The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Dan O'Bannon

Writers:

Dan O'Bannon (screenplay) and
Rudy Ricci (story)
(more)

Release Date:

15 May 1985 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

They're Back From The Grave and Ready To Party!

Plot:

When a bumbling pair of employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air...

Plot Keywords:

Warehouse | Louisville Kentucky | Police Officer Killed | Shot In The Chest | Dismemberment

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Clu Gulager	...	Burt
James Karen	...	Frank
Don Calfa	...	Ernie
Thom Mathews	...	Freddy
Beverly Randolph	...	Tina
John Philbin	...	Chuck
Jewel Shepard	...	Casey
Miguel A. Núñez Jr.	...	Spider (as Miguel Nunez)
Brian Peck	...	Scuz
Linnea Quigley	...	Trash
Mark Venturini	...	Suicide
Jonathan Terry	...	Colonel Glover
Cathleen Cordell	...	Colonel's Wife
Drew Deighan	...	Paramedic #1
James Dalesandro	...	Paramedic #2
John Durbin	...	Radio Corpse #1
David Bond	...	Radio Corpse #2
Bob Libman	...	Tac Squad Captain
John Stuart West	...	Riot Cop #1
Michael Crabtree	...	Riot Cop #2
Ed Krieger	...	Riot Cop #3
Robert Craighead	...	Cop #1
Paul Cloud	...	Cop #2
Derrick Brice	...	Gunnery Sergeant
Leigh Drake	...	Dispatcher
Terrence Houlihan	...	Yellow Cadaver (as Terrence M. Houlihan)
Allan Trautman	...	Tarman
Robert J. Bennett	...	Headless Tarman (as Robert Bennett)
Jerome 'Daniels' Coleman	...	Legless Corpse
Cherry Davis	...	½ Lady Corpse
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rick Askew	...	Officer (uncredited)
Leslee Bremmer	...	(uncredited)
Dan O'Bannon	...	Helicopter Loudspeaker Officer / Bum Outside Warehouse (voice) (uncredited)
William Stout	...	Bum with Shopping Cart (uncredited)

Directed by
Dan O'Bannon

Writing credits
Dan O'Bannon		(screenplay)
Rudy Ricci		story
John A. Russo		book (as John Russo)
Russell Streiner		story

Produced by
John Daly	....	executive producer
Tom Fox	....	producer
Derek Gibson	....	executive producer
Graham Henderson	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Matt Clifford

Cinematography by
Jules Brenner

Film Editing by
Robert Gordon

Casting by
Stanzi Stokes

Production Design by
William Stout

Art Direction by
Robert Howland

Set Decoration by
Robert Lucas

Makeup Department
Allan A. Apone	....	special makeup effects
Yvette Bliss	....	punk makeup artist
Craig Caton	....	additional special makeup artist
Tony Gardner	....	makeup artist: half-corpse effects
Wendy Hogan	....	assistant makeup artist
Wendy Hogan	....	hair stylist
William Munns	....	special makeup effects artist
Kenny Myers	....	additional special effects makeup
Robin L. Neal	....	key makeup artist
Larry Odien	....	additional special makeup artist
Tony Rupprecht	....	additional special makeup artist
Douglas J. White	....	additional special makeup artist

Production Management
Michael Bennett	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Scott Javine	....	second assistant director
Josh King	....	second assistant director
David M. Robertson	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Barbara Benz	....	property master
Michael Gastaldo	....	lead man
Clayton Hartley	....	assistant art director
Brian Pascall	....	stand-by painter
Frederick B. Van Brunt	....	assistant property master
Sara Lee Wade	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Chris Carpenter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Jackson	....	boom operator
Adam Johnston	....	assistant sound editor
Dale Johnston	....	supervising sound editor
Ron Judkins	....	sound mixer
Bob Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ray West	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jerry Whittington	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Kevin McCarthy	....	special effects foreman (as Kevin F. McCarthy)
Robert E. McCarthy	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
John Huneck	....	visual effects camera operator: Fantasy II
Leslie Huntley	....	visual effects supervisor: Fantasy II Film Effects
Michael Joyce	....	model shop supervisor
Paul Kassler	....	model maker: Fantasy II Film Effects
Pete Kleinow	....	visual effects supervisor (as Peter Kleinow)
Ken Marschall	....	matte painting: Fantasy II Film Effects
Bret Mixon	....	rotoscoping
Gary Rhodaback	....	model maker: Fantasy II Film Effects
Joe Viskocil	....	nuclear explosion (as Joseph Viskocil)
Gene Warren Jr.	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Blair Burrows	....	stunts
Hank Calia	....	stunts
Michael Carr	....	stunts
Fernando Celis	....	stunts
Erik Cord	....	stunt coordinator
Monty Cox	....	stunts
Gardner Doolittle	....	stunts
Ralph Garrett	....	stunts
John Gillespie	....	stunts
Gene Hartline	....	stunts
Gary Jensen	....	stunt coordinator
Gary Jensen	....	stunts
Kim Robert Koscki	....	stunts & stunt driver (as Kim Koscki)
Joel Kramer	....	stunts
Paula Marie Moody	....	stunts (as Paula Moody)
Bruce W. Morgan	....	stunts (as Bruce Morgan)
Bernie Pock	....	stunts (as Bernhard Pock)
Byron Quisenberry	....	stunts
Spiro Razatos	....	stunts
Ray Saniger	....	stunts
Norm Stephens	....	stunts
Ethan Wayne	....	stunts
Brian J. Williams	....	stunts
Ben Jensen	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert L. Blatman	....	assistant camera
John Burnett	....	first assistant camera: additional photography
Marty Carrillo	....	best boy
Andreas Crawford	....	grip
Rory Flynn	....	still photographer
Mark Hadland	....	grip
Julio Macat	....	assistant camera
Timothy 'Guido' Magaraci	....	electrician
Richard Mall	....	key grip
Frank Montoya	....	best boy
Ed Nielsen	....	camera operator
Ronald J. Pure Jr.	....	electrician
Jesse Tango	....	grip (as Jess Tango)

