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.

described as hauntingly beautiful yet chilling. The cast gives great performances and the special effects are astounding, as is Matt Clifford's rousing score. The nasty going-ons is highlighted by a powerful metal soundtrack featuring The Cramps and Billy Idol.The plot concerns some nasty chemical that has the ability to bring the dead back to life. When a barrel of the stuff is accidentally opened, all hell breaks loose: the cast is forced to do battle with scores of zombies this time hungry for brains . Twists and turns abound as the cast is trapped at Ground Zero-the epicenter of the plague, if you will. All of the characters are likely even though they are mostly sleazy and corrupt. Linnea Quigley is great as Trash as is Clu Gulager as the corrupt warehouse owner. The zombies themselves are fun to watch; be warned, however, that they are not the usual slow, shuffling stiffs we've all come to love.All in all, "The Return of the Living Dead" is an amazing thrill ride that will remain in your mind long after it's over. Do yourself a favor and seek out this cult classic. You won't regret it!

partying in a graveyard one night, right next to a warehouse where a chemical leak resurrects the graveyard's sleeping occupants. There's nothing too original in the plot - in fact, it's pretty cheesy. However, it's the way the whole film is executed which sets it apart. There's so much right with it that what little bits that don't work are easily overlooked.The characters are believable and, almost all the time, do logical, sensible things. Also, it's the 'oldies' who steal the show. In a world where teenagers are normally the stars of horror films, it's the older, wiser characters that both get the better lines and come through as the heroes. It has some pretty interesting situations, where the zombies are 'explained,' plus they're well and truly 'pumped up' compared to George A Romero's 'shufflers.' These guys don't die from a head shot and some of them can even solve puzzles.Not only is the film littered with pokes at Night of the Living Dead, plus generally horror films, but there are also some genuinely humorous moments on their own. Not that this is just a strict comedy. The tone is overall very dark and depressing. The sheer strength and invulnerability of the zombies compared to the humans makes it an almost lost cause for our heroes to fight against.There are so many zombie movies flooding the DVD racks these days, you may be forgiven for thinking that an obscure one from the mid eighties with no stars in it has much place in the horror genre. I think you'll find you're wrong. If half the modern zombie offerings had even a fraction of the class and originality of RotLD, they'd actually get out of the Bargain Basement bins in DVD stores.

momentarily regains his composure as he calls his boss to explain that they have 'a situation' at the warehouse. I've watched this movie several times over the past 20 years and watching it last night, forced me into convulsive laughter. Tears were streaming down my face as I tried to catch my breath. Too many funny moments to mention, but the dialogue between the warehouse owner and the mortician as they discuss how to deal with bags of rabid weasels is worth the price of admission alone!

few viewings, for me to fully appreciate it, it's a damn fine zombie flick and i say it's a must see!. The Direction is great!.Dan O'Bannon does a great job here, with adding creepy mood once in a while, some great slow mo shots, lots of creative shots, good camera angles, and he kept the film, at a very fast pace!. We get a bit of gore. We get nasty melting corpses,Axe in the head,head sawed off,some blood,chomped off head, brain smacking,severed head,zombie split in half,2 decapitations,ripped off head,split dogs,flesh chomping,and some severed limbs Decent. The Acting is fantastic!.Clu Gulager is excellent here, as the main lead, he is very likable, on top of things, and had some good comic timing as well!. James Karen is awesome here as Frank, he is very witty likable, and had some classic expressions on his face!, and had wonderful chemistry with Thom Matthews!. Thom Mathews is also awesome here, he is hilarious, very likable, had cool dialog, and had wonderful chemistry with James Karen, i can't wait to see,more of this guy, where is he now?. Don Calfa, is great as the embalmer, and quite funny as well, i really liked him. Beverly Randolph annoyed the crap out of, she whined too much, and was rather unlikable in my opinion. Miguel A. Núñez Jr. is fantastic here, as one of the Punks, i loved his dialog, and really dig him overall as an actor! Miguel Rules! . John Philbin and Jewel Shepard, do what they have to do well. Linnea Quigley is way hot, and is excellent here, loved her dialog, and her death fetish was very amusing. Mark Venturini was hilarious as the always P OED punk!. Overall this is classic, and a must see! for all horror fans. **** out of 5

ALMOST because a few silly decisions here and there it would have been nice if the movie hadn't ended with recycled footage turn what could have been the finest, and most disturbing, horror-comedy EVER MADE into a merely excellent one.Honestly, I challenge anyone to find a "horror-comedy" that delivers laughs, gore, some genuine scares, and combines it with what can only be called the finest acting I've ever seen in a horror-comedy much less one from the 80's! . James Karen, Clu Gulager, and Don Calfa absolutely STEAL this movie with their sidesplitting hysterics. Listen to the lines, note the deliveries. These guys are pros! Anyone who could THINK to call their acting "wooden" clearly knows nothing about the traps horror-comedies often fall into. Personally, I was thinking of the OD scene from Pulp Fiction the entire time. The absurdity mixed with tension was eerily similar. Tarantino an admitted zombie-movie fan must SURELY have seen this movie upon its initial release. Gulager in particular is just plain brilliant here, he's like a burned out shop teacher fighting zombies!! This film is a hidden treasure in a genre all too often plagued by mediocrity.

This proves to be an interesting problem for the script to resolve which I think it does with style by the end of the movie.The characters are a little predictable and one dimensional except for the lead pair who are introduced at the start of the movie, but that's perhaps the only flaw. What I really like about this movie is that, whilst not entirely a gorefest, it still manages to kick-ass because of the flawless plot. By this I mean that there a few scenarios where you find yourself saying "that's just dumb" or "they'd never do that" etc, which is very rare nowadays in the horror/sci-fi genre. Dramas & thrillers etc get an easy job of it because all they have to do is convince us that their reality is real-life. Horror on the other hand needs to convince that the unreality it portrays is what is real-life, and that's not always an easy task.ROTLD is funny, sick, clever and above all entertaining if you can stomache some pretty twisted content. Personally, I love it.

asleep. One of the canisters breaks open, the dead guy comes to life and all hell breaks loose. Also, the gas leaks into a graveyard next door and all the dead people come to life...hungry for brains! And how about that group of punk kids hanging out in the graveyard--including Linnea Quigley who spends 99.9% of her screen time nude? Also, unlike "Night of..." these zombies move FAST and bullets don't hurt them...This movie is strange. It pays homage to old zombie horror flicks and goes of on its own direction. The annoying, constantly swearing bunch of punk kids are only there to be victims--and they inexplicably have an innocent, sweet girl with them--Tina played by Beverly Randolph. The first half is very funny--expertly mixing laughs with some truly scary, gory moments. The laughs disappear completely for the second half. Then on in its a gore show and VERY disturbing. It's moves extremely quick, there are tons of people killed, the number of zombies is incredible, the special effects are great and the blood goes flying. But the change from humor to horror is jarring and some of the stuff at the end is VERY disturbing Karens and Mathews' slow deaths are very upsetting and painful to watch and hear . This movie is also helped by good acting. The punk kids are by the numbers except for Randolph who is kind of fun , but Mathews is good and Karen and Gulager are hilarious in their respective roles. They all play it reasonably straight and it helps.Gory, scary, funny--a definite must-see for horror fans. This film deserves more recognition than it's gotten.Best line: "I think things are getting a little out of hand."