrible reviews most places, while the first film is praised and given **** and ***** star ratings, this puppy is tossed into the "worth a rental for genre fans" bin, with nothing above a ** rating in any professional reviewers opinion. This is really a shame, although I do admit, if you are not a fan of the first film you probably may as well skip this one. I also strongly recommend that those of you who have not seen Re-Animator backtrack and watch it first, as it definitely would (or maybe I should say "should") heighten your enjoyment level of this film.

Bride of Re-Animator is an excellent chunk of horror-comedy, which gets over looked when standing next to its beefy pappy. Personally, I found that elements of the film surpassed the first, atmosphere and gore f/x being the most clear ones. I really have to hand it to the f/x design team, because this is currently one of my favorite horror films as far as "creatures". The many experiments highlight the film when ever they appear, and the Bride herself is an excellent piece of gore design.

As far as the atmosphere goes, it is surely darker then its predecessor in this respect. Perhaps only the climax of the film truly shows the best aspects, as for the most part it reflects a similar attitude to Re-Animator, if slightly watered down. However, at the end we are treated to multi-colored lighting, fantastic zombies, smoke and some well used gauze, used to invoke the dress of the Bride in Bride of Frankenstein. Not to mention the earlier stated creature effects.

At any rate, this is a very worthy follow-up to a horror classic. Perhaps the script is not as strong, the quotable lines fewer and farer between and supporting characters more forgettable. But admit at least, nay-sayers, that if nothing else you loved it when Dr. West yelled "My God! They're using tools!"

7/10

Almost as good as the first

[macabro357 · 7/10 · 9 September 2003]

It's rare that a sequel tops the original, but this one ties to come close. It also uses the same whimsical music and opening titles of anatomy drawings as the original film did.

Starts off 6 months after the first film ended with Drs. West and Cain (once again played by Jeffery Combs & Bruce Abbott) hiding out as medics during a war in South America. West thinks this is a great place to lie low and continue his experiments after all the heat that was placed on them during the first film.

After their quick little South American adventure, they return to Arkham Hospital as if nothing has ever happened. I can suspend disbelief at this obvious plot hole in the script because it gets better.

Gore highlights include:

West re-animating a corpse's eyeball with some fingers and watching it run around the house until a nosy Det. Chapman (Claude Earl Jones) splats it on the couch without realizing it. Not bad. Det. Chapman believes West has had something to do with his dead wife coming back to life. Chapman knows because he's the one who beat her to death to begin with.

Dr. Graves (Mel Stewart), Arkham Hospital's new chief pathologist, stumbles onto the purpose of West's green fluid and injects Dr. Hill's head (which has been exhibited for the last 6 months in a circus carnival) with some of the fluid thereby re-animating it. Hill then gives Graves some instructions that Graves will later regret.

Chapman goes down to the basement and after is struggle, is killed by West. West then re-animates Chapman and Chapman goes wild. He now looks a lot like his dead-alive wife and attacks West and then Cain, who has gone down there to see what's going on. West then chops Chapman's arm off and in the process Chapman gets loose. West then attaches Champan's arm to a dead dog. Hilarious!

West's big project is to sew various female body parts together and create a new 'bride' out of them. A Frankenstein's monster. Nice reconstruction scene as Cain and West sew the various body parts together. It's all done with excellent special effects by Screaming Mad George, who also did the special creature effects for PREDATOR.

In the meantime, Hill instructs Graves to sew bat wings onto his head so he can fly around. It's really funny and ridiculous as we see this head floating around with wings flapping underneath it. The zombies from the hospital are then set loose and they go over to West's house and mayhem ensues as they crawl and stammer around all over the place. The 'bride' comes to life and all kinds of freaky body parts from the graveyard next door come to life about the same time.

We even get some cool effects (again by Screaming Mad George) as the 'brides' body parts don't take and she falls apart with guts falling out of her torso as her head rolls off onto the floor. Then there's a cave-in and everybody gets buried in the underground tomb. Well...almost... You'll have to see what happens next because this is some really over the top stuff!!

This is a pretty surprising follow-up to the first film since I was expecting a disaster here, although the Artisan DVD is lacking the extras you'd expect from a sequel like this. It's also full-screen, non anamorphic without any widescreen option.

