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The Return of the Living Dead | Rotten Tomatoes

️Tue Sep 16 2008

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Critics Consensus

A punk take on the zombie genre, The Return of the Living Dead injects a healthy dose of '80s silliness to the flesh-consuming.

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Chris Hewitt (UK) Empire Magazine Essential, enormous fun. Rated: 4/5 Jun 6, 2012 Full Review Simon Abrams House Next Door The Return of the Living Dead is in fact the real deal. Feb 25, 2011 Full Review Variety Staff Variety 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 as a medical supply know-it-all. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy The makeup effects are tremendous, and Calfa and especially Karen are hilarious as working stiffs (no pun intended). Rated: 3/4 Feb 15, 2023 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Part spoof comedy, part kitschy horror, The Return of the Living Dead was tailor-made to achieve cult status. Rated: 3/4 Apr 9, 2022 Full Review Chris Plante Polygon The Return of the Living Dead is the most 1980s zombie movie ever made and I say that as a compliment. Mostly. Nov 2, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

El R A classic cult dark comedy that captures the spirit of the eighties and entertains a lot! Iconic zombie as tar man has never been topped! Brains!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/24/25 Full Review Laurian D "Send more cops!" Enough said 🤣 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/16/25 Full Review Omar G Return of the Living Dead (1985). Some good shots, The three sexy chicks Beverly Randolph, Jewel Shepard and Linnea Quigley my favorite. A good cast Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews, Miguel A. Nunez Jr. Generational meeting of the fiftys and twentys year olds. 1969 in Pittsburgh, hospital for veterans. A chemical Trioxin-245 was spilled, it leaked into the morgue and made the corpses move as if they were alive. Dan O'Bannon director and screenwriter, Will Stout drew some scenes. I liked the shot of the old 50s car with the residue of the punks Suicide and Scuz. The name of Resurrection Cemetery. Good The soundtrack and the songs my favorite Surfin' Dead - The Cramps, with the sexy redhead guitarist Ivy Rorschach. The ending where the government destroys the city with all its tax-paying civilians, who later plagiarized O'Bannon in Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). The walking decapitated corpse was before Re-Animator (1985). The zombies are very dangerous, gliding, running and almost invincible. The classic scene of interrogating a corpse in half by O'Bannon as in Dark Star (1974), Alien (1979), Lifeforce (1985). Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/09/24 Full Review Payton M Girl please put some clothes on. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/06/24 Full Review Dead I Love it‼️💯🪦 Never gets old‼️💯🪦 They can't and don't make them like this anymore‼️💯🪦 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/29/24 Full Review Tyler B This is a hot, hot movie! I give it three wet kisses, and half of a punk rock punch! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/25/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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The Return of the Living Dead (1985) The Return of the Living Dead (1985) The Return of the Living Dead (1985) The Return of the Living Dead (1985) The Return of the Living Dead (1985) The Return of the Living Dead (1985) View more photos

Synopsis When foreman Frank (James Karen) shows new employee Freddy (Thom Mathews) a secret military experiment in a supply warehouse, the two klutzes accidentally release a gas that reanimates corpses into flesh-eating zombies. As the epidemic spreads throughout Louisville, Ky., and the creatures satisfy their hunger in gory and outlandish ways, Frank and Freddy fight to survive with the help of their boss (Clu Gulager) and a mysterious mortician (Don Calfa).

Director

Dan O'Bannon

Producer

Tom Fox

Screenwriter

Dan O'Bannon

Distributor

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Production Co

Cinema 84, Hemdale, Greenberg Brothers Partnership, Fox Films Ltd.

Rating

Genre

Horror, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Original Language

English

Release Date (Theaters)

Aug 16, 1985, Original

Release Date (Streaming)

Sep 16, 2008

Runtime

1h 31m