Beyond Re-Animator Blu-Ray Review (Vestron Video Collector's Series #15)
By Paul Rudoff on Jul. 26, 2018 at 11:30 PM in Home Video, Horror

H.P. Lovecraft's Beyond Re-Animator arrives on Blu-ray as the 15th entry in Lionsgate's Vestron Video Collector's Series, "a line of classic genre films newly remastered and with a wealth of supplementary features." I have reviewed several other titles in the series.

Lionsgate just released two titles in their Vestron Video Collector's Series: Beyond Re-Animator and Dagon. Both of these films share many things in common. For one, they're both part of Brian Yuzna's deal with Spanish movie studio Filmmax, that saw a whole series of "Fantastic Films" horror movies in the mid-2000s. Brian is a producer on both, and the director of Beyond Re-Animator. Both have a connection to the works of H.P. Lovecraft, even if the connection is tenuous at best for Beyond Re-Animator. These two films also mark the first time that Lionsgate has included movies from the DVD era of the 2000s, instead of the VHS era of the 1980s and 1990s, in the Vestron series.

Beyond Re-Animator (2003) is the third movie in the trilogy, after Re-Animator (1985) and Bride of Re-Animator (1989). Beyond picks up at the end of Bride, with young Howard Phillips and his friend playing in a tent in their backyard while his sister is inside the house. It looks and feels like a slasher film, ala Halloween. Soon, one of Herbert West's (Jeffrey Combs) reanimated subjects breaks in and kills the sister right in front of her brother. Afterward, the police arrest Dr. West, causing him to drop a syringe of his serum, which is picked up by Howard.

Cut to 13 years later, and we see that the good doctor has been spending his time as a resident of a prison in Arkham, Massachusetts that has a suspiciously large number of inmates with Spanish accents. (The only negative aspect of this movie being filmed in Spain.) In walks a grown-up Howard Phillips (Jason Barry) to serve as the prison's new doctor, with West to serve as his assistant. Dr. Phillips saved that syringe all these years, apparently "as is" without being in a protective box or even a cover over the needle, and presents it to an excited Dr. West. He's happy to continue his experiments, and you know what that means...

Let's just say that all of the side characters get mutated in gloriously gory ways and the shit hits the fan rather quickly. There are some really cool practical special effects by Screaming Mad George and some local Spanish effects crews that are beyond fantastic. The acting from everyone except Jeffrey Combs is a little sketchy, but I think that may be due to the fact that English is not their first language. I do want to give a special mention to Nico Baixas, who plays Moses (seen in the image below). He reminds me so much of Michael Berryman.

At a runtime of 1:36:03, Beyond Re-Animator is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a beautiful transfer that is crisp and clear with no issues that I noticed. On the audio side, there's an English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track, which is loud and clear. The film includes English SDH and Spanish subtitles. The first print run includes a slipsleeve.

A small selection of new bonus features were created for this release, as well as porting over everything from the old DVD release.
- Audio Commentary with Director Brian Yuzna
- Isolated Score Selections and Interview with Composer Xavier Capellas
- Beyond and Back (18:50) - An interview with Brian Yuzna.
- Death Row Side Show (20:09) - An interview with Jeffrey Combs.
- Six Shots By Midnight (16:13) - An interview with Lovecraft biographer S.T. Joshi.
- Production Art Gallery (4:38) - Various pieces of artwork by Richard Raaphorst.
- Still Gallery (17:07) - Photos, storyboards, and movie posters & DVD cover art.
- Vintage EPK Featurette (17:17) - Primarily in Spanish, for some reason.
- Dr. Reanimator - Move Your Dead Bones Music Video (4:28) - A goofy music video directed by J.A. Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom).
- Theatrical Trailer (1:28)
- International Trailer (1:52)

Beyond Re-Animator is ridiculously fun and gory, reminding me of Peter Jackson's Dead Alive. I saw the first Re-Animator a few years ago, and I loved it. Never saw Bride of Re-Animator, but from what I've learned, Beyond Re-Animator builds upon it, so now I'm really interested in checking it out. Anyway, Lionsgate put together a great package for Beyond Re-Animator, and it's worth the purchase (or upgrade if you own the DVD) if you like over-the-top gory films.
Final Verdict: Recommended.

As of right now (updated 7/24/2018), the Vestron Video Collector's Series includes the following Blu-ray releases, all of which contain new bonus materials just like the one I reviewed.
01. Chopping Mall (September 27, 2016)
02. Blood Diner (September 27, 2016)
03. Waxwork 1 & 2 (October 18, 2016) - Double Feature
04. Return of the Living Dead 3 (November 22, 2016)
05. C.H.U.D. II: Bud The CHUD (November 22, 2016)
06. The Lair of the White Worm (January 31, 2017)
07. Parents (January 31, 2017)
08. The Gate (Febuary 28, 2017)
09. Wishmaster Collection (March 28, 2017) - Quadruple Feature
10. The Unholy (June 27, 2017)
11. The Warlock Collection (July 25, 2017) - Triple Feature
12. Slaughter High (October 31, 2017)
13. Gothic (January 30, 2018)
14. Class of 1999 (January 30, 2018)
15. Beyond Re-Animator (July 24, 2018)
16. H.P. Lovecraft's Dagon (July 24, 2018)
02. Blood Diner (September 27, 2016)
03. Waxwork 1 & 2 (October 18, 2016) - Double Feature
04. Return of the Living Dead 3 (November 22, 2016)
05. C.H.U.D. II: Bud The CHUD (November 22, 2016)
06. The Lair of the White Worm (January 31, 2017)
07. Parents (January 31, 2017)
08. The Gate (Febuary 28, 2017)
09. Wishmaster Collection (March 28, 2017) - Quadruple Feature
10. The Unholy (June 27, 2017)
11. The Warlock Collection (July 25, 2017) - Triple Feature
12. Slaughter High (October 31, 2017)
13. Gothic (January 30, 2018)
14. Class of 1999 (January 30, 2018)
15. Beyond Re-Animator (July 24, 2018)
16. H.P. Lovecraft's Dagon (July 24, 2018)
All images come from the still image gallery on the disc, except for Images 2, 3, and 7 which were grabbed from the Internet. The Blu-ray has been provided by Lionsgate for review on this site.
No feedback yet
Leave a comment
« H.P. Lovecraft's Dagon Blu-Ray Review (Vestron Video Collector's Series #16) | Rampage 2018 Blu-ray + DVD Review » |