Movies
‘Rebirth of the Living Dead’ Will Be a Direct Sequel to John A. Russo’s ‘Return of the Living Dead’ Novel
The 1980s horror-comedy The Return of the Living Dead originally began its life as a novel penned by original Night of the Living Dead co-writer John A. Russo, serving as Russo’s own sequel to the Romero classic. Dan O’Bannon’s movie ended up becoming a very different experience altogether, but now Russo’s original source novel is getting a movie sequel.
Bloody Disgusting has learned this week that John A. Russo will return to the world of the Living Dead as producer on the upcoming horror movie Rebirth of the Living Dead.
Production is officially underway on Rebirth of the Living Dead, a new independent horror feature serving as a direct sequel to the 1978 novel Return of the Living Dead by legendary horror author and Night of the Living Dead co-creator John A. Russo.
Described as a brutal continuation of Russo’s original undead mythology, Rebirth of the Living Dead aims to blend the iconic style and pacing of the original classic, with a gruesome twist, while honoring the legacy of one of horror’s most influential creators.
Here’s the synopsis: The newest drug on the streets is “Trioxin Trash” and it’s turning users into brain-hungry members of the living dead! This direct feature film follow-up to Russo’s original 1978 Return of The Living Dead novel follows a young couple who are attacked in the woods and seek help from an outcast Scientist who uses “pain therapy” to ward off hunger.
The film is being directed by Dustin Ferguson (Seed: Legacy) for SoCal Cinema Studios. The cast includes Nathan Bexton (Nowhere, Go!), Barbara Magnolfi (Suspiria), and Brinke Stevens (The Slumber Party Massacre), along with Michelle Bauer (Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers), Jennifer Moriarty (Spider Baby), and DieTrich Thrall of Lords of Acid.
Rebirth of the Living Dead is set for release on October 1, 2026. The film is currently around 50% complete, and the team is raising finishing funds from fans through Indiegogo.
Check out the terrible AI-generated poster below, which seems to suggest that Rebirth of the Living Dead is aiming to pay homage to 1993 sequel Return of the Living Dead 3.
Before updating the video nasty Faces of Death, director Daniel Goldhaber and writer Isa Mazzei explored the dangers of online life in tech-thriller Cam, their feature debut that was acquired by Netflix in 2018 after making waves on the festival circuit.
At the end of last year, the Netflix exclusive quietly departed from the streaming platform, left without another streaming home.
It’s not an isolated story; Mike Flanagan’s Hush also left streaming entirely for a period until it was finally picked up on both physical media and other streaming services.
While the tech-thriller currently isn’t available to watch on Netflix, Tubi, Hulu, or any other platforms, that’s not a problem for Cam thanks to a very cool move by Goldhaber: the director has made his breakout film accessible to watch online for free via his website.
As his site notes: “CAM is unfortunately not currently available to view on any platforms, so you can watch it here if you like :).“
No subscriptions or fees necessary, just hit play.
Cam follows Alice (Madeline Brewer), who works as an online cam girl obsessed with her ranking on the cam site. The higher her ranking goes, the more it draws unwanted attention, and Alice soon finds herself replaced on her own show with a doppelganger.
Written by Mazzei, a former camgirl, it uses the horror thriller premise to examine the life of a sex worker; Alice’s career ambition is directly at odds with the shame it brings to her family, and how she tries to spare them from it by keeping them in the dark. It only compounds her danger when the doppelganger enters the equation in Goldhaber’s engaging thriller.
For a deep dive into the treacherous world of Cam, listen to Horror Queers’ episode on it now.
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