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The Return of the Living Dead

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The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

August. 16,1985
|
7.3
|
R
| Horror Comedy
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When foreman Frank shows new employee Freddy a secret military experiment in a supply warehouse in Louisville, Kentucky, the two klutzes accidentally release a gas that reanimates corpses into flesh-eating zombies. As the epidemic spreads throughout the town, and the creatures satisfy their hunger in gory and outlandish ways, Frank and Freddy fight to survive with the help of their boss and a mysterious mortician.

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Acensbart
1985/08/16

Excellent but underrated film

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Bereamic
1985/08/17

Awesome Movie

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Senteur
1985/08/18

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

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Juana
1985/08/19

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

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Leofwine_draca
1985/08/20

Oh boy! Made with a skill and attention to detail which immediately raises it above all similar fare (including the sequel), RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD is one of the those essential horror movies that isn't afraid to play things for laughs. Sharing the same genre as the likes of other classics such as RE-ANIMATOR and EVIL DEAD II, this is a furiously plotted, hilariously acted masterpiece the likes of which don't come along very often! I'd probably say that this is THE movie that best sums up the punkish, counter culture feel of the '80s horror film, complete with dumb teenagers, dumber employees, and even dumber cops and paramedics. For once the heavy metal soundtrack fits in beautifully with the proceedings and its one of those endlessly quotable films that you'll be sampling with your mates in years to come.The cast is uniformly excellent, with the most memorable performers giving over-the-top performances. Whether it be weird bug-eyed embalmer Ernie, as played by Don Calfa, or nude punk Linnea Quigley in the role that rocketed her to scream queen fame, this is a film with some great and surprising turns. Clu Gulager keeps a recommendable straight face throughout in the serious leading role, whilst ghoulish over-the-top antics are provided by the inimitable teaming of Thom Mathews and James Karen. The special effects remain impressive and enjoyable and some are very well achieved – particularly the half-corpse on the operating table.The movie never lets up from the word go, with an excellent pre-credits opening, some great twists and successions as the initial accident turns into a major catastrophe, and the eventual chaos and destruction raining down on the lives of everyone involved. I loved the little things like the butterflies pinned on the board springing to life, or the split dogs. Most of the best laughs come from hilarious encounters with the living dead, whether it be the sawing up of the initial lively cadaver or the tar-man getting his comeuppance at the climax of the movie. Yet the film is also pretty gruesome and frightening with a zombie attack to rival those in Romero's films, on which this is obviously based. Original, mean-spirited, and most of all utterly enjoyable, this is one of my favourite horror comedies which gets better as the years progress and cinema just keeps getting worse.

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buckikris
1985/08/21

I have to admit the first time I watched this movie I hated it. I guess I was looking at it a more of a horror movie than a comedy. I watched it again last night, and got a different perspective. I actually thought it was funny. To me it wasn't scary at all, yes a little creepy; but more humorous than anything. I loved Tarman and the zombies wanting more paramedics and cops- yum. I love George Romero classics, especially Day Of The Dead. This is more of a parody to his work. I thought one of the scenes with the punks could have been cut. The one were Miss takes it all off in the graveyard was tasteless; but other than that it was O.K.. To sum it all up it was funny, and creepy in spots. The ending was kind of predictable, but it is a great comedy.THX, Kris L. CocKayne

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morrison-dylan-fan
1985/08/22

