The Return Of The Living Dead

A lot of people, myself included, love Shaun Of The Dead. I think the combination of horror and humor really won audiences over, making it feel like a new spin on the walking dead genre. But back in 1985, another undead flick treadad on similar ground, The Return Of The Living Dead.

It's the punks vs. the zombies in this spoof/love letter to George Romero's classic Night Of The Living Dead. Years ago, the Army lost a canister containing a zombie. The so called canister found it's way to a medical supply warehouse. When trying to impress a new employee, Thom Mathews, the manager of the warehouse, James Karen, shows him the zombie. In doing so, he accidentally unleashes the creature, and some toxic fumes. When the fumes get into the air, they mix with a rain storm, causing the buried bodies from a graveyard next door to rise from their graves, Unfortunately, the trainee's friends happen to be waiting for him in that graveyard.

This is probably my favorite zombie flick. The cast, which also includes vets like Clu Gulager and Don Calfa, plus cult favorites Linnea Quigly and Jewel Shepard, are terrific and have a lot of fun with the material. Everybody has a real tongue in cheek attitude towards the proceedings which works in the movies favor.

The soundtrack, which includes The Cramps, T.S.O.L., and The Damned also rocks.

The film was written and directed by legendary horror scribe Dan O'Bannon. It was originally going to be directed by Tobe Hooper, but he backed out so that he could direct another O'Bannon screenplay Lifeforce.

This is a terrific zombie flick that spawned some sequels that don't equal the greatness of this one. There's also a great documentary, More Brains: A Return Of The Living Dead about the making of this that's real good.

It's available on dvd and blu ray.