After setting through the pretty abysmal Killer Nerd, I was a bit worried about what was in store for me with it's sequel, Bride of the Killer Nerd. I remember reading in the DVD liner notes for co-director Wayne Alan Harold's film Townies that Bride... was a major improvement over it's predecessor, but after seeing Killer Nerd, I was still worried beyond belief over what was in store for me.

Then I started watching it and much to my surprise, there was an incredibly effective opening scene.  Not only that, but Toby Radloff had improved significantly in front of the camera.  The shots were framed decently and the filmlooking was right on key.   I was amazed to say that I was actually somewhat enjoying Bride of the Killer Nerd and was not utterly bored and looking at my DVD player's LCD timecode waiting for the ninety minute mark to finally hit.

Anyway, getting on to the plot, Harold Kunkle has moved on to another town, where he tries to cover up his past, despite having some hallucinations of the people he murdered in the first film.  He's growing more and more depressed, as his torment for being a nerd continues in his new town, but he finds solace when he attends church and meets up with a local high school girl named Thelma Crump.  Thelma has had some bad times in her school for being a nerd and is having even more trouble when she gets the cool kids of her school in trouble inadvertently.  They eventually gain Thelma's trust and invite her and Harold to a party and they go, despite Harold's reluctance.  After getting Harold ridiculously drunk and giving Thelma a white-faced makeover, Harold and Thelma go on a quest to get revenge on their tormentors.

As I stated early, Bride of the Killer Nerd is a major improvement over it's predecessor.  So much so, that I wish I could forget how atrocious the original was.  Wayne Alan Harold and Mark Steven Bosco definitely were able to learn from their mistakes and it shows with the improved production quality of Bride.  There's better cinematography, performances, and music.  Of course, there's still some problems with underlit footage, at least a few actors that were of the quality of the original, and the fact that the band that plays the music within the film can't fake playing their instruments to save their lives.  It's a really catchy ska tune, but the band is playing undersized acoustic guitars.  Also, there's still some pacing problems, rough editing and the fact that Heidi Lohr is playing a totally different character in the same series, but that's all forgivable due to the budget and reflective of the age of the production.

But overall, I enjoyed watching Bride of the Killer Nerd much more.  Though I will still say Townies is Wayne Alan Harold's best work.  I hope I don't get in trouble for promoting a rival company's release, but you should really go check it out.

Rating: 3 out of 5

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