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| The Return of the Living Dead | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Credits | |
| Title: | The Return of the Living Dead |
| Directed by: | Dan O'Bannon |
| Written by: | Dan O'Bannon; Rudy Ricci; John Russo; Russell Streiner |
| Produced by: | Jon Daly; Tom Fox; Derek Gibson; Graham Henderson |
| Music by: | Matt Clifford |
| Cinematography: | Jules Brenner |
| Edited by: | Robert Gordon |
| Production | |
| Distributors: | Orion Pictures Hemdale Film |
| Released: | August 16th, 1985 |
| Rating: | R |
| Running time: | 91 min. |
| Country: | USA |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $4,000,000 |
| Gross: | $14,237,000 |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | — |
| Next: | Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988) |
The Return of the Living Dead is an American horror film of the zombie and comedy subgenres. It is the first installment in a series that yields three sequels, beginning with Return of the Living Dead Part II in 1988. The movie was written and directed by Dan O'Bannon and produced by Hemdale Film for Orion Pictures. It is based on a book written by by John Russo. The film was released theatrically in the United States on August 16th, 1985. The Return of the Living Dead stars Clu Gulager and Thom Matthews as Burt and Freddy - two bumbling morgue attendants, who unwittingly open a sealed canister containing the remains of a zombie. As with many such instances, this of course begets a zombie plague that overtakes the town of Louisville, Kentucky. Adding to Burt and Freddy's woes is the presence of a gang of punkers who must contend with the hungry jaws of the brain-eating living dead.
Plot[]
Cast[]
Main cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Clu Gulager | Burt |
| James Karen | Frank |
| Don Calfa | Ernie |
| Thom Matthews | Freddy |
| Beverly Randolph | Tina |
| John Philbin | Chuck |
| Jewel Shepard | Casey |
| Miguel Nunez | Spider |
| Brian Peck | Scuz |
| Linnea Quigley | Trash |
| Mark Venturini | Suicide |
| Jonathan Terry | Colonel Glover |
Supporting cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Cathleen Cordell | Colone'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 M. Houlihan | Yellow cadaver |
| Allan Trautman | Tarman |
| Robert Bennett | Headless Tarman |
| Jerome "Daniels" Coleman | Legless corpse |
| Cherry Davis | ½ lady corpse |
Uncredited cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Rick Askew | Officer |
| Dan O'Bannon | Loudspeaker officer |
| Larry Odien | Yellow corpse |
| William Stout | Bum with shopping cart |
Notes & Trivia[]
- The full title of the film is The Return of the Living Dead.
- Tagline: They're Back From The Grave and Ready To Party!
- Production on The Return of the Living Dead began on July 4th, 1984. Principal photography concluded on August 28th, 1984. The movie was shot on location in Louisville, Kentucky.
- Story developer John A. Russo is credited as John Russo in this film.
- Actor Miguel A. Núñez Jr. is credited as Miguel Nunez in this film.
- Actor Terrence Houlihan is credited as Terrence M. Houlihan in this film.
- Actor Robert J. Bennett is credited as Robert Bennett in this film.
- One of the most notable elements of The Return of the Living Dead is the introduction of the concept of zombies eating brains. As explained in the film, zombie eat brains because it alleviates the pain of being dead. The notion of zombies as brain-eaters has since become a staple of zombie lore and has been included in dozens of films, comics, video games and even pop songs.
- This film marks the directorial debut of Dan O'Bannon. O'Bannon is best known for co-creating and writing the screenplay for the 1979 sci-fi survival horror classic Alien. His only other work as a director is Shatterbrain (also known as The Resurrected) in 1991, which is based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft.
- Another movie produced by Hemdale Film is The Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf, which was also released in 1985.
- Actor Miguel A. Núñez, Jr., who plays Spider, is credited as Miguel Nunez in this film.
- Actors Rick Askew, Larry Odien and William Stout are all uncredited for their participation in this film.
- Director/writer Dan O'Bannon makes a cameo appearance as the helicopter loudspeaker officer. He is also the voice of the bum outside the warehouse.
- The characters of Ernie and Burt are named after the two infamous Muppet characters as seen on sketches on Seseme Street.
- The two main actors from the film, Clu Gulager and Thom Matthews also appear in the film's sequel, Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988), playing two different characters. Outside of this series, they have also appeared in other major iconic horror franchises. Clu Gulager played papa Ken Walsh in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge in 1986, while Thom Matthews will go on to play Tommy Jarvis in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives.
- This is Linnea Quigley's second role in a horror film. She previously played impaled crazy Santa victim Denise in 1984's Silent Night, Deadly Night.
- Actors Miguel Nunez and Mark Venturini both appear in the slasher film Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, which was also released in 1985. Miguel plays a character named Demon, while Mark plays a character named Victor J. Faden.
- This is the movie that begins the trope of zombies eating brains as opposed to just being flesh-eaters.
The year in film[]
Other films that were released in 1985 include: