On Return of the Living Dead - A Review

Return of the Living Dead

Return of the Living Dead revamped the zombie flick in the 1980s. It introduced a slew of tenets to the sub-genre which are still used today, including fast zombies, a punk rock and heavy metal soundtrack, and a heavy comedic overtone. In fact, Return of the Living Dead begat its own franchise and has five or six installments now.

It was written and directed by Dan O'Bannon, who sadly passed away a few years ago, and released in 1985-86. I actually remember seeing the promos for this movie when I was a kid, and it reached #1 at the box office. I own a copy on VHS and caught it late one night on HBO several years ago now. The soundtrack had been changed to exclude at least one song. So there are two versions of this movie, but you get the full movie either way.

Return of the Living Dead holds-up incredibly well today. The special effects in particular are stellar. The concepts are dated, but not as much as you might think, and are completely passable even in today's age. Even the costuming, which is definitely dated, works in tandem with the production and seems right at-home. There is no mistaking this for anything other than an 80s film, but it is earnest in its scares and approach and just keeps coming.

Return of the Living Dead is one of my favorite horror flicks and receives the highest recommendation possible.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011