Still it's a worthy follow-up to RE-ANINAMATOR that far surpasses the lame-o FRANKENHOOKER which dealt with the same theme and was released around the same time as this one.

7 out of 10

It's okay, but, man, Dan is dumber than a box of rocks.

[TokyoGyaru · 4/10 · 8 February 2021]

I cannot feel anything positive for anyone but Herbert, because Dan is a weak, utter moron, as is literally everyone else in the film. Like, he can't just pick a way to feel and be consistent. If he's SO opposed to Herbert's work, why's he so easily convinced time and time again? It doesn't even take much prodding. It's like he's just like Herbert but he doesn't want to admit it to himself. Even so, it wasn't written nor acted convincingly (the actor gets to be a legend in the genre, but he has absolutely ZERO range and only one facial expression, whether turned on, angry, sad, you name it--he even yells with no expression!). Furthermore, he moronically brings a date to their murder mausoleum, as though it was going to go okay knowing they have chopped up bodies and a(nother) mad scientist doing ungodly things there!!! The date is a dummy in that she was forewarned about the stuff Dan and Herbert were involved in, but, no, not only does she continue to pursue and have sex with him but she turns up in their house again AND still wants him after he shoves her aside repeatedly for the creation/Bride when she could have died. Plus, Dan is so stupid and easily manipulated-she has atrocious taste. The cop is detestable from scene one, so it's no surprise when more details come out about him. The pathologist, the aptly named Dr. Graves, is almost superfluous in his part, and also a moron in that he lets himself be ordered around by a head he could have easily chucked into an incinerator at any time. And Dr. Hill is annoying even in his menace, an unnecessary part of the story.

I get people like these films, and Jeffrey Combs is always gonna show you a great time, but it's just fine. Nothing groundbreaking. Jeffrey carried the entire film on his slight shoulders. Dan and the other characters annoyed me. On the plus side, the story made a man be "in love" (you can't tell with the actor's lack of range and the script not truly justifying it, but okay) with a monster for a change. But he's so poorly written and characterized that he's only "in love" for all of 5 minutes. I kept hoping he would die. They abused the corpses then abused the poor creation/Bride who didn't even ask to be made. A fitting end would have been for all of the characters to die: Herbert because he's mad and doesn't respect life, the creation to put her out of her misery, and everyone else because they're awful. But we're supposed to be glad for Dan and his date, two rock-stupid people? No.

Great Sequel

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 27 August 2012]

In Peru, Dr. Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) and Dr. Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) are medical volunteers in a civil war with the assistant Francesca Danelli (Fabiana Udenio) and they are researching how to create human life from dead tissue using wounded soldiers as guinea pigs.

They return to Miskatonic Hospital and Dan treats a terminal patient, Gloria (Kathleen Kinmont), and gets close to her. When the snoopy Lt. Leslie Chapham (Claude Earl Jones) investigates the Miskatonic Massacre, he learns that body parts are missing in the morgue, and Herbert and Dan become his prime suspects. But Herbert kills the lieutenant and revives him with the serum. Meanwhile, Dr. Graves (Mel Stewart) finds the head of Dr. Carl Hill (David Gale) and the green substance that the deceased doctor stole from Herbert, and uses the serum to resurrect Dr. Hill's head.

When Gloria dies, Herbert and Dan use her head, with Meg's heart and parts of other women to create the perfect woman. But Lt. Chapham teams up with Dr. Hill to seek revenge against the crazy scientists.

"Bride of Re-Animator" is a great sequel of the cult "Re-Animator", with Dr. Herbert West creating some of the most weird and bizarre creatures. The last time I had seen this film was on 23 March 2000 and today I have just seen it again on VHS. The storyline is very similar to "Frankenhooker", both films released in the middle of 1990. I really do not know who might have plagiarized who, but either "Bride of Re- Animator" or "Frankenhooker" are worthwhile watching. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Noiva do Re-Animator" ("The Bride of the Re- Animator")

Note: On 26 June 2015, I saw this movie again.

