Horror fans were pleased when Artisan Entertainment announced the DVD release of the sequel to 1985's wildly inventive RE-ANIMATOR. Then disappointment reared its head as it became obvious that the source material came directly from the previous Vestron Video release with video static and all. A full screen video with poor picture quality and no bonus features, it appeared Artisan had no interest in a proper release of such an important film. So when Arrow Films from the UK announced that it would be distributing a restored version of the 1990 film BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR in the US expectations were high that the company would once again deliver the goods when it came to restoration and extras. They have gone one better and released a 2-disc set with the unrated version on disc one plus loads of extras and disc two features the R-rated version with some behind-the-scenes footage as a bonus.

The film was shrouded in controversy from the start. Director Stuart Gordon would not be involved and returning producer Brian Yuzna would do double duty as producer and director. While mostly positively received due to the fact that the film delivered quite a spectacle of bloody special effects, some felt the film differed in tone too much from the dark humor of the first film. While Gordon chose to stage much of his film at night or in shadow or dimly lit locations, Yuzna bathes a lot of his scenes in golden light or well-lit scenes with color gels used at different angles. A couple of scenes echo scenarios from FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN and the same year's FRANKENHOOKER. But even though its title may promise expectations that are impossible to meet, BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR is a wild, fun and gory return to the saga of Hebert West and his quest to perfect his re-animating serum.

The crisp and colorful widescreen picture is a vast improvement over the DVD although restored scenes to the unrated version were taken from a different source with a lesser picture quality but this is a small price to pay to see the film as intended. The extras include a filmed interview with Yuzna where he looks back at the genesis and production of the film. There is also a fun look at the various special effects masters brought in to do different sections of the film since the schedule was tight and it made more sense to have different shops working at the same time. Some of these creative forces include names like Screaming Mad George of New York Punk legends THE MAD, KNB FX GROUP featuring Greg Nicotero of THE WALKING DEAD fame, low budget genius John Beuchler and stop-motion animation wizard David Allen.