Review of Beyond Re-Animator (2003) by Allan C — 11 Nov 2016

I quite liked this third Re-Animator film, largely thanks to another great performance by Jeffrey Combs, who again returns as mad scientist Herbert West. The story picks up with Herbert West in prison for his acts in the previous films, when a new prison doctor enters the scene with an interest in helping West continue his research.

I think what made this sequel so enjoyable is that besides the typically fun re-animation story elements (undead monstrosities, leering body parts, dark twisted humor, etc.) you also get entertaining prison-film archetypes (evil warden, colorful convicts, the inevitable prison riot, etc.

). This entry was directed by Bryan Yuzna (who produced the original film and directed the weak second film), who at the time was working out of Spain producing some terrifically fun and varied low budget horror films under the Fantastic Factory banner for Filmax.

Yuzna gets the tone just right here, nicely matching the shock and black humor of the original film. But Combs as West is the real hero of the film and is just a delight in every scene. The main thing I miss about this sequel is the absence of a score by composer Richard Band.

Overall, this film is highly recommended for fans of the original.