Return of the Living Dead
| release date | August 16 1985 |
| studio | MGM |
| director | Dan O'Bannon |
| writer | Dan O'Bannon |
| starring | Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, Linnea Quigley |
| rating | R |
| tagline | They're back...They're Hungry...And they're NOT vegetarian. |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
1 Comments
I adore this movie !!!
A CLASSIC!!
Made me laugh and repulsed me at the same time. I personally think it has one of the best zombies in it “MOOORE BRAAINS”..ROCK ON TAR MAN!
Great gore, great zombies and the chaos is captured really well, theres dredd all the way through this, you know they’re all doomed.
love the cheesy soundtrack too.
Very funny movie, tons of memorable quotes.
If you don’t own this movie you should make a fist and punch yourself in the face.
Overrated. Not nearly as good or as funny as I thought it would be.
I agree with DoctorHerbertWest
go punch your self in the face if you dont own this movie!!!
great music, great kills,punk rockers, and bad ass zombies!!!!
and one word says it all!!!!!
BRAINSSS!!!!!!!
I’m surprised this has no official review yet.. its one of the great zombie classics! Highly recommended.
One of my favorite zombie flicks of all time more brains!!!
This movie is SICK!!! Great gore effects and zombie effects!!!
It my top 5 favorite zombie film of all time. Its a classic, and yes Tarman is badass.
Greatest movie of all time.
pure cheeze
One of my all time favorites! I love the opening title sequence! The Trioxon wafting up through the pipes, the music, the body in the freezer, classic horror comedy at it’s best!
Great movie
This movie ROCKS!!!! I love everything about . It’s gross, gory, funny and a really fun ride. Love the sequel as well. If you haven’t seen then do so .
Its a Classic, One of the all time great Friday night movies.
I saw this movie with a friend when I was about 16. And it scared the living shit out of me. We both cowered down behind our seats and watched it on the glass the projector was shooting through. Lol. Still creepy. I never understood the “Comedy” aspect of it as the zombies in this are so well done, they still creep me out, some 20 years later. And the music is also scary as hell. Talk about setting the tone.
Love it.
Still one of my all-time faves. Just watched it a couple weeks ago on my iPod during a flight. The perfect combination of horror and humor.
I would take this film over the Romero entries any day. It’s perfect.
Loved this movie…Easily my favorite “Of the Dead” installment. The sequels were HORRIBLE.
I grew up in the 80′s and this and part 2 were staples at any sleepover. Great movie. way better than shaun of the dead
“DO YOU WANNA PAAAAAAAAAAAAARTY!!”
There is absolutely no reason for tis movie to NOT get 5 skulls. This movie rocks hard from start to finish. Its filled with great makeup effects, hair metal, and some of the best one liners ever in horror history:
“Send more cops!”
“Brains!”
To top it off the movie is filmed beautifully, looks real fresh for being filmed in 84. Its loads of fun and there are still a few scenes that give me the creeps in this film. Great zombie movie all around.
The greatest zombie film ever made and probably ever will be made… yes better than any of romeros and yes better than 28 days later, the dawn of the dead remake, better than all those films. this film has undeniable style and humor making this not only the greatest zombie film ever made, but one of the true great horror films of all time based on entertainment alone, i kept reading all these perfect reviews of night of the demons and that film is overated, this film isnt.
truly a must see for horror fans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Second only to the original DAWN, in my book. One of the greatest horror films of all time!
i will give this movie its props. mostly for its entertainment value. with that said, protecious, you must really be out of your mind to put this film above any of romeros early works. even the savini remake of “Night …” puts return to shame. i think you may have to re rent some romero movies and maybe toss in some fulci.
I agree with all the positive reviews! This movie is a CLASSIC!! Its repeat viewing value is GREAT!!
“Hit him in the brain”, – “I hit the F’N Brain!!”
May not be the traditional slow, completely brain dead zombie movie, but defiantly one of the best. Classic.
Purely and Simply one of the ultimate best Zombie movies…EVER!!!
I agree JonnyRotten. I grew up in the 80′s too. I still watch this movie on a regular basis. Great stuff!
Plain and simple, THIS MOVIE RULES!
Good movie.
what a great flick!From the opening to the charecters,even to the talking zombies that somehow work?! THis movie is a classic filled with humor and gore , even a great soundtrack…it must be seen!
loved it was strangely engrossing, really funny, really really 80′s the music and everything fantastic, i also loved the gore very creative and doesnt look stupid or dated as some zombie movies have suffered from as the years passed, just brilliant would recommend and especially if your a zombie movie fan
“send..more..cops”
Classic cheese, a great bad movie..
