The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

When two bumbling employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air, the vapors cause the dead to rise again as zombies.

Director:

Dan O'Bannon

Writers:

Rudy Ricci (story), John A. Russo (story) (as John Russo)

Stars:

Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

When a bumbling pair of employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air, the vapors cause the dead to re-animate as they go on a rampage through Louisville, Kentucky seeking their favorite food, brains.

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Plot Keywords:

female frontal nudity | naked dead woman | living dead | female nudity | crematorium | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

A young George Clooney visited the set, as he was the then-roommate of Thom Mathews (Freddy).

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Goofs

This movie takes place in Louisville, KY in July where the average daily temperature is 90 degrees. Yet for some reason, Burt is wearing a jacket.

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Quotes

Spider: Coward!
Burt Wilson: Fuck you!

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Crazy Credits

The credits play over the hilarious scenes of the movie that involve Frank and Freddy.

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Alternate Versions

The edited-for-TV Version cuts out all nudity, gore, swears and curses and (some delete anything like "God damn", but others go even further by deleting "Jesus Christ" or any other name-in-vain type of stuff). Some of the scenes are changed around, slightly. For instance, the part where Casey (Jewel Shepard) say to Chuck (John Philbin): "Oh great here's your friend and mine!" Suicides reply "Hey F**k you, ball-buster!" is changed to "I mean I got somethin' to say, ya know!".

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (2014)

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Soundtracks

Love Under Will
Performed by The Jet Black Berries
Composed by Gary Trainer
Produced by The Jet Black Berries

User Reviews

What every horror comedy wants to be

"Return of the Living Dead" is an often hilarious, often frightening, often disgusting, and always entertaining horror comedy. The cast is great, the dialogue is snappy and very quotable, and the special effects still hold up very well, nearly 20 years after the film's release. Fans of the horror genre, 1980s buffs, or just folks who enjoy something different occasionally will most likely get a kick out of it.

10/10

Details

Official Sites:

MGM MySpace

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 August 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Return of the Living Dead

Filming Locations:

698 Moulton Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,403,169, 18 August 1985

Gross USA:

$14,237,880

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,237,880

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema '84, Cinema 84, Fox Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 108 min (workprint)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (CFI)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1