The Return of the Living Dead

The Return of the Living Dead
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDan O'Bannon
Screenplay byDan O'Bannon
Story by
Produced byTom Fox
Starring
CinematographyJules Brenner[1]
Edited byRobert Gordon[1]
Music byMatt Clifford[1]
Production
companies
Distributed byOrion Pictures
Release date
  • August 16, 1985 (1985-08-16)
Running time
91 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3-4 million
Box office$14.2 million

The Return of the Living Dead is a 1985 American comedy horror film written and directed by Dan O'Bannon (in his directorial debut) from a story by Rudy Ricci, John Russo, and Russell Streiner, and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Mathews, and Don Calfa. The film tells the story of how a warehouse owner, accompanied by his two employees, mortician friend and a group of teenage punks, deal with the accidental release of a horde of unkillable, brain-hungry zombies onto an unsuspecting town.[1][3][4]

The film, described as a "mordant punk comedy,"[1] is known for introducing multiple popular concepts to the zombie genre: zombies eating specifically brains, as opposed to eating any form of human flesh; and zombies being invulnerable to a gunshot to the head.[5] Additionally, the film's soundtrack was noteworthy, as it featured several Los Angeles-based deathrock and punk rock bands of the era.

The Return of the Living Dead released in the United States on August 16, 1985, by Orion Pictures. The film was a critical success and performed moderately well at the box office. It spawned four sequels.

  1. ^ a b c d e Holden, Stephen (August 16, 1985). "Screen: 'Return of the Living Dead'". Movie Review. The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  2. ^ "The Return of the Living Dead (18)". British Board of Film Classification. September 3, 1985. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  3. ^ Macek III, J. C. (June 14, 2012). "The Zombification Family Tree: Legacy of the Living Dead". PopMatters. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  4. ^ "6 Horror Movies That Are Unexpectedly Perfect for 4th of July Viewing". July 2, 2018. Archived from the original on October 10, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  5. ^ Pacheco, Shawn (August 16, 2020). "It's Party Time! Celebrating 35 Years of 'The Return of the Living Dead'". HorrorGeekLife. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.

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