A good ol’ cheesy one for the ages.
The all-time best zombie movie ever! This movie hold a special place in my heart and my brains.
awesome movie. Cheesy but fuckin’ amazing. Still one of my favorites to this day!
I’m so glad this film was made. Dan O’bannon took what Romero started and made it his own. And I have to say the Zombies the Humour and the retarded story line all work so well for the film. Not to mention the gratuitous nudity from a woman dancing nude on top of a grave. its superior. and fun. Highly Recommended.
Make movies like this again! Seriously, wtf everybody? Just make cool bad ass horror movies again. Stop focusing on remakes and torture porn slasher flicks. Let’s get back to the good old of cool effects, tons of blood, ridiculous situations and naked gothic teenage girls that dance in graveyards.
This for me is the Best Horror-Comedy film ever made!! I Love this Masterpiece! My Favorite Cult film! and Trash is a Icon!! Dan OBannon was on right on the money when I put this movie together 10 out of 10 !!!
wow . on of best movie i see in my life !!!!
Zombie = More Cop Please !!!!
One of the most entertaining zombie movies of all time. With pop culture references to under-represented eighties counter culture, this movie belongs alongside both “Repo Man” as well as “The Evil Dead” in cult movie collections.
I had to contribute to this Gem of a Movie!!! One of my Favorites and I never tire of watching it over and over. Great Story, Great Music, Great Make-up and affects! This Movie has it all, although I do believe this Movie probably started the “Horror/Comedy or Horomedy and it does it well, unlike many Movies that have come along since including this ones own “Sequels” which I hate to even connect with this Wonderful Film! I hear theres a remake in the works for this one too and that truly scares me and not in a good way! But we’ll see…My only Complaint and its not with the Movie itself, its the special edition DVD that came out a few years ago, although I already owned this Movie on both VHS and Dvd, I bought the special Ed Version and I wish it contained more special features than it did! I love reading or following the back Story on how this Movie came to be! Anyways, I’m not usually a “Fan Boy’ but for this Movie, I’ll make an Exception!! “MORE BRAINS 4-EVER”!!!
One of my all time favorite horror movies. Perfect blend of horror and comedy. Linnea Quigley is mega hot. Awesome ending. See it.
brilliant horror comedy. truly a zombie masterpiece. sure there’s some odd plot holes but it only adds to the campy feel.
I don’t usually like the running dead but in this movie, I could honestly care less. I also thought that the fact they talked would make is “tacky” but it really doesn’t. This film is so unique and interesting and with John Russo involved (one of the geniuses behind another classic NOTLD) how can you NOT like it? It’s a fun movie! It doesn’t have more comedy than gore or more gore than comedy, it has the perfect mix. Watch it, I guarantee you’ll be pleased with it.
Man, you can’t get more 80′s than this film right here. Absolutely great fun with humor, gore, and adventure. Although the zombies are the exact opposite of what I normally like (these ones are fast, smart, and can talk and interact with others ??, while I like retarded, slow, and easy to kill zombies) this was a great zombie movie. Recommended to everyone.
Along side of Night Of The Creeps, this was one of the first zombie films I saw that differed from Night of The Living Dead, and Romero’s other movies, it was funny, and the zombies were a little bit different, I’d say this did alot for the zombie genre. It changed things up some.
absolutly fantastic. Hillarious through the entire movie. Plus the fact that it took place in my home state no more then an hour away in Louisville, Kentucky was astonishing. SEND MORE PARAMEDICS!!!!
This was a fun zombie movie, I think its the first zombie movie to introduce running zombies. I like how they didn’t just eat flesh, they specifically wanted “BRAIIIINS” lol funny stuff.
Amazing flick from start to finish. The midget zombie is classic by the ambulance. Send more Paramedics!!!!!!
Return of the Living Dead is one of my all-time favorite movies, period. I can’t stress enough how much I dig zombie flicks, and this one takes the cake. Dan O’Bannon, the writer of Alien and Total Recall, originally started out as a computer effects specialist for Star Wars. John Russo originally wrote a script called Return of the Living Dead, however, Dan O’Bannon felt that the script was a slight against the Godfather of Zombie flicks, George A. Romero, and re-wrote the script. The movie became a horror-comedy, and the only movie that Dan O’Bannon ever wrote AND directed.
