DATE. MATE. RE-ANIMATE. - Dr. West is Back in Glorious HD
Released by: Arrow Video
Release Date: April 11, 2016 (UK) / April 12, 2016 (US)
Production Year: 1989
Region Code: ALL
Running Time: 1:36:20
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Stereo
Video: 1080p (1.78:1 Aspect Ratio)
Subtitles: English SDH
THE FILM - [ 3 / 5 ]:
The success of Stuart Gordon’s hit horror-comedy "Re-Animator" meant that a sequel was all but inevitable. The resulting follow-up, "Bride of Re-Animator" – this time helmed by director Brian Yuzna ("Society," "Return of the Living Dead 3") – would prove that there was a good deal more life left in the story of Dr. Herbert West and his ghoulish exploits.
It is 8 years since the Miskatonic massacre. Unperturbed by the disastrous outcome of his previous meddling with the dead, Dr. West (again played by Jeffrey Combs) continues his research into the phenomenon of re-animation; only this time, he plans to create life – starting with the heart of his young protégé (Bruce Abbott) Dan’s dearly deceased, Meg Halsey. Surely nothing could go wrong?
"Bride of Re-Animator" used a number of talented special effects artists including Howard Berger and Robert Kurtzman of KNB, Screaming Mad George and John Carl Buechler. This Blu-ray really helps showcase the great work that they had done on this film. Sadly, Barbara Crampton did not return for the sequel. Her replacements, if you will, this time around in the love interest department are Kathleen Kinmount ("Halloween 4") as the ill-fated Gloria, the future "bride" and Fabiana Udenio ("Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery").
Be still Meg's beating heart. If you have seen "Re-Animator" but not this sequel, you owe it to yourself to visit Herbert and Dan once again and see what they are up to now. Then of course there is also "Beyond Re-Animator."
AUDIO - [ 4 / 5 ]:
The sole audio option other than the audio commentaries is an English LPCM 2.0 Stereo track. I found the track to sound excellent. The maniacal screaming of the bride sounds even more... animated on this Blu-ray. The score from Richard Band also sounds terrific on this release. Dialogue, the score and sound effects were very well balanced. Volume levels remained consistent throughout. I did not come across any issues in the form of hissing, drop outs or pops.
Following the film there is a note concerning the audio used for this Blu-ray presentation.
"The film's stereo soundtrack was mastered at 24bit/48 kHz from a Digital Betacam broadcast tape, the best existing source for the original stereo mix. The final mix on this tape was recorded well below standard average and peak levels, which resulted in inherent digital noise. The soundtrack, which also exhibited several mixing errors was restored with great care to present the soundtrack as originally intended." It is also mentioned that the restoration for the film was approved by Brian Yuzna.
VIDEO - [ 4 / 5 ]:
"Bride of Re-Animator" comes to life on U.K. and U.S. Blu-ray thanks to Arrow Video and their U.S. distributor MVD Entertainment Group. The film is presented in 1080p with a 1.78 Aspect Ratio. The film has been handled with great care via brand new 2K restorations of the Unrated and R-rated versions of the film, approved by director Brian Yuzna
I thought the Blu-ray looked very good and was a huge upgrade over my Rated and Unrated DVD's of the film. There is a significant amount of fine detail present in the many close up shots in the film that do a really wonderful job of showcasing the fantastic practical effects by the many FX artists that worked on the film. From the copious amount of bloody red tissue to the eerie green glow of Dr. West's reanimation formula, the colors in the film are bold and vibrant. Skin tones of the living, dead and re-animated look good as well. Black levels looked fine also as there are a number of shadowy scenes given the location where Herbert and Dan are currently residing and conducting their experiments. Film grain becomes slightly heavier in darker scenes but it still remained mostly unnoticeable unless I specifically looked for it. The exception to this is in certain scenes where a different source was used for the footage and there is an increase in film grain. There are an occasional white spot or other minor mark that shows up from time to time but it is a seldom occurrence.
Following the film on the Unrated Blu-ray disc is a note about the sources used. "Bride of Re-Animator was restored in 2013/2014 using the best elements available to achieve complete presentations on both R-Rated and Unrated versions of the film.
For the R-Rated Version, a second generation Intermediate Interpositive was used. For the Unrated Version, locating a 35mm element that was suitable for the restoration involved a near year-long search. A DeLuxe® Composite Master Positive Print with the cut sequences intact was found. Though the quality of this element was generally high, the definition it exhibited in two of the cut sequences differed in color rendition and density due to the photochemical imbalance during the copying process that could not be matched exactly to the higher quality IP materials. The color palette of the film was re-timed precisely to the photochemical attributes preserving the DeLuxe® presentations at the time of the original theatrical release.
Both the 35mm Intermediate Positive and the 35mm Composite Master Positive Print elements were scanned in 2K resolution at 16bit color depth on a pin-registered IMAGICA Imager XE Advanced Plus for a maximum yield of quality at TLEFilms Film Restoration & Preservation Services, Germany. The color grading was performed on a Baselight by TLEFilms FRPS using the facilities of PostFactory GmbH, Berlin, Germany.
Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and light scratches were removed through a combination of digital restoration tools. Image stability was also improved in shots where prior analysis confirmed that these instabilities were the result of duplication or copying errors during the original photochemical processing."