If I ever need someone to ASMR my ears about the beautiful nature of re-animated corpse that would be Jeffrey Combs

[phanthinga · 7/10 · 25 December 2018]

As far as a sequel can go Bride of Re-Animator is definitely a solid sequel when it not stray too far from the original plot and follow an icon of horror Dr. Herbert West played by equally brilliant Jeffrey Combs on yet another quest for the resurrection of the human body but because the return of an unwanted and annoying as hell character named " Dan Cain " this movie at least for me feel less enjoyable than the first one. I just wanna wish somehow right from the beginning of the movie that bayonet kill Dan right the way so the rest of the movie can be all about West trying to resurrected Dan and his girlfriend Meg leading up to the crazy re-animated corpse party of the finale then this movie would be a 10/10 for me.

Misses the mark

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 19 June 2016]

I have to say that I love the original RE-ANIMATOR, which I think is a sterling adaptation of the Lovecraft story and a minor classic of '80s horror cinema complete with all the gore and gooey effects that you could wish for. For some reason, I never got around to watching BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR, although I have seen the cheap and cheesy third film, BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR, which I didn't like.

I've now watched BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR and, sorry to say, it misses the mark in a big way. It seems that director Stuart Gordon brought the magic to the original movie because he's he's gone now and this sequel isn't up to scratch. Instead we get Brian Yuzna and special effects man Screaming Mad George, and together they produce what is simply a weak imitation of the first film.

Actually, the problem isn't so much with Yuzna, whose direction is fine, but the story, which simply retreads familiar material from the first movie. Bruce Abbott as Dan Cain has become a tiresome voice of reason and Herbert West just goes through the same motions as before. Plus, the film has a slow, dragged-out pace, and despite the quality of the gooey special effects, it doesn't feel innovative anymore, just predictable. I appreciate that the plot is a homage to THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, but even that goes nowhere come the rushed climax.

"Are We Having Fun Yet?"

[Minus_The_Beer · 8/10 · 3 July 2013]

Dr. Herbert West (Jeffrey Coombs) is at it again! Having not learned anything from his experiences in 1985's "Re-Animator," the mad scientist continues to simultaneously play both doctor and God. Culling spare body parts from the local university, West promises to his loyal buddy Dan (Bruce Abbott) to restore the love of his life, Megan (who you may remember as being played by Barbara Crampton in the original). It seems Meg's heart continues to beat, and while Dan is distracted by a new love (Fabiana Udenio) and a dying patient (Kathleen Kinmont), Dr. West is determined to re-unite the two lovers by any means necessary because, well, what else are friends for?

Taking the reigns from director Stuart Gordon, Brian Yuzna ("Return Of The Living Dead III") has his work cut out for him. Following up a certified cult-classic such as "Re-Animator" is no easy task, and yet Yuzna's follow-up, "Bride Of Re-Animator," works hard to maintain the same level of zany good times as delivered by its predecessor. Retaining the pitch-black humor of the original almost to a fault, Yuzna's film is steeped in tragedy, revenge and outright insanity. Coombs is in top form as Dr. Herbert West, while Abbott is admittedly given little to do beyond tearing himself between his various loves. No matter, because the film is endlessly entertaining and utterly twisted. The special effects are quite the spectacle unto themselves, boiling over into a wacky and truly delicious final act.

If there's one gripe to be had with "Bride" it's that the film lacks a cohesive pace. More often than not, story is forsaken for the sake of various undead antics and shenanigans (see the wife-beating detective hot on Dr. West and Dan's trail for reference). Sometimes the film tries a little too hard perhaps, but that's part of its charm. It's all or nothing with Yuzna, and his hyped-up take on H.P. Lovecraft's mythology does not disappoint. Those seeking a gloriously gory and at times touching horror story would do well to find themselves hitched to "Bride Of Re-Animator."

