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The Return of the Living Dead

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3 Related Movies

Sequel:

Return of the Living Dead II

Related Documentary:

More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead

Original title

The Return of the Living Dead

Year

1985

Running time

90 min.

Country

United States

Director

Dan O'Bannon

Screenwriter

Dan O'Bannon. Story: Rudy Ricci, Russell Streiner. Book: John A. Russo

Cast

Music

Matt Clifford

Cinematography

Jules Brenner

Producer

Hemdale, Fox Films, Cinema '84. Distributor: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

Genre

Horror. Comedy. Sci-Fi. Fantasy | Horror Comedy. Parody. Zombies. Cult movie. Independent Film (US)

Movie Groups

The Return of the Living Dead

Synopsis

Morgue attendant Frank tells Freddy, the new guy on the job, that the story of ‘Night of the Living Dead’ was a fictionalization of events that actually happened and shows him a canister of the military gas that supposedly caused the dead to revive. Hitting the canister to show how secure it is, he succeeds in rupturing it and the gas spreads throughout the morgue re-animating several exhibits and a dead body. But as the body comes after them they find they cannot kill it, even when they cut it to pieces, so they cremate it. But rain washes the ashes down into the neigbouring cemetery, re-animating all the bodies there.

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Rankings Position

#21 Best Zombies Movies & Series
#51 Best Horror Comedy Films

Awards: 1985: Saturn Awards (Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films): 4 nominations

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Critics' reviews

"It's kind of a sensation-machine, made out of the usual ingredients, and the real question is whether it's done with style. It is. (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: Chicago Sun-Times
"Suffice to say, this small offering from the horror genre is a hoot to watch, with never a dull moment"

Jeremiah Kipp: Slant
"It's definitely not for all audiences, but its visceral effects and old-fashioned scare tactics make it a real scream for chiller fans"

Rita Kempley: The Washington Post
"Dan O’Bannon deserves considerable credit for creating a terrifically funny first half-hour of exposition, something in which he is greatly aided by the goofball performance of James Karen"

Variety Staff: Variety
"Essential, enormous fun."

Chris Hewitt: Empire
"'The Return of the Living Dead', a parody of George A. Romero's unforgettably frightening Night of the Living Dead, is not for everybody, but it's one of the funniest films of its kind ever made. "

Jay Scott: The Globe and Mail
"Any film which features a dead, bald and very hungry punk lurching towards the camera screaming 'More Brains!' gets my vote."

Time Out

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The Return of the Living Dead

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