19857.2 / 101h 31mComedyHorrorScience Fiction

The Return of the Living Dead

They're back from the grave and ready to party!

Two employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a toxic gas from a misplaced top-secret U.S. Army shipment, causing the dead to rise from a nearby cemetery with an insatiable hunger for human brains.

Quick Stats
7.2
TMDB Rating
2,357
Votes
1h 31m
Runtime
$4.0M
Budget
$14.2M
Box Office
356%
Return
Key Crew
DirectorDan O'Bannon
WriterDan O'Bannon
CinematographyJules Brenner
ComposerMatt Clifford
EditorBarbara Pokras
Production DesignFrederick B. Van Brunt
Produced by
Hemdale Film CorporationFox Films Ltd.Cinema 84

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Critics & Reviews

2 featured
Gimly
7/10

So. Much. Damn. Fun. _The Return of the Living Dead_ always takes me back to being a teenager. In a good way. _Trash is taking off her clothes again._ _Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._

Written Oct 26, 2018 · read original
CinemaSerf
7/10

“Burt” (Clu Gulager) is regaling new boy “Freddy” (Thom Matthews) with spooky tales in their medical supply warehouse and that takes them to the basement where the relics of the last zombie attack were stored in hermetically sealed metal jars. Rather stupidly, they open one and release not just it’s toxic gases but also one of it’s fairly peckish occupants! Fleeing for their very lives, they call in the boss “Frank” (James Karen) who in turn drags in the local funeral director “Ernie” (Don Calfa giving Christopher Lloyd a run for his money) to dispose of their recently acquired evidence. Snag? Well the cremation process creates loads of smoke which is conveniently carried by the rain into the soil of the adjacent graveyard and next thing, yep, the ground is alive with the long dead screaming for their ultimate painkiller - brains! These are shrewd and hungry critters who soon have paramedic and police officers on their menu, but what chance for our not so intrepid group? Especially as they are now accompanied by the hysterical young “Tina” (Beverly Randolph) who was out in the graveyard with her eclectic group of friends and who ran like hell when she was grabbed by something she didn’t want to grab back. It’s end to end stuff this, marrying some quickly paced dialogue with some remarkably decent special effects creating quite a fun horror film that is fairly light on fear but full of loads of comedy antics before the military resort to their ultimate sanction, thanks to “Col. Glover” (Jonathan Terry), and almost certainly make matters even worse for what I assume will be the next instalment.

Written Oct 17, 2025 · read original

Cast

Clu Gulager
Clu Gulager
Burt
James Karen
James Karen
Frank
Don Calfa
Don Calfa
Ernie
Thom Mathews
Thom Mathews
Freddy
Miguel A. Núñez Jr.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr.
Spider
Brian Peck
Brian Peck
Scuz
John Philbin
John Philbin
Chuck
Linnea Quigley
Linnea Quigley
Trash
Beverly Randolph
Beverly Randolph
Tina
Jewel Shepard
Jewel Shepard
Casey
Mark Venturini
Mark Venturini
Suicide
Jonathan Terry
Jonathan Terry
Colonel Glover
C
Cathleen Cordell
Colonel's Wife
David Bond
David Bond
Radio Corpse #2
D
Derrick Brice
Gunnery Sergeant

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