Herbert West is back , discovering the secret to creating human life and proceed to create a perfect woman from dead tissue

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 17 June 2023]

Cult horror movie about Doctor Herbert West/Jeffrey Combs attempting to crack the unfathomable secrets of death . Based on the frightening story by the undisputed expert of the terror H. P. Lovecraft titled "Herbert West, Re-Animator". The picture packs thrills, chills , terror , fantasy and lots of blood and gore . Furthermore , unrelenting twists and turns . Director Brian Yuzna joined with Stuart Gordon and Charles Band's Empire Pictures to create the company's first major hit , Re-Animator (1985) , based on the story by H. P. Lovecraft, which won a Critics' Prize at the Cannes Film Festival . It's second outing in Reanimator trilogy formed by ¨Re-Animator¨ "Bride of Re-Animator" and "Beyond Re-animator" . Herbert Wise continues obsessed with the idea of overcoming the obstacle of death and determined to vindicate himself by backing up his ambitious theory , as he goes on his creepy activities , as become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation . One again odd scientist called Herbert Wise (Jeffrey Combs) along with his colleague (Bruce Abott) become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation of dead tissue . Herbert (Jeffrey Combs) finds an unexpected ally in the person of the young medical doctor Dan Cain. Herbert West is back and this time he not only re-animates life but creates life -sexy female life (Kathleen Kinmont)- in this follow-up to the immensely popular ¨Reanimator¨. There is also an instant animosity between West and faculty member Dr. Carl Hill (David Gale) who here appears beheaded . Date. Mate . Re-animate !. Til Death Do Us Part !. The creator of the original cult injects new life into body parts other films cannot reach... it's a Scream! H. P. Lovecraft's classic tale of horror ! . Death Is Just The Beginning...Herbert West Has A Very Good Head On His Shoulders... And Another One In A Dish On His Desk It will scare you to pieces !. But For Dr. West, Death Is Only The Beginning !. Inject life into the dead !. The creator of the original cult injects new life into body parts other films cannot reach... it's a scream!. The Doctor Will See You Now. Death Is Just The Beginning...Herbert West Has A Very Good Head On His Shoulders... And Another One In A Dish On His Desk. . It will scare you to pieces !.

Herbert Wise/Jeffrey Combs stars an entirely Empire Pictures production with chills , tongue-in-cheek and loads of gore in this sequel loosely based on H. P. Lovecraft's classic tale of horror . In this second outing to the succesful trilogy about Herbert Wise he carries out more and more gruesome and sinister experiments . High camp and blood curling gore make this a standout horror movie . It is a frightening movie with plenty of thrills , chills , high body-count , hilarious scenes and lurid images with lots of blood and gore . In this sequel parade there're violent, offbeat , unpleasant events and resulting to be disappointing at times , but entertaining as well . Special effects are pretty well but there are several images without much sense and the interpretations are middling but acceptable . Available in a R-rated version too . Cast is pretty good , along with starring duo, Jeffrey Combs , Bruce Abbott , appearing other nice secondaries , such as : David Gale , Claude Earl Jones , Fabiana Udenio , Kathleen Kinmont , Mel Stewart , among others.

The original entry of the surprising trilogy was ¨Reanimator¨ (1985) by Stuart Gordon with Jeffrey Combs , Bruce Abbott , David Gale Barbara Crampton ; followed by ¨Bride of Re-Animator¨ (1990) by Brian Yuzna with Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott , Claude Earl Jones, Fabiana Udenio, David Gale . And ¨Beyond Reanimator¨ (2003) by Brian Yuzna , in which Herbert Wise is back , and this time he not only reanimates but creates life at a noisy prison , it stars Jason Barry , Elsa Pataky , Santiago Segura and Jeffrey Combs.

This horror movie was efficiently written/produced/directed by Brian Yuzna who along with Stuart Gordon are important American filmmakers expert on terror cinema , both of whom working for Castelao , Fantastic Factory or Filmax . It displays colorful and adequate cinematography by cameraman Mac Ahlberg , as well as impressive musical score by Richard Band . The motion picture was professionally shot by Brian Yuzna , a gore and guts expert director , such as : Faust , Dentist 1 and ,2 , Society, Bride of Reanimator . While Stuart Gordon helmed another H. P. Lovecraft adaptation Re-Sonator (From Beyond) (1986) and tackled the murderous Dolls (1986) followed by Robot jox (1989). Gordon co-created the story for Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) a major hit for Disney. The same year, he directed the remake and more graphic version of The pit and the pendulum (1991). Other works include Fortress (1992), and the screenplay for The Dentist (1996) and Body Snatchers (1993) . In 2001, Gordon returned to the H. P. Lovecraft territory with Dagon (2001), and in 2003, directed King of the Ants (2003) . Rating Bride of Re-Animator : 6/10. Decent and entertaining , acceptable and passable film , though contains some flaws and gaps .

