%
Rating
Synopsis
Freddy (Thom Mathews) recently got a new job at the Uneeda Medical Supply Warehouse working with Frank (James Karen). Wanting to impress him, Frank shows Freddy military drums with corpses infected by toxic gas stored in the basement. Unfortunately, Frank accidentally cracks the tank, releasing the gas into the warehouse, which resurrects everything inside, including a cadaver. Frank calls their boss, Burt (Clu Gulager), for help, but they discover that destroying the brain won’t kill the undead. Burt decides to dismember the cadaver and have his friend, Ernie (Don Calfa), cremate the remains, inadvertently releasing the gas. Meanwhile, Freddy’s girlfriend, Tina (Beverly Randolph), and his friends party at the local cemetery when all hell breaks loose. To make matters worse, Frank and Freddy are slowly dying due to being infected by the gas. Will our heroes survive against the undead, or will things continue to worsen?
Review
The Return of the Living Dead stands as one of the best zombie movies of the 80s and all time. Sure, Romero’s Night of the Living Dead is the gold standard, but Return is on the same level. What helps this movie stand out is the addition of dark comedy and punk aesthetics mixed with the horror. Return is one of those rare horror comedies that strikes a balance of humor and horror without compromising the tone. Everyone in the cast plays the material straight, which makes the absurdity even funnier as things continue to worsen. The movie features political satire, as the canisters’ arrival results from a military mistake they tried to hide. This sentiment echoes elements from O’Bannon’s work on Alien, whose faceless corporation prioritized retrieving the Xenomorph over the crew. Thankfully, the message is woven into the story rather than taking center stage over it.
Thom Mathews and James Karen are fantastic as Freddy and Frank, respectively, our hapless heroes doomed from the start. They do a great job showing how they’re slowly dying as the toxic gas takes over without going overboard. Clu Gulager is wonderfully dry as Bert, the no-nonsense boss who’s trying to make sense of the ever-worsening situation. Don Calfa is also memorable as the off-kilter mortician, Ernie, whose sense of reality continually slips as the film progresses. The punk cast, which includes Linnea Quigley, Mark Venturini, Miguel A. Núñez Jr., Jewel Shepard, and John Philbin, is fun. Each stands out in their unique way, whether it’s Venturini’s overly aggressive attitude, Quigley’s death fetishization, or Núñez’s emotional outbursts. Beverly Randolph is both adorable and hilariously out of place as the straightlaced Tina, and she gives it her all. In general, the actors are fantastic at taking this otherwise silly movie seriously.
Like many great 80s horror films, the practical effects are a scene-stealer, showcasing why they will always be superior. The highlight is the iconic Tarman, played by Allan Trautman, whose gangly proportions and eerie movements make him instantly memorable. Another standout is the half-corpse created by Tony Gardner, who later worked on Army of Darkness, Freaked, and Hocus Pocus. For such a simple puppet, Gardner manages to bring it to life in a way that CGI cannot replicate. Also worth noting is William Stout’s excellent production design, from the cold industrial warehouse to the gothic cemetery scenery. The story’s bleak nature might deter some audiences, but that adds to the dark comedy. At roughly 90 minutes, the film maintains a brisk pace, never letting up, and remains enjoyable from start to finish. Overall, The Return of the Living Dead remains a hallmark of the zombie genre, even 40 years later.
Buy The Return of the Living Dead from Amazon: https://amzn.to/44rJJvq.
Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at no additional cost, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and make a purchase.
