Official Synopsis:
“On his first day on the job at a medical supply warehouse, poor Freddy (Thom Mathews) unwittingly releases toxic gas from a secret U.S. military canister, unleashing an unbelievable terror. The gas reanimates an army of corpses, who arise from their graves with a ravenous hunger… for human brains! And luckily for those carnivorous cadavers, there is a group of partying teens nearby, just waiting to be eaten!”
In the 80’s the Zombie Genre was in its infancy, originating in mainstream pop-culture with the classic, Night of the Living Dead. With serious undertones of Post-Apocalyptic worlds, racism, and other modern day themes at the time, Return of the Living Dead introduced the genre as something that could be celebrated as something fun, gory, and entertaining enough without having to carry the weight of themes that Night of the Living Dead did.
That being said, there isn’t much else to say about Return of the Living Dead besides that it is one of the most entertaining Zombie films of all times. Combined with the fact that it is one of the originators of key rules in the zombie universe, and the period where everything is over the top, Return of the Living Dead goes above and beyond in scope of entertainment from what one might expect from this cailber of film. The acting is over the top, at times, one wonders if there was even a script. Actors shout over one another to the point where it is a schmorgesborg of lines and information that may or may not be important to the story-line. Fortunately, that doesn’t matter much. All you need to know is that Night of the Living Dead was real, and Zombies can’t simply be killed by destroying the brain. In fact, the most unique aspect of the film is this premise. Even if you chop off a finger of a zombie, it’s going to do all it can to come after you. As you can imagine, this paints an impossible scenario for all those planning on how to survive once the Zombie Apocalypse finally happens.
As I said, the actors in this are all over the top, which is perfect for the film, and I can’t imagine a greater cast. Each plays his or her role to perfection given the genre and theme, and the combined effort from all make Return of the Living Dead a cult film that has been celebrated since release and continues to this day. It is an important milestone in the genre that has paved the way for everything we celebrate today.
For such a low budget film, the effects are beyond what you might expect. There are some genuinely great make-up effects here that get very intense. The headless cadaver, the rotting torso, all evoke a sense of wonder as you watch these on screen come to life.
Video
The video is presented in 1080p High Definition transfer 1.85:1. This transfer touts a new 2k scan of the interpositive, and the film hasn’t looked better. Granted, there are issues with heavy grain in some of the darker scenes, but overall this presentation is top notch.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and sounds incredible. The soundtrack, which features a punk-rock score, really pops throughout the surrounds. Levels are good throughout with a good balance between dialogue and score.
Special Features
This is where the set really shines. This Collector’s Edition has a comprehensive set of extras with the entire cast, and I mean entire. They bring back the EMTs who get 5 minutes of screen time to talk about their roles on the film. Scream Factory has done an amazing job as always, with a huge array of extras that span well over the length of the film for entertainment that takes you beyond what most of us grew up loving and gives us a rare glimpse into a cult film that continues to gain fans.
On this set you’re going to see:
DISC 1:
NEW 2K Scan Of The Interpositive
NEW Audio Commentary With Gary Smart (Co-author Of The Complete History Of The Return Of The Living Dead) And Chris Griffiths
NEW Audio Commentary With Actors Thom Mathews, John Philbin And Make-up Effects Artist Tony Gardner
Audio Commentary With Director Dan O’Bannon And Production Designer William Stout
Audio Commentary With The Cast And Crew Featuring Production Designer William Stout And Actors Don Calfa, Linnea Quigley, Brian Peck, Beverly Randolph, Allan Trautman
The Decade Of Darkness – Featurette On ’80s Horror Films (23 minutes)
Theatrical Trailers
TV Spots
Still Gallery – Posters, Lobby Cards, Movie Stills And Behind-The-Scenes Photos
Still Gallery – Behind-The-Scenes Photos From Special Make-up Effects Artist Kenny Myers’ Personal Collection
Zombie Subtitles For The Film
In Their Own Words – The Zombies Speak
DISC 2:
NEW The FX Of The Living Dead With Production Designer William Stout, FX Make-up Artists William Munns, Tony Gardner, Kenny Myers And Craig Caton-Largnet, Visual Effects Artists Bret Mixon And Gene Warren Jr. And Actor Brian Peck (Expanded Version) (30 minutes)
NEW Party Time: The Music Of The Return Of The Living Dead With Music Consultants Budd Carr And Steve Pross And Soundtrack Artists Dinah Cancer (45 Grave), Chris D (The Flesh Eaters), Roky Erickson, Karl Moet (SSQ), Joe Wood (T.S.O.L.), Mark Robertson (Tall Boys) Plus Musicians Greg Hetson (Circle Jerks) And John Sox (The F.U.’s, Straw Dogs) (Expanded Version) (30 minutes)
NEW HORROR’S HALLOWED GROUNDS – Revisiting The Locations Of The Film
The Return Of The Living Dead Workprint – Includes 20 minutes Of Additional Footage (In Standard Definition)
More Brains: A Return To The Living Dead – The Definitive Documentary On The Return Of The Living Dead (120 minutes)
A Conversation With Dan O’Bannon – His Final Interview (28 minutes)
The Origins Of The Living Dead – An Interview With John A. Russo (16 minutes)
The Return Of The Living Dead – The Dead Have Risen – Interviews With Cast Members Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Brian Peck, Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, Linnea Quigley And More… (21 minutes)
Designing The Dead – Interviews With Writer/Director Dan O’Bannon And Production Designer William Stout (15 minutes)
With a plethora of extras such as this, this set is going to keep you occupied for weeks.
Return of the Living Dead reaches that cult status that all horror films aspire to. It is a hell of a fun film and has to be seen to be fully appreciated. I highly recommend picking this up for fans of the film or those who have never seen it.