During the IMDb Horror board October Challenge I got the chance to watch a number of excellent movies starring "Scream Queen" Linnea Quigley.Talking to a fellow IMDber,I got told about one of Quigley's most well-known titles that I had somehow overlooked,which led to me getting ready to see the living dead return.The plot:Sorting out human skeletons to be sent to medical schools,Frank tells new employee Freddy that the factory they are working in has a basement filled with military canisters which contain an army toxin that went wrong,which on the one time it was unleashed,inspired a group of film makers to shoot Night of the Living Dead.Going down to the basement,Frank & Freddy clean the drums up,and discover that the toxin is actually zombies.Moving the drums around,Frank accidentally opens one of them up,which leads to him and Freddy suddenly being knocked out.As Freddy lays KO'ed,his pals Tina,Spider,Suicide, Trash, Scuz, Casey and Chuck decide to drive down and pick Freddy up from work.Arriving early,the gang decide to wait round for Freddy by hanging out at a near by graveyard.Waking up,Frank and Freddy find the tin drums empty. Initially believing that the zombies have melted away,Frank and Freddy soon discover that along with unleashing the zombies,that they themselves will soon join the walking dead.View on the film:Looking like a prime piece of Pop-Art,Linnea Quigley (who also appears naked) gives a terrific performance as Trash,whose swinging dance moves and flaring red hair perfectly set the wonderfully strange atmosphere of the film.Joining Quigley, Miguel A. Núñez Jr. (who was homeless when he got the role) gives a whip-smart performance as Spider,whilst Don Calfa gives the movie a touch of the "Mad Scientist" as Ernie.Backed by a sinister score from Matt Clifford and roaring Punk Rock songs,co-writer/(along with Rudy Ricci/John A. Russo and Russell Streiner)director Dan O'Bannon & cinematographer Jules Brenner open up a stylised,blood-drenched Comic Book.Splashing the credits over the title in dripping red,O'Bannon and Brenner turn the movie into a dazzling living cartoon,thanks to Punk leathers,burning blood and slimy gore being drizzled across the screen.Along with the animated atmosphere,O'Bannon also digs his teeth into vicious horror,with O'Bannon giving each of the zombies unique,eye-gauging designs from half cut dog skeletons to a deformed bodybuilder-like super zombie.For the screenplay of the film,the writers smartly decide to make the characters well aware of what zombies are from movies,which leads to hilariously frantic chase scenes,as the surviving humans discover that all the "guides" that the films gave in how to defeat a zombie are completely useless in real life.Whilst the movie largely has a colourful mood,the writers hit the film with some sly satirical jabs,by having the army/government be completely disconnected to the terror taking place on the ground,and the device that they use to kill the zombies (complete with cartoon sound effects!)making the situation go from bad to worse,as the living dead return.

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Michael_Elliott
1985/08/23

The Return of the Living Dead (1985) *** 1/2 (out of 4) A couple warehouse workers accidentally free some chemical gas, which eventually leaks into the ground and brings the dead back to life and seeking brains to eat. A group of punk rockers who are partying in the cemetery come under attack.THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD is a rather incredible little gem that has a fine line to walk as it wants to go for mainly laughs but also some gory violence. Writer-director Dan O'Bannon had already put his name on the horror genre thanks to films like ALIEN but here he went to a whole new level and really delivered one of the most memorable and entertaining horror films of the decade. When you think about this picture, really, everything should have gone wrong but somehow everything ended up going right and you're left with something extremely fun and rather special.I think the greatest thing about this movie is the screenplay by O'Bannon and the performances that the cast are able to bring. The movie is just so cleverly written and all the characters are so much fun that you can't help but cheer them through their situations, have fun with them and root for them to survive. James Karen and Thom Matthews are simply great together and their comic timing off of one another is terrific. Clu Gulager perfectly brings a more serious tone to the picture with Don Calfa wonderfully zany. Then you've got the cast playing the punk rockers and they too are simply great in their roles. Plus, you've got Linnea Quigley doing her nude tombstone dance and who doesn't love hot women doing nude dances on tombstones? The zombies in the film are pretty simple, although they have a couple excellent ones that stand of. There's the memorable half woman and of course Tarman who easily steals the picture. There's so much comedy throughout the film but it never becomes a spoof of the genre. I think that's what makes the film work so well is that the comedy comes from the drama and terror of the situation. The comedy isn't in your face or over-the-top but instead it just human nature that funny stuff can be brought out of horror. THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD is a true gem of the genre and while there have been many imitators, none of captured its magic.

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