The Return of The Living Dead

Rated R.

Release Date U.S.A. August 19, 1985

Produced By
Fox Films LTD
Tom Fox
John Daly

Directed By
Dan O'Bannon
Saturn Award Winner Best Director for this Film

Filmed in
Burbank Ca.
Palos Verdes Ca.
Sylmar Ca.

Starring
Clu Galager
James Karen
Don Calfa
Thom Mathews
Beverly Rudolph


The film takes place in Kentucky in 1984. While Training a new employee of the Ins and Outs of the Medical Supply Warehouse. Frank (James Karen) reveals a strange story to Freddy (Thom Mathews) of a Military shipment mistake "of course no one from the warehouse has bothered to inform anyone of the mis-shipment." [And of Course the Military has never tried to find the missing contents of their shipment] but it has found it way right into the Warehouse Basement.

While showing Freddy the visual evidence of this conspiracy, one of the containers starts leaking the diseased contents into the world of the living. Causing all things dead, to come back to life.

When Frank tells the owner Burt (Clu Galager) of what has happened. Burt then decides to do a little cover up work of his own. While trying to get rid of the evidence. A dead cadaver come back to life. They find out this time, unlike in the Night of The Living Dead that destroying the brain does not kill our Zombies this time. NOW WHAT?? While doing what they thought was a good deed for humanity. They instead have opened up a horrific can of worms.

This film mixes Comedy and Horror fairly well together. There are a lot of funny moments in the film. Whether intentional or not it made me laugh. And there was just enough horror so you knew it wasn't a comedy. The Actors, who's characters in this movie, all misfits with only each other to begrudgingly cling to. Carry the film off pretty well. Its was a corny flick, but I kinda liked it.

We'll give it a Thumb Up

DeadNuns is a columnist/critic for NOCS & can be reached by email at

deadnuns@nightmareonchatstreet.com