The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Director:

Dan O'Bannon

Writers:

Dan O'Bannon (screenplay) and
Rudy Ricci (story)
(more)

Release Date:

16 August 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

They're Back From The Grave and Ready To Party!

Plot:

When a bumbling pair of employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air...

Plot Keywords:

Louisville Kentucky | Warehouse | Zombie | Massacre | Sledgehammer

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Clu Gulager	...	Burt
James Karen	...	Frank
Don Calfa	...	Ernie
Thom Mathews	...	Freddy
Beverly Randolph	...	Tina
John Philbin	...	Chuck
Jewel Shepard	...	Casey
Miguel A. Núñez Jr.	...	Spider (as Miguel Nunez)
Brian Peck	...	Scuz
Linnea Quigley	...	Trash
Mark Venturini	...	Suicide
Jonathan Terry	...	Colonel Glover
Cathleen Cordell	...	Colonel's Wife
Drew Deighan	...	Paramedic #1
James Dalesandro	...	Paramedic #2
John Durbin	...	Radio Corpse #1
David Bond	...	Radio Corpse #2
Bob Libman	...	Tac Squad Captain
John Stuart West	...	Riot Cop #1
Michael Crabtree	...	Riot Cop #2
Ed Krieger	...	Riot Cop #3
Robert Craighead	...	Cop #1
Paul Cloud	...	Cop #2
Derrick Brice	...	Gunnery Sergeant
Leigh Drake	...	Dispatcher
Terrence Houlihan	...	Yellow Cadaver (as Terrence M. Houlihan)
Allan Trautman	...	Tarman
Robert J. Bennett	...	Headless Tarman (as Robert Bennett)
Jerome 'Daniels' Coleman	...	Legless Corpse
Cherry Davis	...	½ Lady Corpse
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rick Askew	...	Officer (uncredited)
Leslee Bremmer	...	(uncredited)
Dan O'Bannon	...	Helicopter Loudspeaker Officer / Bum Outside Warehouse (voice) (uncredited)
William Stout	...	Bum with Shopping Cart (uncredited)

Directed by
Dan O'Bannon

Writing credits
Dan O'Bannon		(screenplay)
Rudy Ricci		story
John A. Russo		book (as John Russo)
Russell Streiner		story

Produced by
John Daly	....	executive producer
Tom Fox	....	producer
Derek Gibson	....	executive producer
Graham Henderson	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Matt Clifford

Cinematography by
Jules Brenner

Film Editing by
Robert Gordon

Casting by
Stanzi Stokes

Production Design by
William Stout

Art Direction by
Robert Howland

Set Decoration by
Robert Lucas

Makeup Department
Allan A. Apone	....	special makeup effects
Yvette Bliss	....	punk makeup artist
Craig Caton	....	additional special makeup artist
Tony Gardner	....	makeup artist: half-corpse effects
Wendy Hogan	....	assistant makeup artist
Wendy Hogan	....	hair stylist
William Munns	....	special makeup effects artist
Kenny Myers	....	additional special effects makeup
Robin L. Neal	....	key makeup artist
Larry Odien	....	additional special makeup artist
Tony Rupprecht	....	additional special makeup artist
Douglas J. White	....	additional special makeup artist

