- Director: Brian Yuzna
- Writers: Rick Fry, Woody Keith
- Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Claude Earl Jones
- Run Time: 1 Hour, 36 Minutes
Synopsis
We start out with Dr. Hill’s disembodied head, now vowing revenge and laughing maniacally. We start in Peru, eight months later, after the “Miskatonic Massacre,” where Dan and West finish their tour as volunteer medics in a civil war. Their patient dies, but West doesn’t want to waste an opportunity, so he injects him with glowing green goo. Enemy soldiers are closing in on their camp, but West wants to give a speech about not just re-animating the dead, but creating new life. There’s a gunfight, but Dan gets stabbed. “Let’s go home,” says West. Credits roll.
Back at Miskatonic Hospital in Arkham Massachusetts, Herbert West and Dan Cain are seeing patients again. Police Lt. Chapham is still investigating the massacre a few months back, and he’s got Dr. Hill’s head. He says it showed up in a carnival sideshow. Dr. Graves explains that none of the bodies from that night have shown any signs of decay— they’re not quite dead. Graves shows Chapham a ballet dancer who cut off her feet. Her feet are missing. “Who’d want to steal body parts?” Graves asks.
We cut to West skulking around the morgue. He finds a bag labeled “Megan Halsey” and pockets her heart. He also finds Hill’s head. They go home to see that West has tunneled from the basement into the local cemetery. West has a gas that makes it look like a heart attack and leaves no trace. He tests it on an iguana. He extracts something from the iguana and makes more of his re-animation formula. West ties together five fingers and an eye and then gives it life. The little guy crawls away when they aren’t looking.
Dan wants out, but Herbert shows him Meg’s heart. Could they? Dan decides to stay and help. West wants to create a whole new person, starting with Meg’s heart. Lt. Chapham comes to the door, and they have to steer him away from the little finger-creature running all over the house. He’s there to ask about the missing body parts.
Dr. Graves has a bottle of the serum leftover from the massacre, and he experiments using it on a dead bat. It attacks him, and in retaliation, he cuts off its wings. Next, he injects Dr. Hill’s dead head. The two have a conversation, and Hill insists that Graves help him with “unfinished business.”
Dan meets Francesca, and old girlfriend. So does Chapham, who asks many questions about how she met Dan in Peru. Francesca comes over for dinner and brings her little dog with her. West connects an arm and a leg for hilarious effect. Chapham forces his way inside and goes down to their lab to look around. Apparently, Chapham killed his wife and then West brought her back. West uses his gas on Chapham.
They re-animate Chapham just to “get him back out on the street.” That goes badly for everyone, especially Francesca’s dog. Dan’s long-term patient dies the next day, and West sees an opportunity to get their last missing piece – a perfect head!
Meanwhile, back in Dr. Graves’ lab, Hill wants to see West, but Graves isn’t cooperating. Graves wraps the head in a towel and throws it in the trash basket. Hill telepathically calls Chapham to assist him. They make Graves graft big bat wings onto Hill’s head.
Back at the lab, West and Dan connect all the pieces and complete their creation. They inject it with the formula. There’s a buzz at the door; someone has left a box. West takes it inside and opens it. Under all the packing peanuts is… Dr. Hill, who can now fly. The lunatics from the hospital converge on the house.
Meanwhile, the creature in the basement wakes up, and she definitely has a Bride of Frankenstein-type of vibe going on. Soon, all our heroes are locked in the basement lab with zombies beating down the door. Francesca and the jealous creature fight. Finally, in frustration, the creature pulls out her own heart and hands it to Dan. She then falls to pieces.
Dr. Hill, the maniac zombies, and the leftover experimental things from the crypt all come in at the same time and attack everyone. Then the roof collapses and buries everyone. Dan and Francesca dig their way out.
Commentary
The organs and body parts are really well done here. There’s not really a lot new here, but it’s a good, logical extension of what came before. This one has more gore and humor than the original, but less of a story. The creature effects, especially at the very end, were great, and watching Hill fly around on bat wings was so over-the-top as to be ridiculous— but in a good way!