Back in 1985, horror movies were still a major draw at the box office. The slasher films were at the height of their popularity, and your local multiplexes would be playing the latest FRIDAY THE 13^TH, HALLOWEEN, or NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET sequels. Since horror was big, Columbia Pictures decided to remake THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN on a big-scale budget. They presented the project to director Franc (QUADROPHRENIA) Roddam, who cast hot young (though inexperienced) stars Sting and Jennifer Beals. True to the original film, THE BRIDE is an aristocratic, gothic period piece—a fact that did not equate success at the box office. Seeing as the core horror audiences of the time wanted violence and gore over story and atmosphere, THE BRIDE was largely ignored by it’s target audience. Critics too (who always hated horror films) frowned upon the film and criticized the performances of the leads. Who would have guessed that Franc Roddam’s beautifully photographed period piece would become better with age, ultimately becoming a more palatable take on Mary Shelley’s creation than KENNETH BRANAUGH’S FRANKENSTEIN? Columbia Tristar Home Video re-debuts THE BRIDE on DVD, with the best looking transfer the film has ever had. Though not a full blown special edition, the disk does include a running audio commentary with Franc Roddam.

As the movie begins, Baron Frankenstein (Sting), the monster (Clancy Brown), Dr. Zalhus (Quentin Crisp), and his hunchbacked assistant, Paulus (Tim Spall) succeed in creating a mate for the monster. Baron Frankenstein’s latest undead creation possesses a body that a stripper would kill for (played by an unscarred Jennifer Beals). When she first casts her eyes on the monster (who has the intellect of a child) she rejects him, inducing him to go berserk. His rage causes the laboratory to go up in flames and explode. Baron Frankenstein escapes with his new creation, whom he calls Eve. He believes that everyone else perished in the fire—and they have (all, that is, except for the monster himself). The monster wanders the countryside until he befriends a wise dwarf, Rinaldo (David Rapport), who seeks to work at a circus in Budapest. The two misfits strike up a deep friendship, while back at Castle Frankenstein, the Baron dotes over his beautiful creation and teaches her the ways of acting like a woman. The Baron subconsciously falls in love with his creation and believes he can turn her into his mental equal. Meanwhile, Rinaldo and the monster run afoul of the crooked circus owner. One of the other circus freaks murders Rinaldo, causing the monster to revert to his former mentality. That’s when Eva discovers she has a psychic link with her intended mate. Eva eventually rejects Baron Frankenstein’s sexual advances, causing him to turn against her. The Baron prepares to kill her, when the monster returns to the castle to rescue his chosen mate…

Franc Roddam is an incredibly stylistic director, who masterfully crafts this gothic romance (not a horror film) from a flawed script. Roddam splits the screen time between exploring the relationship between Eva and Baron Frankenstein, and the road adventures of Rinaldo and the monster. Here is where the surprise is: Sting and Jennifer Beals exhibit no chemistry whatsoever, and their constant banter quickly becomes tiresome. However, David Rappaport and Clancy Brown steal the show. The narrative tracks the emotional development of the monster (nicknamed "Victor" by his tiny comrade) from an oafish monstrosity to a brooding sentimental being. When Lloyd Fonvielle’s script starts unraveling near the end, Roddam helps alleviate the burden with some truly awesome cinematography. He also manages to control the tone and injects some light humor, without turning the events into camp or satire. Acting-wise, Clancy Brown’s monster upstages everyone in THE BRIDE. David Rappaport (of TIME BANDITS fame) is next on the list, and may be the world’s best midget actor. I thought Sting did a fairly decent job considering his lack of acting experience. Jennifer Beals, on the other hand, is just bland--she generates no depth or emotion, and is only really suited for a role as a stripper (and even today she’s a little to old for that position). But don’t let her performance put you off on seeing this gothic thriller, which is essentially a big-budget remake of a Hammer film. It’s too bad a talented visualist like Franc Roddam didn’t work more in the industry, as he certainly is a better director than many of the hacks out there.

From the Special Features menu, you can view talent bios for Sting and Jennifer Beals. You can enable the audio commentary with director Franc Roddam. It’s the usual director insight on the production and casting of THE BRIDE. He also goes into great detail about the fantastic location shooting in Europe. You can also view theatrical trailers for:

• THE BRIDE (FF, DD 2.0, 1:37)
• BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (1.85.1, DD 2.0, 2:35)
• KENNETH BRANAUGH’S FRANKENSTEIN (1.85.1, DD 2.0, 1:35)

-  Phil Chandler