Return of the Living Dead – BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION

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While not a household name, Dan O’Bannon significantly impacted the horror genre, most famously through his work on the original *Alien* film. His creature design helped establish his reputation and led to his name being credited on all subsequent *Alien* movies. He also wrote the script for *Return of the Living Dead* (1985), a film connected to George Romero’s zombie trilogy through writer John A. Russo. Russo had previously collaborated with Romero but disagreed about the direction of sequels, leading him to write the original story for *Return of the Living Dead*. Producer Tom Fox initially optioned Russo’s treatment, then brought O’Bannon on board to write the script. O’Bannon felt the original story was too similar to Romero’s work and revised it to include more humor.

The movie begins with Freddy (Thom Mathews) starting his first day at a medical supply warehouse. His coworker, Frank (James Karen), decides to show him a disturbing discovery in the basement: sealed canisters containing old military remains. When one of the canisters accidentally breaks open, it releases a deadly gas that brings the dead back to life. Now, warehouse supervisor Burt (Clu Gulager), a mortician named Ernie (Don Calfa), and Freddy’s group of punk friends – including horror icon Linnea Quigley – might be the only ones who can stop the resulting zombie outbreak… if the zombies don’t get to them first!

Unlike the flesh-hungry zombies in Romero’s films, O’Bannon’s zombies specifically craved brains. This detail, while seeming minor, led to some surprisingly mild and even humorous effects. Ironically, the only person safe from these zombies would have been Prince Harry, though he doesn’t appear in the movie. This film also marked O’Bannon’s directorial debut, as he’d only made a short film previously. Unfortunately, the experience was so unpleasant that he directed only one more film six years later, after which he stopped directing altogether.

The actors clearly had fun making the film, with Don Calfa delivering a wildly energetic performance, while Clu Gulager remained more subdued despite the chaotic events. The group of punks, led by Mark Venturine (who played a character called Suicide), were a rough-looking bunch. Their costumes seemed based on how the filmmakers *thought* punks looked, rather than accurately reflecting the style of the time – the British punk scene was largely over by then, with only a few underground bands still active. Linnea Quigley spent most of the film nude, a deliberate move by the filmmakers to appeal to teenage boys.

Return of the Living Dead is a playfully over-the-top horror film with surprisingly good special effects, particularly the zombie Tarman, who appears to be covered in black, sticky goo. Unlike George Romero’s zombie movies, it’s not overly graphic, which helped it appeal to a wider audience and earn $14 million on a $4 million budget. This success led to a sequel three years later, a possibility hinted at by the original film’s ending. A key difference from Romero’s zombies is that these undead aren’t stopped by a simple headshot.

This limited edition Blu-ray release will delight fans with its extensive bonus features, including:

This limited edition includes special extras for fans: a reversible sleeve with artwork by Orlando Arocena, a collector’s booklet with new writing about the film by Gary Smart and a sneak peek at the upcoming comic book sequel, and a double-sided fold-out poster also featuring artwork by Orlando Arocena.

This Blu-ray disc features a stunning 4K restoration of the film, presented in high definition (1080p) with both original mono audio and a 5.1 surround sound mix. It includes subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing, and multiple audio commentaries – one with the director and production designer, another with several actors, a third with more actors and the special effects artist, and a fourth with fans and filmmakers.

Bonus features include archival interviews with the author of the original story, a look at the film’s special effects, a featurette on the soundtrack, a tour of filming locations, and interviews with cast and crew. There are also featurettes exploring 1980s horror and the film’s design, plus deleted scenes and the original theatrical trailers and TV spots.

Disc Two includes exclusive bonus content! You’ll find a high-definition documentary (1080p) about the making of the film, complete with in-depth interviews with the cast and crew. Also included is a final interview with Dan O’Bannon, deleted scenes from the documentary, a 3-minute recap of *Return of the Living Dead*, and a look at the film’s original locations as they appear today.

Much of this material is taken from older releases, as the creator, O’Bannon, passed away in 2009. However, the documentary about how the film was made is a great reason for any horror fan to own this disc.

Here’s the Return of the Living Dead trailer……

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2025-10-11 02:24