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Bride of Re-Animator is Violently Underrated

Published

7 years ago

May 21, 2017

The amount of times I’ve seen 1985’s Re-Animator is insurmountable. It’s a staple in any conversation of greatest horror movies, whether or not we’re speaking Lovecraftian films or just flat-out greatest horror movies. The general consensus is that the film is amazing, and I can attest to that. But what about the sequel?

In all of my years of watching, reading, or finding any other possible way to consume horror, I’ve not heard much about Yuzna’s sequel to the film. Bride of Re-Animator, released four years later in 1989, has passed by generally undetected for a very, very long time. Despite this, Bride is actually an astounding display of gore and terror. It has its own unique set of quirks, and the tone is substantially different from the original. While they’re both different, they work very well as companion pieces to one another.

Jeffrey Combs and Bruce Abbott return to their respective roles as Herbert West and Dan Cain. West is up to his old tricks once again and plans to reanimate the perfect woman. Using the heart of a dead lover of Cain’s, the results are, as one may imagine, disastrous. All the while, the two scientists are being pursued by both the head of Dr. Hill and a detective hot on their trail. To make matters even more complicated, the irresistible Dan Cain has gotten involved with another woman who is oblivious to the insidious experiments being performed in the basement of West and Cain’s house. What could possibly go wrong?

Image courtesy of Home Cinema Choice

The effects are top-notch, as one would expect in a sequel to such a phenomenal film, and there are more than a few scenes which are cringeworthy – but I mean this in the best of ways. The sequences which involve the titular bride, in particular, are stomach-churning. Her body, a mutilated amalgam of discarded human body parts, is a much more gory version of the unforgettable Elsa Lanchester in Bride of Frankenstein (1935). The film almost serves as an updated version of the 1935 film. It once again reiterates the point that maybe man was not meant to play God after all.

Bride of Re-Animator finds its true strength towards the end of the film when the re-animated shit begins to hit the proverbial fan. All of West’s experiments are unleashed at once after being discarded as rejects. They are monstrous, disfigured, confused, and angry. In a fearful display, the end result is what one may imagine the darkest depths of Hell to look like. Oh, and there’s also this little guy:

Image courtesy of DVD Exotica

I can offer quite a few reasons as to why I believe the sequel seems to be so under appreciated. One is that the first was so quirky and original that anything less than astounding would be sure to be buried underneath the weight of its predecessor. A genuine horror comedy, Re-Animator was darkly silly while reaching levels of blood and surreal gore rarely seen in cinema before. Bride of Re-Animator lacked a strong humorous component. While it still was very much a goofy movie, it was much more subdued. From start to finish, it plays as a much more tongue-in-cheek affair than the first film.

Jeffrey Combs seems much more sinister in this film. Beyond curiosity, West no longer seems to have the slightest regard for the life he is reanimating. The lives he ruins in the process appear to be nothing more than collateral damage. This is illustrated perfectly in the beginning of the film when Cain and West are seen volunteering in a foreign civil war as doctors. Except, instead of tending to the wounded soldiers, West uses the bodies as raw material for his experiments. It’s a bizarre introduction with not much explanation and serves only to help create a bizarre tone for things to come.

Though I am quick to praise the film, I would be lying if I said that Bride of Re-Animator was as groundbreaking or simply entertaining as its predecessor. It’s a great film – especially the dark descent into madness at the end – but much like The Exorcist, nothing that follows could ever compare*. It’s an uphill battle that can never be won. Still, it’s one that’s worth mentioning, and a double-feature of the two films would make for a very fun and extremely gory night in.

*no, I’m not talking about The Exorcist 2, ya dummy. That movie sucks. The Exorcist 3, though? Now we’re talking.

Image courtesy of Nerdist

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Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

12 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

14 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

15 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.