Assembled from different pieces that don't belong together

[dopefishie · 5/10 · 31 January 2022]

Much like the title character, this film was assembled from different pieces that don't belong together.

Don't get me wrong - some of the pieces are amazing. Specifically, the special effects! There are some wonderful 80s special effects. The score is strong. There are some very creative moments here.

However, there's some real problems too. Some of the acting is bad. Just over the top bad. The script is painfully bad. The characters are all over the place and blatantly make decisions just to get from one special effect to the next - it's so egregious. There is no cohesive sense to the story.

This can be a fun ride if you turn your brain off.

Not as bloody as the first but this movie is way underrated!

[JCrewPsycho1980 · 1 May 2003]

Why don't people think this is a great sequel? I loved this movie and I know it's not quite as good as the first, it kicks much more ass than most sequels(Scream 2, I still know what you did last summer, Inferno(sequel to Suspiria) and umm... any Nightmare on Elmstreet not called New Nightmare) Go see this if you want to see Herbert West help bring his good friend down the road of madness. Dr. West in this installment is more jealous than annoyed by his partner's suave ways with the ladies but this is most definitely hella fun. Dr. Carl Hill is back in the gizame and having a blast... and he doesn't exactly keep his head on straight...

It's a life

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 7/10 · 25 March 2006]

Remember the end of the original? Dr. Herbert West was being strangled by a rampaging intestine. But don't worry, he's not dead. The zombie responsible didn't have the guts for it.

Now, five years after the massacre at Miskatonic University, he's in some South American hell-hole in the middle of a civil war using his re-animation serum on dead or wounded soldiers. As soon as the conflict boils over into revolution he legs it out of there with the naive/loyal Dr. Cain and heads back to Arkham Hospital. Where's he's apparently allowed to just take up his old position no questions asked.

Acting as if none of the previous carnage ever happened, they return to their normal jobs. Dr. Cain grows attached to a young girl dying of cancer and West is secretly stealing all the best body parts to make his own complete woman using the heart of Cain's dead girlfriend from the first movie.

A nosy Detective interferes and starts poking around as well as delivering the head of long dead Dr. Hill to Dr. Graves, the new Chief Pathologist at Arkham (there sure are loads of Doctors in this film huh?). Graves reanimates the head of Hill but refuses to do his bidding and chucks it in the bucket. A move he will come to regret.

The hokum goes into overdrive for this sequel. There's more atmosphere and more potential to be really scary. It's never fully realized as the film is too blackly funny to be frightening and feels a little limited in scope, being set mostly in only two places. But there's more going on in the climax as all the factions and body parts come together. The allusion to Frankenstein is much more apparent and the Freudian subtext of 2 men creating life without the use of a woman adds a curious depth to the mayhem. I know that the reanimated corpses are supposed to be darkly comic but I find their wild gesticulations and howling to be curiously upsetting.

You could call Bride of Re-Animator lots of negative words like corny, cheesy, dumb etc. But you'd be missing the point. Yes, it's a bit too pulpy to truly echo H.P. Lovecraft's original work, but the numerous zombies, monsters and demons are something I reckon Howard Phillips would love.

Gore fans will really dig the blood and make-up effects. There's loads of gruesomeness and severed limbs and guts spilled all over the place. It's the kind of thing Fangoria magazine would have had an 8-page feature of. Plentiful amounts of puss and nastiness from the KNB Effects Group and Screaming Mad George respectively. There's a lot of splatter in this house.

A must for fans of the movie, of Lovecraft, of horror, and of the wonderful Jeffrey Combs.

Pretty good sequel.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 7/10 · 16 February 2004]

This time,Herbert West is aiming not just to restore life,but to create it from spare body parts.His twisted genius has given birth to hideous and disgusting combinations,both animal and human.Yet,still the ultimate triumph of rebuilding an entire woman from assorted limbs and organs eludes him...until now!Dr.Carl Hill is also back!Oh yeah,but it's just his head returning this time.As for the title "Bride of Re-Animator",it takes its reference from James Whale's horror classic "Bride of Frankenstein".The acting is far above average and there is plenty of gore.Overall,"Bride of Re-Animator" doesn't come as close to perfection as the original,but it does have some nice qualities that make it worth seeing.Recommended.