Casting Department
Lucien Jervis	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lesley Levin	....	costume designer: extras
Raggs	....	wardrobe
Beverly Val-Brown	....	wardrobe (as Beverly Valbrown)

Editorial Department
Alexis Champlin	....	additional assistant editor
Julie Feiner	....	assistant editor
Mark Helfrich	....	additional editor
Vivian Hengsteler	....	negative cutter
Dan Muscarella	....	color timer (as Daniel F. Muscarella)
John Penney	....	second assistant editor
Barbara Pokras	....	additional editor
Hilarie Roope	....	additional assistant editor
Michael Ruscio	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Budd Carr	....	music consultant
William Hein	....	music consultant: Enigma
Simon Heyworth	....	music producer: Film Trax
Steve Pross	....	music consultant: Enigma
Robert Randles	....	composer: additional music
Robert Randles	....	music supervisor
Emilie Robertson	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Jason Belsky	....	transportation captain
George Cozze	....	driver
Richard Padgett	....	transportation coordinator
Ronald Stinton	....	driver (as Ron Stinton)

Other crew
Christena Alcorn	....	script supervisor
Jo Barnett	....	assistant production accountant
Don Bland	....	production assistant: Image 3
A. Frederick Greenberg	....	copyright owner (as Cinema '84)
Richard M. Greenberg	....	copyright owner (as Cinema '84)
Alan Grodin	....	legal services: Cooper, Epstein & Hurewitz
Alexander Hendrie	....	location manager
Jerome Holder	....	craft service
Robert Jellen	....	insurance (as Bob Jellen)
Grahame Jennings	....	production associate (as Graham Jennings)
Victoria Krieger	....	assistant to producers
Edwin A. Locke Jr.	....	copyright owner (as Cinema '84)
Richard Lorenzana	....	production accountant
Michael Mersereau	....	production assistant
Karen Altman Morgenstern	....	production coordinator
Pattison Newberry	....	first aid
Jane A. Pahlman	....	production assistant: Image 3
Julius Polk	....	extras set coordinator
Timothy R. Waters	....	consulting mortician
Lynnanne Zager	....	adr voice (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Hemdale Film
• Fox Films Ltd.
• Cinema 84 (as Greenberg Brothers Partnership)

Distributors

• Orion Pictures Corporation (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• Hemdale Picture Corporation (1991) (USA)
• Cinema '84/Greenberg Brothers Partnership
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Metropol-Filmverleih (1986) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Flashstar (Brazil) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (2006) (Finland) (TV)
• T:mi Venäläinen Mika (2002) (Finland) (DVD)
• Tartan Video (1992) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• Tartan Video (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• Thorn EMI Video Australia
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Vestron Video International (1986) (UK) (video)
• Warner Home Video
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2002) (Finland) (TV)

Special Effects

• Fantasy II Film Effects
• Makeup Effects Laboratories
• Wizards

Other Companies

• Albert G. Ruben and Company  insurance provided by
• Cooper, Epstein & Hurewitz  legal services
• DeLuxe Laboratories  prints by (as DeLuxe)
• Film Finance  completion guarantee
• K!SSPROOF Entertainment  cast appearance booking
• Tambarle Pty. Ltd.  production finance (a Euro Film Fund Ltd. Enterprise)

Also Known As:

Return of the Living Dead (USA) (video box title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Finland:K-18 (2002) | West Germany:18 (video premiere) (cut) | Norway:(Banned) (1985-2003) (cinema release) | Denmark:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Italy:VM14 (new rating) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | West Germany:18 | Australia:M | France:-12 | Iceland:(Banned) | Mexico:C | UK:18 | USA:R | Finland:(Banned) (1985) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Hemdale Film

Trivia:

The executive producers attempted to contact George A. Romero several times in order to offer him the choice of producing the movie, but he never answered.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the Zombie calls for more paramedics, you can see where the white paint on his hand ends and his real skin is visible.

Quotes:

Col. Horace Glover: [on the telephone] It seems we've found that lost assignmant of Easter eggs. We're getting confirmation on this from the Louisville Police Department. Well, sir, that would be good news, but the eggs have hatched.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror III (#4.5)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

Nothing for You

Be a man Frank goddamn it!!!

This is quite possibly one of the funniest movies ever made.

It succeeds not simply thru its humor but in the way that it takes the plot seriously. That is, the characters avoid doing anything cliché or 'movie-like'. They react to an amazingly unusual situation in a very logical, sensible way (even as things become more & more desperate). Consequently none of the humor is forced. It all comes from the combination of having to deal with all the insane things that are happening to them in the sanest way that they can. The contrast of these two makes for absolutely brilliant comedy.

For example:

» They have to kill an already dead guy so they put a pick axe thru his head.

» This doesn't kill him so they saw his head off.

» This still doesn't work so they decide to incinerate him in the neighbor's crematorium.

» In order to do that they make up a "rabid weasels" story to tell the neighbor.

All of these things, as hilariously ridiculous as they are, actually make sense in the context of trying to deal with the situation. In other words, if you found yourself confronted with re-animated corpses you would probably do exactly what they do to try and stop them. And even as the situation slowly progresses from bad to worse to desperate the film maintains this idea.

In fact, the film quite brilliantly maintains this idea at the very end. As over-the-top as the ending seemed I can completely picture the military wanting to do exactly that!