Production Management
Michael Bennett	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Scott Javine	....	second assistant director
Josh King	....	second assistant director
David M. Robertson	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Barbara Benz	....	property master
Michael Gastaldo	....	lead man
Clayton Hartley	....	assistant art director
Brian Pascall	....	stand-by painter
Frederick B. Van Brunt	....	assistant property master
Sara Lee Wade	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Chris Carpenter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Jackson	....	boom operator
Adam Johnston	....	assistant sound editor
Dale Johnston	....	supervising sound editor
Ron Judkins	....	sound mixer
Bob Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ray West	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jerry Whittington	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Kevin McCarthy	....	special effects foreman (as Kevin F. McCarthy)
Robert E. McCarthy	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
John Huneck	....	visual effects camera operator: Fantasy II
Leslie Huntley	....	visual effects supervisor: Fantasy II Film Effects
Michael Joyce	....	model shop supervisor
Paul Kassler	....	model maker: Fantasy II Film Effects
Pete Kleinow	....	visual effects supervisor (as Peter Kleinow)
Ken Marschall	....	matte painting: Fantasy II Film Effects
Bret Mixon	....	rotoscoping
Gary Rhodaback	....	model maker: Fantasy II Film Effects
Joe Viskocil	....	nuclear explosion (as Joseph Viskocil)
Gene Warren Jr.	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Blair Burrows	....	stunts
Hank Calia	....	stunts
Michael Carr	....	stunts
Fernando Celis	....	stunts
Erik Cord	....	stunt coordinator
Monty Cox	....	stunts
Gardner Doolittle	....	stunts
Ralph Garrett	....	stunts
John Gillespie	....	stunts
Gene Hartline	....	stunts
Gary Jensen	....	stunt coordinator
Gary Jensen	....	stunts
Kim Robert Koscki	....	stunts & stunt driver (as Kim Koscki)
Joel Kramer	....	stunts
Paula Marie Moody	....	stunts (as Paula Moody)
Bruce W. Morgan	....	stunts (as Bruce Morgan)
Bernie Pock	....	stunts (as Bernhard Pock)
Byron Quisenberry	....	stunts
Spiro Razatos	....	stunts
Ray Saniger	....	stunts
Norm Stephens	....	stunts
Ethan Wayne	....	stunts
Brian J. Williams	....	stunts
Ben Jensen	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert L. Blatman	....	assistant camera
John Burnett	....	first assistant camera: additional photography
Marty Carrillo	....	best boy
Andreas Crawford	....	grip
Rory Flynn	....	still photographer
Mark Hadland	....	grip
Julio Macat	....	assistant camera
Timothy 'Guido' Magaraci	....	electrician
Richard Mall	....	key grip
Frank Montoya	....	best boy
Ed Nielsen	....	camera operator
Ronald J. Pure Jr.	....	electrician
Jesse Tango	....	grip (as Jess Tango)

Casting Department
Lucien Jervis	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lesley Levin	....	costume designer: extras
Raggs	....	wardrobe
Beverly Val-Brown	....	wardrobe (as Beverly Valbrown)

Editorial Department
Alexis Champlin	....	additional assistant editor
Julie Feiner	....	assistant editor
Mark Helfrich	....	additional editor
Vivian Hengsteler	....	negative cutter
Dan Muscarella	....	color timer (as Daniel F. Muscarella)
John Penney	....	second assistant editor
Barbara Pokras	....	additional editor
Hilarie Roope	....	additional assistant editor
Michael Ruscio	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Budd Carr	....	music consultant
William Hein	....	music consultant: Enigma
Simon Heyworth	....	music producer: Film Trax
Steve Pross	....	music consultant: Enigma
Robert Randles	....	composer: additional music
Robert Randles	....	music supervisor
Emilie Robertson	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Jason Belsky	....	transportation captain
George Cozze	....	driver
Richard Padgett	....	transportation coordinator
Ronald Stinton	....	driver (as Ron Stinton)

Other crew
Christena Alcorn	....	script supervisor
Jo Barnett	....	assistant production accountant
Don Bland	....	production assistant: Image 3
A. Frederick Greenberg	....	copyright owner (as Cinema '84)
Richard M. Greenberg	....	copyright owner (as Cinema '84)
Alan Grodin	....	legal services: Cooper, Epstein & Hurewitz
Alexander Hendrie	....	location manager
Jerome Holder	....	craft service
Robert Jellen	....	insurance (as Bob Jellen)
Grahame Jennings	....	production associate (as Graham Jennings)
Victoria Krieger	....	assistant to producers
Edwin A. Locke Jr.	....	copyright owner (as Cinema '84)
Richard Lorenzana	....	production accountant
Michael Mersereau	....	production assistant
Karen Altman Morgenstern	....	production coordinator
Pattison Newberry	....	first aid
Jane A. Pahlman	....	production assistant: Image 3
Julius Polk	....	extras set coordinator
Timothy R. Waters	....	consulting mortician
Lynnanne Zager	....	adr voice (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Hemdale Film
• Fox Films Ltd.
• Cinema 84 (as Greenberg Brothers Partnership)