A Fine Boy Gives Girl Life Flick

[Skeeter700 · 7/10 · 7 January 1999]

This reworking of The Bride Of Frankenstein does not match the original Re-Animator, however it is still a very watchable film. Director Brian Yukuza gathered together most of the cast of the original to make this more gory sequel. The film, to its credit, has several storylines including Dan Cain's attempts to revive his old-girlfriend and Herbert West's desire to fuse body parts into new grotesque combinations. Both continue to use West's glowing green slime. Furthermore, a renegade cop is after this dynamic duo; suspecting them of the hospital massacre at the end of the first film. Oh ya, Dr. Hill is back too... he - predictably - wants revenge. Unfortunately the film's juggling of these various plots results in several shotgun blast sized plot holes. Oh well, the final 30 min. is really good, although the conclusion is somewhat weak. In the years following two similar themed, though better, films have been made: Frankenhooker & The Bride Of Chucky. Skeeter says check them out - and gives Bride of the Re-Animator 7 for 10. Oh ya, by the way, in this one there is no head giving head.

A little weak, but some novel moments.

[Maverick988 · 5/10 · 17 March 2007]

Re-animator was not a high-quality movie, but it didn't really have to be to be enjoyable. The sequel, however, feels substantially less inspired and the low production values aren't as charmingly forgivable.

Dr. Hill is once again the villain, but there doesn't seem to be much of a threat and his interactions with Dr. Graves are pretty hokey and boring.

"Bride" did have its moments, though. When I think of the term "reanimation" I think of bringing any old thing to life, not just raising corpses. Hopefully this isn't much of a plot point, but in this movie West can animate body parts, not just bodies, and that makes the horror science feel more fresh and freaky.

Biggest Flaw: Not providing any resolution or explanation for the previous film's ending (for both West and Meg).

Herbert West...At It Again!!!

[EVOL666 · 8/10 · 12 October 2005]

BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR is a great, gory, funny, all around fun film. This time, the good doctor decides that re-animating alone just isn't enough, he has to play "Dr. Frankenstein" and build his own woman!!! (among several other strange "creations"). BRIDE isn't quite as ground-breaking as the original RE-ANIMATOR, because we've already been prepared (sort-of) by the first film. But BRIDE has all the same sleazy, funny, over-acted elements of the original. Both are excellent films, as far as BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR is concerned - leave that one where it belongs...on the shelf. Not nearly as original, funny, or gory - the whole style of BEYOND just doesn't fit with the first 2 classics, in my opinion. 8/10 for BRIDE!!!

Bride of Re-Animator

[Scarecrow-88 · 5/10 · 5 May 2007]

Insane sequel to Stuart Gordon's RE-ANIMATOR is directed by Brian Yuzna who shelled out the cash needed to make the original. He stays close to the tone of Gordon's film while weaving a whole new nutty story, obviously and blatantly paying homage to BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. In this film Dr. Herbert West(Jeffrey Combs)& Dan Cain(Bruce Abbott)return from the civil war of a Latin country experimenting of dead soldiers trying to perfect the power of his reagent serum for reanimating dead tissue and organs. West has decided that merely bringing the dead back to life isn't as fulfilling as creating a whole human being using variously deposited body parts from freshly dead corpses. The two doctors have returned somehow(I couldn't understand how they were able to get their jobs back because neither finished school..or perhaps they did, but when could they if they were in a foreign country? Plot holes galore..oh, well)to the Miskatonik Hospital with Dan simply wishing to do his job. But, Herbert is at his old tricks again splicing various parts together just seeing if his future plans were possible(his coolest creation is the "crawling eye" assembled with several fingers and an eyeball). When a patient Dan is close to dies, Herbert wishes to use her head(the beauty of her face and her brain)while also using Meg's heart(we know Meg, played by Barbara Crampton from the first film, is the lost love of Dan's life)to leverage his colleague into assisting him. What Herbert doesn't know is that a doctor at the hospital, Dr. Graves(Mel Stewart), has found some of his reagent and is reviving animals(such as the bat which breaks free flying at his face in attack-mode). When mere animals doesn't satisfy him, Graves revives the dead head of Doctor Hill(David Gale, sparingly used in this sequel)and all hell breaks loose. An inspector, Lt. Leslie Chapham(Claude Earl Jones)is constantly snooping around West and Cain seeking to find a false move to implicate them. His reasoning for doing this..Herbert experimented with the reagent on his wife for whom he had possibly beaten to death! Also, Francesca(Fabiana Udenio), a colleague in the warring country West and Cain escaped, shows up starting a relationship with Dan. Again, a woman has become a major thorn in the working relationship of Herbert and Dan which will lead to a maddening conclusion when re-animated dead, led by Hill, whose head now has bat wings(!)will lead an assault on their basement laboratory(located in their home which was once an old morgue).

