The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

In fact, it is indeed a freakin' classic, one of the most delightful 80's genre efforts, and a nice modern spin on zombie fare.

A deadly chemical leaks out of misplaced Army canisters and proceeds to infect various unlucky people, including the corpses that had been resting peacefully under the Earth at a nearby cemetery. An unlikely bunch of would be dinners end up having to team up in order to try and survive.

Marking the directorial debut for the late Dan O'Bannon, it injects a wonderfully quirky, comic sensibility into its raucous story, incorporating elements of farce into its mix with ease. It also populates its story with not the usual sex obsessed, personality deficient teenagers but a group of outcasts that is genuinely interesting and engaging. The pacing absolutely never lets up, delivering one riotous scene after another; this is energetic, spirited stuff. Even the zombies themselves - not the typical shambling kind, but relentless, speedy, and quite smart as well - are given a degree of personality. In addition to the movie's most popular zombie in the form of the foul, dripping Tar Man (Allan Trautman), we are treated to a Civil War soldier zombie, a half woman corpse with some of the most striking blue eyes one will ever see, and a midget zombie. The zombies even talk, and from one of them we're even given an explanation why they would crave brains in particular (this movie can take credit for introducing the "eating of the brain" idea into pop culture).

Highly quotable dialogue is another plus, as well as the kick ass soundtrack featuring such cool groups as The Cramps, 45 Grave, Tall Boys, T.S.O.L., and others, and the extremely catchy Trioxin theme (Trioxin being the name of the chemical). The nicely chosen cast all work incredibly well together, including the under-rated veterans Clu Gulager (as the corporate weasel who cares only for saving his business at first but eventually turns into a real take-charge kind of guy), James Karen (delivering a memorable, delicious comic performance as the warehouse supervisor), and Don Calfa (as the mortician with a possible Nazi past). The younger generation is represented by Linnea Quigley, in her break through role as the kinky "Trash", the hilarious Mark Venturini (who unfortunately has also passed on) as Suicide, the "spooky" guy who just feels misunderstood, Thom Mathews as the ill-fated Freddy, cute Beverly Randolph, sexy Jewel Shepard, and Brian Peck, John Philbin, and Miguel Nunez, all of whom are fun to watch.

The makeup effects and gore are excellently done, with some juicy gross 'em out moments. Culminating in an effectively ironic twist, "The Return of the Living Dead" is definitely one of those modern classics that veteran horror fans are sure to proudly display among their movie collection, and which newcomers to the genre really ought to check out. It's too good to miss.

10 out of 10.

Fmovies: The best comedy is played straight, and there are few films "straighter" than horror movies (in which the intent is, ostensibly, to terrify). Dan O'Bannon's "straight comedy" is gut-bustingly funny. [I also remember being impressed by his performance in the delightful DARK STAR, which turned up at an art house showing along with the STAR WARS parody, HARDWARE WARS.] Intense, and boasting great music and some of the best performances ever seen in a fright film (including Clu Gulager, James Karen and Don Calfa, veterans all, whose frantic on-screen antics are the cornerstones of this film), RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD is one of those "must-see" movies no serious fan should miss. The cinematography is simply stunning, and the fx are 100% believable. It's amazing that O'Bannon hasn't directed more often: it's clear that he belongs behind a camera.

This is the most innovative, and arguably the best film in the genre. A perfect mix of camp, wit, style and straight up horror.This was the first movie to have zombies crave brains, and to have them be cunning and fast. Not to mention some of the most amazing and memorable scenes ever committed to celluloid. Every modern zombie film owes a tip of the hat to this cinematic masterpiece that single-handedly changed the genre. It is probably the most important and influential zombie flick of all time. I cannot believe this gem is so overlooked.

If you have not seen this film do yourself a huge favour and watch it asap.

The Return of the Living Dead fmovies. "Return of the Living Dead" is an often hilarious, often frightening, often disgusting, and always entertaining horror comedy. The cast is great, the dialogue is snappy and very quotable, and the special effects still hold up very well, nearly 20 years after the film's release. Fans of the horror genre, 1980s buffs, or just folks who enjoy something different occasionally will most likely get a kick out of it.

10/10

ROTLD is one of the rare cases where horror meets comedy to good effect. With some classic lines like "you gotta hit the brain" and "watch your mouth kid if you like this job", this film works because it doesn't rely solely on gore or stupidity; the script is very well written.

ROTLD pays homage to George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" but veers away from the slow lumbering zombies of the '68 classic, and instead gives us "the original" super zombies (ie before 28 days later or Dawn of the Dead remake) that are not so easily dealt with! This proves to be an interesting problem for the script to resolve which I think it does with style by the end of the movie.

The characters are a little predictable and one dimensional except for the lead pair who are introduced at the start of the movie, but that's perhaps the only flaw. What I really like about this movie is that, whilst not entirely a gorefest, it still manages to kick-ass because of the flawless plot. By this I mean that there a few scenarios where you find yourself saying "that's just dumb" or "they'd never do that" etc, which is very rare nowadays in the horror/sci-fi genre. Dramas & thrillers etc get an easy job of it because all they have to do is convince us that their reality is real-life. Horror on the other hand needs to convince that the unreality it portrays is what is real-life, and that's not always an easy task.

ROTLD is funny, sick, clever and above all entertaining if you can stomache some pretty twisted content. Personally, I love it.

Okay, we have zombies, punk rockers, a punk rock soundtrack, violence, gore, nudity, one-liners, comedy, great special effects, gratuitous profanity, an old creepy/shady mortician, an old cool caddy, brains, cheesy acting(where needed), dissected dogs, three sweet settings, and an awesome plot...BOOM! What else do you need? This movie has been one of my favorites for the past 25 years. This is by far one of the most entertaining movies I have ever seen. Hilarious when it needs to be and sadistically chilling when the plot calls for it. This movie will be remembered for years to come. A definite cult classic. If you have never watched this movie then you are depraving yourself. Watch this movie...again and again!