SPECIAL FEATURES - [ 5 / 5 ]:
Newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
Limited Edition Collector’s Booklet
The following appear on the disc with the Unrated version of the film:
Audio Commentary #1 - This new commentary features Director Brian Yuzna and is moderated by David Gregory. Chock full of interesting tidbits of information from things such as what was used to obtain the green glow for the formula to secrets behind some of the special effects, this track should help satisfy your thirst for knowledge of all things "Bride of Re-Animator." If not, there are more commentaries and extras to help fill any gaps. At one time a possible Re-Animator vs. Phantasm type film was talked about but Phantasm creator Don Coscarelli had no interest in the crossover. Personally, I'm not sure how well that could have worked considering the tone of the films are so different. But it's an intriguing idea.
Audio Commentary #2 - This track features director Brian Yuzna, star Jeffrey Combs, visual effects supervisor Tom Rainone and the effects team including John Buechler, Mike Deak, Robert Kurtzman, Howard Berger and Screaming Mad George. A fun and relaxed track. Some of the participants had not seen the film in years and it shows with some of the comments in regards to not being sure what was happening or going to happen next. But it is still a fun time listening to them reminisce about the production of the film which is predominantly scene specific.
Limited Edition Collector’s Booklet
The following appear on the disc with the Unrated version of the film:
Audio Commentary #1 - This new commentary features Director Brian Yuzna and is moderated by David Gregory. Chock full of interesting tidbits of information from things such as what was used to obtain the green glow for the formula to secrets behind some of the special effects, this track should help satisfy your thirst for knowledge of all things "Bride of Re-Animator." If not, there are more commentaries and extras to help fill any gaps. At one time a possible Re-Animator vs. Phantasm type film was talked about but Phantasm creator Don Coscarelli had no interest in the crossover. Personally, I'm not sure how well that could have worked considering the tone of the films are so different. But it's an intriguing idea.
Audio Commentary #2 - This track features director Brian Yuzna, star Jeffrey Combs, visual effects supervisor Tom Rainone and the effects team including John Buechler, Mike Deak, Robert Kurtzman, Howard Berger and Screaming Mad George. A fun and relaxed track. Some of the participants had not seen the film in years and it shows with some of the comments in regards to not being sure what was happening or going to happen next. But it is still a fun time listening to them reminisce about the production of the film which is predominantly scene specific.
Audio Commentary #3 - This track features stars Jeffrey Combs and Bruce Abbott. Another fun commentary that really feels like you're listening to two old friends talk about the good old days or in this case, "Bride of Re-Animator." It does have a slight "MST3K" feel to it as the duo pokes fun at everything, including themselves from time to time which makes it even more enjoyable.
Brian Yuzna Remembers Bride (9:37) - A brand new featurette with director Brian Yuzna as he looks back on the first sequel to Re-Animator. There is a little overlapping of information here from the first commentary track but it is short and nice to see Mr. Yuzna's enthusiasm while talking fondly of the film, which made it a nice little extra.
Splatter Masters (14:39) - A brand new featurette that looks at the special effects work behind Bride of Re-Animator. This extra includes interviews with Robert Kurtzman of KNB, Screaming Mad George, Anthony Doublin and John Carl Buechler. FX fans should be pleased with this extra. A fascinating look at some of the work that went in to the great practical effects used in the movie. My only complaint is I wish it was longer because I enjoy hearing them talk about their craft as well as seeing some behind the scenes snippets. Thankfully the next bonus feature gives us a further peek behind the curtain.
Getting Ahead in Horror (23:50) - An archive making-of piece composed of behind the scenes footage. Another great extra for FX fans. A look at what went in to achieving the effects for the bride, the bat, Dr. Hill's head and more.
Theatrical Trailer (1:53)
Deleted Scenes:
The following appears on the disc with the R-Rated version of the film:
Behind-the-Scenes Reel (14:30) - More behind the scenes footage of the practical FX work from the film. There are some instances of the same footage as seen on the other disc.
The Limited Edition set also includes a DVD of the Unrated version of the film.
OVERALL RATING - [ 4 / 5 ]
Brian Yuzna Remembers Bride (9:37) - A brand new featurette with director Brian Yuzna as he looks back on the first sequel to Re-Animator. There is a little overlapping of information here from the first commentary track but it is short and nice to see Mr. Yuzna's enthusiasm while talking fondly of the film, which made it a nice little extra.
Splatter Masters (14:39) - A brand new featurette that looks at the special effects work behind Bride of Re-Animator. This extra includes interviews with Robert Kurtzman of KNB, Screaming Mad George, Anthony Doublin and John Carl Buechler. FX fans should be pleased with this extra. A fascinating look at some of the work that went in to the great practical effects used in the movie. My only complaint is I wish it was longer because I enjoy hearing them talk about their craft as well as seeing some behind the scenes snippets. Thankfully the next bonus feature gives us a further peek behind the curtain.
Getting Ahead in Horror (23:50) - An archive making-of piece composed of behind the scenes footage. Another great extra for FX fans. A look at what went in to achieving the effects for the bride, the bat, Dr. Hill's head and more.
Theatrical Trailer (1:53)
Deleted Scenes:
- Meg is Re-Animated (8:04)
- Carnival Sequence (2:03)
The following appears on the disc with the R-Rated version of the film:
Behind-the-Scenes Reel (14:30) - More behind the scenes footage of the practical FX work from the film. There are some instances of the same footage as seen on the other disc.
The Limited Edition set also includes a DVD of the Unrated version of the film.
OVERALL RATING - [ 4 / 5 ]