This sequel, while quite inferior to the first film, has enough wild gags going for it to hold interest. Sadly, it abandons the characters for the exception of Combs who has a field day with this crazy loon. The Bride's sequences are quite grotesque and macabre to say the least. I felt that Gale is quite underused in this flick..not quite the villain he was in the first film, only getting to impact Herbert's life at the end. Also disappointing is Abbott's Dan Cain who seems less a fixture in this film as he was in the first. Sure, themes within the story impact the character, but Abbott just doesn't seem as inspired or his character as strong as in Gordon's film. Hurting this flick is the lack of freshness the previous film had. There's still plenty of gore for the ones who crave it and has enough wackiness to probably at least gather a modicum of interest from fans of the first film. Perhaps easily forgettable, this flick still has it's moments and deserves at least a moment of the gorehound's time.

"Are you telling me they're not dead?"

[emperor_bender · 8/10 · 24 September 2007]

Great sequel to a great movie.

The scenario in this movie is slightly different than the first one. The movie starts off 8 Months after the "Miskatonic Massacre", the beginning takes place in Peru where a civil war is raging on. Herbert West and Dan Cain are volunteered medics there, helping wounded soldiers.

It doesn't take long before West is back to his old tricks again. An allied soldier is on an operating table in a tent and Herbert and Dan are attempting to save him, he passes away but Herbert manages to bring him back right before shooting him in the face. As the allies retreat, Dan and Herbert are attacked by some soldiers but does that stop West? Hell no

They return to Miskatonic where Dan is treating a cancer patient, Gloria. And life seems to be going on normally despite a massacre occurring only months earlier. That is, until Lt. Leslie Chapham(played by Claude Earl Jones) arrives. Chapham informs Dr. Graves (another doctor who works at Miskatonic) that the investigation of the Miskatonic Massacre is still under investigation. He brings along with him the head of Dr. Carl Hill (who was found in a side-show, a reference to West's advice in the first movie "Get a job in a side-show").

Soon, an Italian woman who had assisted West and Cain in Peru, Fancesca Danelli shows up and falls in love with Dan. However, as we all know from the previous movie, Dan can never have anything good in his life without it being destroyed.

Hill's head is soon re-animated and he is back to his old tricks again. And of course West is back to his tricks as well, experimenting re-animating various body-parts and whatnot.

Lt. Chapham pays West a visit one night while Dan and Francesca are otherwise "occupied" and attempts to attack West, who informs him that he is suspected of killing his wife. West kills Chapham and brings him back...BIG MISTAKE.

Hill is also given bat wings...another big mistake.

West and Dan have used body parts of different people to create the perfect bride. Using Gloria's head, Meg Halsey's heart, and various other parts from other women.

Soon another massacre takes place under the cemetery, the re-animated corpses, Chapham, the bride, Hill, and all of West's experiments are involved.