The flick consists of a slew of over-the-top, eighties-style characters who, for the most part, just want to party. When they find themselves in a cemetery just as a living corpse is burned in a nearby mortuary (Due to a hilarious set of circumstances), and acid rain from the chemicals in the smoke causes the dead to rise, with one desire in their undead minds…BRAINS! The plot itself actually co-insides with Night of the Living Dead, in a comedic way, of course. Return is the origin of the fast, running, screaming zombie, and a blow to the head isn’t enough to kill these undead brain-eaters. The movie generated two sequels, neither of which really lived up to the original. A great flick to watch in a group, and a timeless B-movie classic, Return of the Living Dead perfectly captures the horror of the subject, while simultaniously keeping the movie comical, without disparaging the movie in which the Zombie flick was originated. Check it out, and keep your mind open for laughs as well as thrills.
Easily the best of the ROTLD series.
I put this on my top 10 favorite zombie flicks.
Top 10:
1. Dawn Of the Dead (1978)
2. Night Of the Living Dead
3. Dawn of the dead remake
4. Zombieland
5. Zombie
6. Shaun of the dead
7. Return of the living dead
8. Day of the dead
9. 28 days later
10. Return of the living dead 2
this movie was greatfully done, i know, if its so great why only a 3.5, its a zombie movie which are grate but you cant do to mutch with that.i love zombie movies, ther the best but you know, you cant do so mutch with it
a true 80s classic and definitely one of the funniest zombie-comedies
This just be the quintessential 80′s horror movie. Over the top gags, low-brow humor, and 80′s rock music. Pretty much the formula that every other 80′s horror flick borrowed afterwards.
One of my fav zombie flicks! This movie is nothing but fun! The tarman is probably the best looking zombie ever! I really hope they don’t remake this!
This movie kicks ass. Imo the best zombie comedey. If you want a fun zombie flick this is the one. If you love zombies and haven’t seen this DO IT NOW!!!
punk rock horror moivie kick ass
i liked the effects,zombies,boobs and the dark ending nobody makes it out alive.
rocked, loved tarman
classic love it.
Even though this movie is filled with hammy dialogue and some of the worst examples of overacting in cinematic history, I say check it out. It has a great 80′s vibe and all the zombies you could ever want. Brains!
May Dan O’Bannon rest in peace. He wrote the comic (drawn by Moebius) that Ridley Scott used as inspiration for Blade Runner. He also conceived of and wrote the the screenplay for Alien. He directed a movie from an H.P. Lovecraft story (the name escapes me and I’m too lazy to look it up) that is really good. Anyway, Dan O’Bannon had a great, creative mind and he’ll be missed.
This is a badass zombie movie. I haven’t seen it in years; gonna have to resolve that issue soon. It’s really campy, and fun! Worth your time.
Best zombie flick ever! Being a punk back in the 80′s and a zombie movie addict, this was a wet dream. Saw it in the movies in NY and SO many people I knew were there. One of the most surreal moments in the horror history of my life. Linnea made me hard for years. And the amped up destruction and certain doom brought on by the end was sick! It was like Zombie meets Alien. One of the few rare 10′s – and the first one Ive ever called on this site. Pretty much the best fucking movie ever.
Super classic zombie flic! Never get tired of watching this one!
I didn’t feel like seeing it at first but I finally gave in and it was fucking worth it. It gave me some of the funniest lines in the history of cinema!
“You mean the movie lied?!!!”
The best horror comedy film of all time.
A good dose of campy fun!
even though this is a pretty bad movie, the fact that there is no CG, makes this a cool movie to watch. all of the make up used in the film makes the undead look awesome. this movie is proof that if you don’t rely on CG a decent movie can be made. watch if you like zombie movies.
This movie is amazing. plain simple easy. a classic from when I was a young kid watching it. even the zombies attacked on my b-day
it’s campy, gory, funny, awesome. to bad they don’t make movies like this no more. 
Saw a pristine 35mm print of the film for $1 and it’s the best I’ve ever spent. Seriously FUN movie that had the whole audience laughing constantly. My favorite was the multiple zombie ambushes that happened more than they should have. See it if you get the chance!
