Just so...so bad

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Return of the living dead is a perfect blend of horror, fantasy and humor following what are suppose to be true events about a group of teenagers taking on an army of cannibalistic evil dead.What is different from the Romero zombies we've become accustomed to is they can ran, talk, indestructible and even think about their actions making them a deadly juggernaut.The humor derives from the over the top reactions of the teenagers and the zombies wanting more cops or paramedics over a radio like they were ordering pizza for a party.The acting isn't half bad with Clu Gulager, James Karen and Thom Mathew who are a powerhouse combo that steal the scenes with their deliveries and actions.The music is rock in, the costumes are punk and the special effects are gruesome making it a hip under- appreciated classic only the 80s could deliver.It really reminds you of other b film types from the golden age of cinema like night of the comet and body searchers with a hero who has to save the day until the military acts, a beautiful leading lady trying to keep her sanity and a threat that grows deadly by the hour. My only complaint about this master piece is the recycled footage during the ending when a still photo shows the zombies being bombed and the acid rain taking over the same cemetery from the beginning. It was to set up a sequel about the survivor's traveling the wasteland left from the nuclear blast and was never made. By today's standards it may be dated, but I find myself popping it in every Halloween to relive the thrill over again. Its grade A material.

Its directed by Dan O bannon ( writer of Alien n co writer of Total Recall ). The movie may sound silly and simple, but its a masterpiece with no slow parts. This movie is a perfect mix of Horror and Comedy. Its scary, its funny, its got a great punk soundtrack, and it has  Linnea Quigleys unforgettable nude scene that launched her career. The zombies are smart. They are fast. They talk. Clu Gulager may be the most interesting B-movie actor of all time. He was seen recently in Feast trilogy. It has James Karen (poltergeist n recently in superman returns n pursuit of happiness). He was nominated for a Saturn Award for his role in The Return of the Living Dead in 1985. The action is relentless with full on gore, and the grand finale is simply beautiful. This film re-invents the living dead, giving them even more life. Saw this on a rented VHS in the mid 80s. Its just a shame the sequels were not up to its standard. It spawned four sequels. I saw all of em. But the first is da best. The plot is interesting, it has great special effects and the soundtrack is perfect for this kind of flick.

During the IMDb Horror board October Challenge I got the chance to watch a number of excellent movies starring "Scream Queen" Linnea Quigley.Talking to a fellow IMDber,I got told about one of Quigley's most well-known titles that I had somehow overlooked,which led to me getting ready to see the living dead return.The plot:Sorting out human skeletons to be sent to medical schools,Frank tells new employee Freddy that the factory they are working in has a basement filled with military canisters which contain an army toxin that went wrong,which on the one time it was unleashed,inspired a group of film makers to shoot Night of the Living Dead.Going down to the basement,Frank & Freddy clean the drums up,and discover that the toxin is actually zombies.Moving the drums around,Frank accidentally opens one of them up,which leads to him and Freddy suddenly being knocked out.As Freddy lays KO'ed,his pals Tina,Spider,Suicide, Trash, Scuz, Casey and Chuck decide to drive down and pick Freddy up from work.Arriving early,the gang decide to wait round for Freddy by hanging out at a near by graveyard.Waking up,Frank and Freddy find the tin drums empty. Initially believing that the zombies have melted away,Frank and Freddy soon discover that along with unleashing the zombies,that they themselves will soon join the walking dead.View on the film:Looking like a prime piece of Pop-Art,Linnea Quigley (who also appears naked) gives a terrific performance as Trash,whose swinging dance moves and flaring red hair perfectly set the wonderfully strange atmosphere of the film.Joining Quigley, Miguel A. Núñez Jr. (who was homeless when he got the role) gives a whip-smart performance as Spider,whilst Don Calfa gives the movie a touch of the "Mad Scientist" as Ernie.Backed by a sinister score from Matt Clifford and roaring Punk Rock songs,co-writer/(along with Rudy Ricci/John A. Russo and Russell Streiner)director Dan O'Bannon & cinematographer Jules Brenner open up a stylised,blood-drenched Comic Book.Splashing the credits over the title in dripping red,O'Bannon and Brenner turn the movie into a dazzling living cartoon,thanks to Punk leathers,burning blood and slimy gore being drizzled across the screen.Along with the animated atmosphere,O'Bannon also digs his teeth into vicious horror,with O'Bannon giving each of the zombies unique,eye-gauging designs from half cut dog skeletons to a deformed bodybuilder-like super zombie.For the screenplay of the film,the writers smartly decide to make the characters well aware of what zombies are from movies,which leads to hilariously frantic chase scenes,as the surviving humans discover that all the "guides" that the films gave in how to defeat a zombie are completely useless in real life.Whilst the movie largely has a colourful mood,the writers hit the film with some sly satirical jabs,by having the army/government be completely disconnected to the terror taking place on the ground,and the device that they use to kill the zombies (complete with cartoon sound effects!)making the situation go from bad to worse,as the living dead return.

The first and probably the best of the 'Return' horror comedies depending on your opinion of course (although the second is pretty good). I think most would agree the special effects and makeup do look the best and the most stickiest in this first one. Plenty of murky atmosphere with misty dank graveyards, being trapped in a single building, the small town being slowly overrun and taken over plus a great twist ending with no survivors which is quite unique.This film unleashes the now classic notion of toxic gas or waste kick starting a zombie outbreak. The all too cheesy notion of some dumb punks messing with some dangerous looking canisters/drums that leak a weird gas/ooze that somehow awakens/reanimates the dead. This is also the film that gave birth to the classic notion of zombies lurching around hankering for brains to munch on, maybe even letting out the odd 'brains!' line. So yes this film is the original hokey zombie popcorn flick that inspired an entire modern pop culture.The main course of this silly film is the terrific makeup and puppetry on display throughout the film. The zombies are on top form as they stagger around with limbs and faces flopping off left right and centre. All are really played well by a large cast of extras who really put a lot of effect into their performances. If you think of 'Thriller' (1983) then you have a good sense of this film basically. Its an extended adult version of 'Thriller' but not quite as good in the makeup and effects department believe it or not. But its clear where the idea came from as a lot of the undead awakening sequences and overall visuals look very similar, a bit of a rip off really.Still this has some great chuckle moments mainly from Karen and Mathews with their little double acts, whilst Calfa actually brings a sense of realism and believable acting to the fold with his performance. His final scene at the very end is actually quite poignant. Definitely one of the best horror comedies of the 80's with a surprising bonus of good acting to boot.7/10