Well, I wont give every every last thing that happens

This movie is a must for fans of the first one

Paging Dr. West, your zombie is waking up.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 6/10 · 10 December 2023]

'Bride Of Re-Animator (1990)' is set eight months after the events of its predecessor, picking up with Dr. Herbert West and his assistant, Dr. Dan Cain, experimenting with West's fluorescent reanimation serum while working as combat medics in Peru. When they return home, West uses his new research to further compound his god complex and attempt to create new life from dead tissue, slowly assembling the eponymous Bride from a multitude of body parts he unscrupulously steals from the hospital in which he works. Where the movie really comes to life (pardon the pun) is in its finale, which features all manner of macabre grotesqueries crawling out of the woodwork to get their vengeance on their cruel creator. The special effects are goopy, over-the-top and darkly amusing, each one of them more conceptually unsettling than the last. The Bride herself is perhaps the crowning achievement in this department, as she convincingly looks cobbled together from a mess of decaying flesh, stringy tendons, exposed musculature, metallic bones and a freshly decapitated head with a striking visage that conveys all the pain and confusion that comes with being yanked from beyond the moral coil and thrust into a body that's already falling apart before it even begins to age. Prior to the excellent last act, the piece is more or less just alright. There are some moments of amusing dark humour, and the conviction of the central performances are commendable considering the notably amateurish efforts from some of the other players, but the narrative is just a bit too slight and there's not all that much tension or atmosphere until there suddenly is. Still, the flick is fairly fun despite its issues, and its ending really does make up for a lot of its less compelling segments. It's a gooey good time that isn't afraid to lean into its darker elements.

Too much gore turns psychotic

[skullhead739 · 4/10 · 21 April 2020]

Acting: The cast is great from the original and their performances were good but.. I just didnt like the dialog and portrayals of their original characters.. really seems like the protagonists lost the plot a bit and turn severely anti hero.

Special affects/cinematography: Just as good as the original minus the really fake looking dead cat, dog and bat. However I really didnt like the mixed creatures made from different body parts. It felt beyond psychotic/unrealistic and that's coming from a guy who loves movies such as saw, final fantasy etc..

Story: The plot was okay, just okay though. It brings back old characters but has the dull sequal curse. It doesnt really add anything new, its just more gory and sick adaptions of the undead. The characters seem unlike they were in the original and you lose all respect for them. Theres also no break in the sick and twisted and so you dont have any build up or suspense. It just ends up seeming repetitive.

Summary: I really loved the 1st film and had high Hope's for this one. Unfortunately I dont recommend this film as it's just a redo from the 1st film but with no charisma or spark.

"My God, they're using tools."

[joeyramone78 · 24 September 2001]

I have loved the original "Re-Animator" since I first saw it as a demented little boy way back in 1986. So naturally, I was quite excited when I got the chance to see the sequel when it premiered on Cinemax in 90 or 91. Although I was satisfied with "Bride of Re-Animator" when I initially viewed, I some how managed to avoid seeing it again for the next decade. I am not quite sure why that is, especially considering I have been enjoying the original on dvd for quite some time now. Looking back I think it's because I had the realization that, as I have grown older and my tastes have matured, things that were "great" when I was kid are often terrible these days, rendering films that were merely "oky" even worse. In other words, I was afraid of watching "Bride" and just hating, thereby tarnishing the legacy created by the still fabulous original. To get to the point, I recently decided to take a chance and I broke down and bought "Bride" on dvd. Going into it with my expectations totally lowered (since I couldn't remember much from watching it 10 years prior), I was pleasantly surprised by this worthy sequel to one of my all time favorite horror flicks. Sure, "Bride" still somewhat pales by comparison, but it would be safe to say that it compares to the original the same way that the competent "Halloween 2" stands up to it's classic predecessor. In other words, this isn't a great flick, but much of the magic that made the original work is still here, and the film has a few surprises of it's own. I won't go into the plot because everybody else on here has already explained it, and besides, I find the plot to be one of the areas where "Bride" is most lacking. I will instead try to concentrate on the things I like about this film, namely, some snappy (and extremely DRY) one-liners, hilariously over-the-top gore effects and another great turn by Jeffrey Combs as the titular "re-animator". "Bride" relies on the mix of outrageous horror and dark comedy that defined the original, this time leaning just a little more towards the comedy side without becoming a parody of the first one. With stronger direction and more a more fleshed-out screenplay, I believe this one could have had the potential to be as good as the original-but who wants to see classic overshadowed? "Bride of Re-Animator" stands well on it's own and as a nice afterthought to the original it should please most fans. I also highly recommend the feature-loaded dvd release, and although some would argue this film gets a slightly grander dvd treatment than it deserves, who can really complain about a plethora of special features?