Distributors

• Orion Pictures Corporation (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• Hemdale Picture Corporation (1991) (USA)
• Cinema '84/Greenberg Brothers Partnership
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Metropol-Filmverleih (1986) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Flashstar (Brazil) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (2006) (Finland) (TV)
• T:mi Venäläinen Mika (2002) (Finland) (DVD)
• Tartan Video (1992) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• Tartan Video (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• Thorn EMI Video Australia
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Vestron Video International (1986) (UK) (video)
• Warner Home Video
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2002) (Finland) (TV)

Special Effects

• Fantasy II Film Effects
• Makeup Effects Laboratories
• Wizards

Other Companies

• Albert G. Ruben and Company  insurance provided by
• Cooper, Epstein & Hurewitz  legal services
• DeLuxe Laboratories  prints by (as DeLuxe)
• Film Finance  completion guarantee
• K!SSPROOF Entertainment  cast appearance booking
• Tambarle Pty. Ltd.  production finance (a Euro Film Fund Ltd. Enterprise)

Also Known As:

Return of the Living Dead (USA) (video box title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Finland:K-18 (2002) | West Germany:18 (video premiere) (cut) | Norway:(Banned) (1985-2003) (cinema release) | Denmark:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Italy:VM14 (new rating) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | West Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:M | France:-12 | Iceland:(Banned) | Mexico:C | UK:18 | USA:R | Finland:(Banned) (1985) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Hemdale Film

Trivia:

Linnea Quigley (Trash) wore a crotch-covering, flesh-colored prosthetic during her strip scene.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Dozens of zombies attack the paramedics in order to eat their brains. But when the cops show up, the zombies have disappeared and brains are literally pouring out of one paramedic's head. Were they not that hungry?

Quotes:

Frank: Did you see that movie, "Night of the Living Dead"?
Freddy: Yeah, that's where the corpses started eating the people, right?
Frank: Yeah - did you know that movie was based on a true case?

Movie Connections:

References Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Soundtrack:

Eyes Without a Face

Rabid Weasels?

This is one of those very rare films that combines good black humor with bloody, messy gore and does it perfectly. Where `Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things' fails miserably, `Return of the Living Dead' succeeds triumphantly. It takes a tired plot (zombies eat teenagers) and makes it new again. The teenagers here are not faceless, stupid, oversexed victims at all. They are misfits and outsiders, the kind of kids who probably go to horror movies every day and make fun of the faceless, stupid, oversexed victims who populated the majority of the slasher films made in the 1980s. The nihilistic punk rock teens can identify with the zombies, and even though it is their ultimate fate to be consumed by them, you like them, you want them to survive and you're sorry to see them go even though the zombies are every bit as cool.

Long before `28 Days Later' appeared, `Return of the Living Dead' presented us with FAST zombies, zombies who could run, jump and work together like a football team, tackling people and making it a group effort to tear their victims apart. There are very few slow, shuffling monsters here; these are zombies to contend with. They talk, they think, they problem solve. Who could ever forget the Tar Man (my personal favorite) rigging up a device to tear down the metal closet doors, behind which our heroine has locked herself?

The adult characters in this film are no less interesting than the teenagers. James Karen is absolutely hysterical in his role as a medical warehouse manager, whose bumbling irresponsibility leads to the zombies being unleashed. Clu Gulager is a stressed out corporate jerk who will do anything to save the name and reputation of the warehouse he owns. And Don Calfa is excellent as the slightly shady mortician who may or may not be an ex-Nazi. The mismatched cast really comes together and forms a bond here, fighting back and growing more desperate as the zombies grow stronger. This film never lets up, not for one minute. There are no long explanation scenes, no boring set-up, just in-your-face excitement from the very first scene. It is the perfect homage to the Romero films; there is no happy ending here, only an ironic twist which will make even the most cynical doomsayer grin. This film is already a cult classic and deserves its status. It's as close to flawless as you can get.