The Return of the Living Dean (1985)

Though I’m sure I saw bits and pieces of other zombie flicks as a kid, The Return of the Living Dead is the first zombie movie I remember watching in its entirety. The movie itself, however, didn’t leave much of a mark on me at the time. Instead it was the program airing it that did. During my freshman year in high school (1998 -1999) I became a huge fan of Joe Bob Brigg’s Monster Vision on TNT and would look forward to Saturday night simply because it was on. I didn’t care if the movie was one I didn’t like, or didn’t think I would like (zombie movies were in this second category back then), I would watch the show anyway because I loved Monster Vision. In fact, to this day I still wish it were on, or that I had taped it every week so I could still watch it. At the same time a part of me is glad it only exists in my memories because that way it doesn’t have the possibility of souring over repeated viewings the way other favorite movies and programs have. Anyway, during one of those much anticipated Saturday nights The Return of the Living Dead was the movie being shown and despite my disinterest in actually watching a movie with that name I looked forward to it coming on all week, my eyes counting down the minutes and begging the program that came before Monster Vision to hurry up and end. Oddly enough I don’t remember any of the Monster Vision program from that night, the only exception being the interview with the actress that played the Goth girl. I remember that because she talked about how embarrassed she was when she went to see the movie with her parents and the coffin dancing scene came on, one which, sadly, was not shown on TNT that night.

For those that are unfamiliar with this movie (hard to imagine, but possible), The Return of the Living Dead is a loose sequel of The Night of the Living Dead, which, in the world of The Return of the Living Dead was a popular movie based on a true incident that the army covered up. Wanting to use zombies as military weapons, the army canned up some of the living corpses, but then mistakenly shipped them to the wrong address, that address being a medical supply warehouse. Rather than send them back the owner / workers kept the canisters in the basement where they stayed undisturbed for many years. All this changes when a young man named Freddy takes a job at the warehouse. He isn’t to blame for his, however, despite what the back of the most recent DVD release states. Instead Frank, who is training Freddy and trying to impress him with the story of the canisters, breaks a canister when pounding it, and releases the toxic zombie creating gas into the air. This causes one of the cadavers in the freezer above to come to life, which is eventually is put down, though not killed. Needing to be rid of the still moving body parts Frank, Freddy and Burt (boss, owner, manager -- its never really known?) take the body across the way to a mortuary where a man named Ernie burns it in the crematorium. Unfortunately the fumes from this rise up into the atmosphere and cause a freak thunderstorm that causes the chemical / gas that reanimates corpses to rain down into a graveyard, which in turn brings everyone buried there back to life. From that point on Frank, Freddy, Burt and Ernie, and the teens friends of Freddy who were in the graveyard waiting for him to get off work, must battle the seemingly unstoppable hoard of brain eating zombies until help can arrive. Will the help be able to stop the zombies, and, more important, will all the people who need rescuing be on board for the method used to put an end to this horrific disaster?

Throughout the horror world sides have been drawn between the two popular styles of zombies, those two being brain eating running zombies, and flesh eating walking zombies. The method of killing for each is also different, the former almost always needing to be shot in the head, the latter needing to be pretty much dismembered and burned. Though interesting I don’t take sides in this debate and just enjoy the different styles of zombies as they are presented to me, my love for everything zombie having taken root ever since watching the original Dawn of the Dead back in 2004 before going to see the less than enjoyable remake. As it stands Dawn of the Dead is my favorite zombie movie, followed closely by The Return of the Living Dead. My reason for liking Dawn of the Dead has more to do with the end of the world barricaded in the shopping mall scenario, which, like many people I know, has always seemed appealing, than the zombies. My reason for liking The Return of the Living Dead is simply because it is a fun and entertaining movie. I love everything about it, the horror, the comedy, the overly done stereotypical characters (especially the ‘I like death’ Goth girl), the music, and the zombies who are able to communicate rather than just wandering around and use this ability to lure in people so they can feed. Most of all I love how creepy the decaying canister zombie is, especially that moment when it first says, “BRAINS!” to Tina. That scene always gives me chills. Now, one thing I don’t like about this movie is the way it is always advertised as a comedy rather than a horror movie, because to me it is a horror movie first, comedy second. Is there anyone else out there who feels this way about it, or am I once again in a minority? Please feel free to share opinions.