The soundtrack alone is worth a 10/10!Special Effects and Humor are timeless.A must Own for any Zombie fans.Story is fun too!”If you love me you’d let me eat your brain”.Classic!
this was the the 2nd best zombie movie of the 80s besides the sequel.
this is one of the best movies ever fucken made.i will never get tired of this.
Loved it as a kid… still love it now!
I have to admit, this is one of my guilty pleasures. It’s really a great 1980′s horror film that treads on the outskirts of camp without falling into the trappings. It manages to be scary, fun, and enjoyable throughout. The graveyard dance scene is also one of the most underrated sexy movie moments ever.
The epic undead cheesefest originator! Braaainnnsss!!!
Lots of fun, great soundtrack, hot punk-chick boobs, and TARMAN!! Wish we could have seen more bloody, zombie carnage, but still a must see!
First off, anyone who is a zombie fan…..WATCH THIS RIGHT NOW!!!
Return of the Living Dead is funny, gory, B-movieish, and f**kin awesome. I’m not saying anything expect its awesome.
9 out of 10(I can hardly bare cheesy acting)
This was like my favorite movie when I was 10. I still love this movie 20 years later. Tarman actually scared me as a kid.
This movie is total perfection.
“The Return of the Living Dead” is a simple, clever, and very fun take on the zombie-comedy movement of zombie cinema. It carries with it some fairly intelligent satire, some solid slapstick, and a whole lot of fun nonetheless. Zombie -movie-die-hards will probably love it; and those unassociated with the genre on a fanboy level might enjoy it too. I know that I enjoyed it so much that the least I can do is, yes, watch the sequel.
The film catches the interest of its admirers almost immediately. A young man goes to work at a medical supply warehouse, and while he’s there, he accidentally plays a part in releasing a toxic chemical in the form of a gas. It revives the dead from their graves.
Now, here’s the interesting part: the young man’s boss tells him that the barrel containing the gas actually contained the substance that was the source of inspiration for George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead”. Therefore, I suppose the zombie movies are reality, in the universe of this film, at least. This I liked, because it gave the movie so much more to work with.
There’s also an ignorant party of teenagers that go to walk-about, dance-about, and drink/smoke at a local cemetery. This is where most of the corpses are reanimated through the chemical released in the air and in the rain; and this is where the fun starts.
There’s a typical fight-for-survival final act; which shouldn’t be called a flaw, but rather another cliché that this tongue-in-cheek horror flick embraces. There are some truly hilarious scenes that hold the film together (one of them being the appearance of a detached and very much reanimated arm). The film seems to know what it is doing, and that’s why it’s so much fun.
The film’s writer and director, Dan O’Bannon, had experience working along-side other filmmakers in this genre. He worked with John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper; and he has scripted more films than he has actually directed. He seems to know enough about zombie films to make one of his own, and make it good. He knows that Romero used his undead creations for good; as social satire. I’m not sure if this film is all about its zombies, and more-so its laughs, but the zombies are still entertaining. There’s even one zombie that appears to have comically large teeth. Joy!
The film doesn’t need a big-budget to succeed. The make-up effects involved are pretty good, the zombies look decent enough, and the thing is just-plain-fun. It packs gore, creativity, and entertainment value, and it’s one of the finest zombie comedies I have seen.
But if zombies are not satirized, where do they stand? The zombie film is fading; and for good reason. It is films like the classics, and “Return of the Living Dead”, that give us all hope. This is merely a good self-aware zombie-comedy that succeeds at just about everything it does. I don’t think it overachieves, and that is why it doesn’t get full marks, but I do think that it works miraculously as a good zombie movie, and a comedy; or both at the same time. It’s not for everyone, but if you can find humor in the undead, then there’s plenty of tasty morsels to be found here. Long live the dead.
I Love This Movie One of the greatest zombie films of all time.
I heard a lot of good comments about this movie and I expected a lot more from this movie then I got.
First of all, i did not the group of teens at all, they just annoyed,, I could not wait for them to get killed, I was a little disappointing that, not all of them were killed by the end.
This movie did have some funny moment that did make me laugh a little, some of death were really good and bloody and a little funny as well and make up effects were decent.
I didn’t the like the ending of the movie at all, I thought it was really rubbish way to end this movie,
The acting from some of the cast were really poor, other cast members did decent Job on this movie. . (I just wanted fun Watching this, like when I first saw Braindead Aka Dead Alive, (Which As become my FAV movie if all time) that movie was hell of a lot of fun.)
5 out of 10