Bride of Re-Animator (1990) Review

"I'm moving out."

-Dr. Dan Cain

Eight months after the events of the first film, Dr. Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) and Dr. Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) return from Peru with an ingredient to improve West's serum of re-animation.  As foes, both old and new, close in on the scientists, West and Cain attempt to resurrect a version of the woman Dan loved.

What Works:

Just like the previous film, Jeffrey Combs is brilliant as Dr. West.  He's slightly more likable this time around because he and Dan have gotten closer, but he's still the strange weirdo we know and love.  Combs shines every time he is on screen and is easily the best part of the movie.

Bruce Abbott also does a good job here and I like his performance.  He starts off the movie as West's partner, neck deep in all of the madness, and he begins to want out, but as West convinces him to press on, Dan starts to lose it.  It's a fun performance and Cain is a great foil for West.

The strange creations West makes are all awesome.  We get to see all sorts of wacky things come to life on screen and it's a lot of fun.  My favorite is the finger/eyeball creature that I only wish had stuck around longer.

The 3rd act is absolutely bonkers and completely over-the-top.  It never quite reaches the heights of the 1st film, but it's a thrilling conclusion nonetheless.

Finally, even though we don't get enough of him, David Gale is great as the head of Dr. Hill.  His performance is pure insanity and he gets some of the best lines of the film.

What Sucks:

Early on in the film, we get a scene that introduces us to the characters of Lt. Chapham (Claude Earl Jones) and Dr. Graves (Mel Stewart).  This is the worst scene of the movie.  It's incredibly awkward and does not do a good job of establishing who these characters are.  Neither Jones or Stewart give good performances and they just made me want Combs back on screen.  Fortunately Jones gets better as his character goes nuts and Dr. Graves is a pretty minor character, but it was still a rough scene to sit though.

As I said earlier, Dr. Hill is not in nearly enough of the film.  For the movie's main antagonist, he doesn't do anything until the very end.  West and Cain don't even know Hill is back until the 3rd act.  If he had been better utilized, it could have added a ticking clock element to the structure of the film and given us more Dr. Hill, both of which are improvements.

Finally, Dan's new love interest, Francesca (Fabiana Udenio), is pretty worthless and uninteresting.  She adds basically nothing to the plot and simply isn't an engaging character.  She needed more development for us to care about her.

Verdict:

Bride of Re-Animator is a fun movie with some great gore and effects, awesome performances from Combs, Abbott, and Gale, and a bonkers 3rd act.  Some of the supporting characters suck, we don't get enough Dr. Hill, and ultimately this movie isn't as good as the original, but it has still got it going on.

 7/10: Good